The dictionary definition of branding is; “The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product in the consumers’ mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.” But that definition kind of skirts around it in a long-winded way. A much nicer explanation, I feel, is one which Amazon’s Jeff Bezos states perfectly; ”Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” This is it in a nutshell! There are many aspects to a brand, some of which I’ll cover here. VISUAL BRAND. This is what most people think about when they hear the term “branding”. These are things like your logo, letterheads, business cards etc... the things you can see. So this incorporates aspects such as colour pallets, photography style, layout, logos, typography and icons as well as other visual cues that your audience will interact with. It forms the visual voice that helps you to be instantly recognisable to your audience, as well as helping you to stand out from other businesses that do the same work as you. Your visual identity is a powerful tool, as we humans make snap decisions based almost entirely on visual cues. So the quicker you can be recognised, the easier you are to buy from. Your visual identity holds the power in your brand! VERBAL IDENTITY. - Your Brand's Voice. This is the system of words and messaging, that communicate with your audience, and make you stand out from your competitors, and help your customers recognise who you are. Your verbal identity is things like your business name, your tagline, your brand tone of voice, brand story and all copy you use. Getting this right makes you more human-sounding to your customers, this helps enable them to connect with your business on a personal level, which helps them create an emotional connection to you, and therefore become more likely to buy from you as they feel somehow connected to a real person, and not just a faceless business. The voice should be consistent across all platforms and all communications, whether online or offline. Just how you recognise a familiar voice from a friend or relative, is how you want your customers to recognise your brand voice. So it needs to be consistent. BRAND COMPASS - Where your business is going, and why? This is all about the fundamentals of your business. So includes things like your mission statement, vision, purpose, values and goals. The key thing here is the why? Why is it you do what you do, and how do you go about it. BRAND PROMISE - What is it you are pledging to your customers? Your brand promise is what you promise your customers. So for example, my brand promise is to "Power Up Your Brand" Because I create consistent and coherent branding for my clients, that really does help to elevate their business and increase their presence in the world. The brand promise is used across a lot of platforms, media and various situations both offline and online, from social media, adverts, taglines, messaging and a whole load of other areas. Be explicit in your brand promise. Say exactly what you will do and stick to it. ALWAYS Keep your promise to your customers and this will help them to foster a trusting relationship with you, and will mean they keep coming back to you. So then what is a brand? So in conclusion, a brand is the act of shaping and moulding how people perceive you and your business. This perception is vital in creating a successful business. We are simple creatures, we don't like to work too hard for what we buy and so if your branding makes it easy for us to do business with you, we are more likely to. Branding can go much deeper than what I've mentioned here, but I hope this gives you a little outline of what makes a brand and helps you to think about your business, and if your brand is really working for you and if it's not, get in touch!.. ...And remember; THE POWER IS IN YOUR BRAND! :-) Have a wonderful day.