Branding is a one hot topic, although it is wildly misunderstood. To make things even more confusing, branding is often tossed in the same basket as marketing which makes its application to an entrepreneur or sole-practioner even more unclear.

While out speaking on branding, the question that I hear most is "How do I know if my business or service is brand material?" With businesses opening left and right, and more and more closing each year, I’m glad there are smart business owners open to understanding the issue.

If you’ve found yourself asking the same thing, don’t worry you’re not alone. Perhaps, this can shed some light.

At a recent luncheon, the same question came up again in a different way. I was seated next to an attorney whose sole practice focuses on elder abuse cases, he asked me in rapid succession (a manner that showed me he’d be great in court):

"Isn’t branding for businesses that make a lot of stuff?" "Doesn’t branding apply only if you want to sell a lot of stuff?" "Isn’t branding pointless for my kind of business?"

Smiling, I fired back, "yes, yes, and… no".

Yes, branding is most often associated with businesses that make a lot of stuff. Yes, branding is advantageous if you want to sell a lot of stuff. No, branding is not pointless because every business makes something (or offers a service) and wants to sell it. Branding is about making your product or service known to as many potential customers as possible, consistently, with the most effective use of your time and money. Branding is about repeat business. Branding is about effortless referrals. Wouldn’t that be a benefit to ANY business, especially yours?

To help you gain more brand-worthy clarity, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Am I really passionate about what I am doing with my business, service or product? And I mean REALLY! If not, is there something more you can be doing in it to turn your passion switch on? It takes an amazing amount of energy and persistence to make a business take hold in the customer’s mind. With more and more businesses competing for headspace, it’s imperative that you set yourself apart. If you are not cooking with the fuel that passion gives you, you’re missing out on a very crucial element that could mean the difference between thriving and closing.

2. Do I have a big vision of my business, service or product? Do you dream of reaching lots of customers in different ways with your product or service? Do you see a way to deliver your product or service to an increasing amount of people with less and less effort? Did you create a mindset or special approach in your field that can be delivered in a variety of mediums, i.e.- speaking, books, audio CDs, consulting, etc. Do you envision moving beyond an hour-for-hour way of providing your service? All of these support a big vision. , Not only do we begin from the inside out, when approaching your brand, we create from where you will be in five years as if it is now. Small vision does just that, keeps you small. The choice is always yours.

3. Is my product or service a real benefit to lots of customers? It’s important that you answer this one as honestly and openly as possible. I was very passionate and had a huge vision for a career as a mime! (Yes, you read that correctly… a mime.) However, no amount of passion and vision would make people buy it on a large scale. Thanks to Marceau Marceau, the mime card had been played out. You may find that by being truthful with your answers will lead to branding even better products and services.

4. Am I prepared to surround myself with a team or the knowledge to accomplish the business success that developing my business as a brand delivers? The plus side of being an entrepreneur is that you may wear many hats in your business. The negative side is that you feel like you have to! The truth is, you don’t! You’re an expert in your field and you need to honor that expertise by supporting it with a variety of other skill sets to make your indelible mark; logo design, copywriting, website design, your marketing plan creation and execution, and others. The important thing is that you realize…you’re in command…because it’s your ship! And being a commander takes knowing where you want to go, gathering the maps to make the journey, and the crew to make it happen.

If your answers to these questions are yes, then you have the makings to develop your business as a brand. You just need the knowledge and practice to do so. If you’re shaky on some of the questions, find out why. Even if you never develop your business as a brand, solid yeses to these simple questions will only make your business more successful and more enjoyable. After all, isn’t that we all want?

© Castle Montone, Limited All Rights Reserved.

Written by Kim Castle, the Co-founder of BrandU™ — the home of only step-by- step process for developing your business as a brand from the inside out!

