A brand is much more than the name of a company or product. It’s about who you are and how you are perceived, and whether personal- or business-related, that perception is extremely important. The good thing is that this perception is something you can control. You can create your own image and mold the expectations of your audience all by knowing how to properly construct your brand.

Define Who You Are

You probably have a good idea of what you’re all about, but how do you express that to your public? You need to define who you are, and in order to do that, you must challenge yourself with questions such as these:

• What is my area of speciality?
• What do I do?
• Who is my audience?
• How would they describe me?
• What do I want them to think about me?

This first step is essential for getting your branding efforts off the ground. It not only helps define you, it helps people actually find you. For example, knowing how your audience would describe you can help you identify the keywords that allow them to find you in the search engines.

Create Recognition

Search, social media and the internet in general make getting a brand discovered far easier than it has ever been in past times. However, all the visibility in the world isn’t likely to do you any good if you don’t stand out. You need to create recognition, and one of the most effective ways to do this is to make design a key component in your branding strategy. This component will account for things like:

• Logos
• Slogans
• Corporate Colors
• Websites
• Email Campaigns

The importance of design in branding should never be underestimated. You would be surprised at the fantastic results a brand can generate from instant visual recognition. It is a crucial aspect that has helped numerous companies enhance their image and boost their profits.

Brand Your Content

Content is one of the most important elements in a branding strategy, so you definitely need to make sure that all the material you create on and offline is a reflection of your brand. As an expert in the video editing field, for instance, you may want to start by offering your readers tips and tutorials, and then branch off into other segments of the field. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you start expanding into off-topic areas such as home improvement and fashion, you will lose your audience quickly. Stick with content that people can easily keep up with, and build your brand around it.

Inject Your Personality

A strong brand is not just recognizable on first glance. It has its own identity, flair and personality. Everything else aside, it is personality that is going to separate you from the competition. When you associate personality with your brand, you will be able to generate new business and great overall results on that attribute alone. The Air Jordan line of Nikes may be a quality shoe, but NBA great Michael Jordan is the personality associated with the brand, and his name alone has moved an incredible amount of units over the last 25 years. This is just one example of how powerful personality can be in branding.