To get information on upcoming BrandU one-day workshops: http:// www.whybrandu.com/Public/events/workshop/index.cfm?semID=13

Get your Why You?!(sm) monthly ezine for easy-to-read tips and informative insights on branding. To subscribe: http://www.whybrandu.com/

“BrandU™ — Big Business Success No Matter Your Size”

Today’s competitive marketplace for consulting services is no longer responsive to the marketing strategies that worked in the past. The services you provide should speak volumes about your consulting business. Think about what happens when you hear phrases such as “the ultimate driving machine,” “don’t leave home without it,” and “just do it.” Chances are good that you can immediately associate them with BMW, American Express, and Nike. These companies have mastered “brand brilliance.” Brand your consulting brilliance because the future of your business depends on it.

There’s an old adage, “Perception is reality.” Simply stated, the perception of a brand lies in its ability to influence a client’s behavior. When you have successfully branded your business, in the client’s eye there is no service in the marketplace quite like your service.

All consulting businesses should have a distinct, sustainable, and competitive advantage to differentiate their services from the competition. I call this process of identifying your advantage “Brand Your Consulting Brilliance.”

Here are six simple steps to brand and differentiate your services in the new economy.

1. Think client focus first.
The client’s reality: Consulting businesses exist to serve clients. Develop a client visitation calendar and schedule in-person visits. Look the client in the eye and say, “I am here to serve you.” Follow up and follow through on all client-related matters in a timely manner.

Create a client questionnaire so clients can rate the performance of your services. You want them to tell you how you’re doing and what you can do to serve them better. It’s also a way to discover what challenges they are currently facing. Be relentless in your client retention efforts.

2. Discover a distinct advantage that will set you apart from competitors.
Start by articulating your “unique marketing proposition,” a statement of all of the qualities and characteristics that set your services apart in the marketplace. Analyze your services: What skills and services do we provide that are distinctive, measurable, and add value? Which of our past successes can we leverage in the marketplace? And don’t forget to ask colleagues what they see as your competitive strengths.

Communicate these messages reinforcing your unique marketing proposition anytime you have an opportunity to write or speak about your consulting firm and what you have to offer to prospective clients.

3. Generate publicity.
What others say about your brand is much more powerful and credible than what you can say about it yourself. When it comes to branding your consulting brilliance, favorable publicity in the media or word of mouth is far superior to advertising. So how do you generate the publicity “buzz”? Create a buzz about your brand by being visible: speaking at seminars, publishing a newsletter on your website, participating as a host or guest on television or radio talk shows, writing a column in a reputable trade journal, and networking.

4. Promote a powerful perception of quality in the client’s mind.
What is quality if not a perception that resides in the mind of the client? You build quality intangibles around trust, reliability, excellent people, and innovative client services. Show clients that you can interpret and process their information to convert it to results oriented solutions. What you say is important, but what you do is even more important for reinforcing their perception of your brand quality.

Keep the lines of communication open. The goal of branding your consulting brilliance is to convince the client that your brand is worth their trust and worth a premium price.

5. Establish your credentials as an industry leader in the field.
Clients like to know they are doing business with an industry leader. Make clients aware of your consulting acumen, presence, and commitment. Know your clients’ businesses inside out – what they do, why they do it, how they do it. Tout your firm’s successful track record of accomplishment in working with companies like theirs.

Build and sustain credibility with clients by strengthening your client relationships, developing a client retention strategy, demonstrating that you value your new clients, and going the extra mile for them.

6. Practice consistency in building your consulting brilliance.
Stay focused on implementing the branding of your consulting brilliance. Keep abreast of marketing trends in your profession and position yourself as a recognized expert. Make the most of your unique marketing proposition. Accelerate and elevate the perceived value of your brand in the marketplace.

In short, to brand your consulting brilliance, know what you have to offer, know how to differentiate it, and know how to market it.

Robert Moment is a best-selling author, business coach, strategist and the founder of The Moment Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping small businesses win federal contracts. He just released his new book, It Only Takes a Moment to Score, and recently unveiled Sell Integrity, a small business tool that helps you successfully sell your business idea. Learn more at: http://www.sellintegrity.com or email: Robert@sellintegrity.com.

The best brands always try to do the right thing, so that their reputations will remain unsullied. But beyond that they grow, evolve and get better with time, while maintaining their special qualities from the past.

We all have a personal brand with social, cultural, intellectual, and personal needs that may not necessarily be addressed in our daily work. Address these needs and you begin to improve your brand. Here is my agenda for building your brand.

• Join and participate in community and professional organizations
• Generate media coverage about your brand
• Stay in touch, or renew old ties with friends, family and business associates

Let’s examine how each one improves your brand.

Join and participate in professional and community organizations
The best brands grow, evolve and get better with time, while maintaining their special qualities from the past.

Professional and community organizations provide ample opportunity to learn and grow.

They provide professional development opportunities. They allow you to network with peers as well as with people you would not necessarily ever meet in the normal course of your workday.

For instance, I am a member and served on the board of our local International Association of Business Communicators chapter. This allowed me to broaden my contacts in the corporate communications world, as well as form a number of friendships I probably never would have developed. I’m also a member of the North Carolina Citizens For Business and Industry. Here I meet people from all walks of life and all work disciplines. Finally, I am involved with Charlotte Reads, a local non-profit that focuses on literacy issues. This allows me to use my communication experience in support of an issue I feel very strongly about.

But it’s not enough to just join groups: you must participate to benefit fully. As a participant you have the opportunity to stretch, to gain confidence in yourself. Learn to lead by involvement on the board or in a special project.

If you are a communicator by trade, try being treasurer for the group to exercise the other side of your brain, or take on a special project about which you feel strongly.

Generate media coverage about your brand
All that professional and community involvement will certainly lead to opportunities to leverage that involvement into news about the brand called you. And, of course, there will be promotions, new assignments, and awards at work, too. More opportunities to make headlines.

Your achievements are of interest to local print, broadcast, and online media, particularly the business pages. In Charlotte, the Observer has a weekly feature called On The Move spotlighting someone in a new position. The Charlotte Business Journal has a similar feature called Moving Up. If it is a big enough move and your company won’t do it, pay the estimated $150 to place it on BusinessWire or PR Newswire. Consider it an investment in your future. Don’t forget trade publications serving your industry and alumni publications.

Seek out speaking engagements and write guest articles, too. This is yet another way to publicize your brand. And don’t forget to do news releases when you make a speech or write an article. It’s all about merchandising.

To stay top of mind, you might even want to develop your own monthly e-newsletter like Think, the Hoover ink publication. Keep it mostly informational and limit the commercial material.

Stay in touch, or renew old ties with friends, family and business associates
Everyone you know can be a brand ambassador for you, so stay in touch or reach out to those you haven’t talked with for a while.

Yet another reason for having a monthly newsletter that shares your expertise.

The network of contacts you have built over your lifetime will be instrumental if you decide to start your own business, or change jobs.

So, heed this word of advice: always deal fairly with people. One bad experience with your brand can negate 10 positive ones.

Now, get out there and start branding.

Harry Hoover is managing principal of Hoover ink PR,

http://www.hoover-ink.com. He has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses like Brent Dees Financial Planning, Duke Energy,

Levolor, North Carolina Tourism, Ty Boyd Executive Learning Systems, VELUX and Verbatim.

Every Christmas Eve, a burglar named Santa busts into homes around the world, but he has never been charged with B&E. He has one of the best, most positive brands around and it continues to inoculate him against any hint of impropriety, as it has for generations.

Why does Santa’s brand remain so strong? Because Santa is:

• Consistent

• Unique

• Customer-focused

• Viral

Let’s examine these to see what lessons we can learn.

First off, Santa has a positioning statement and has used it to stay true to his mission for decades.

It is this consistency that has helped him build a brand franchise that is the envy of other marketers. No matter what kind of communication vehicle he uses, the message is measured against the positioning statement.

Fed-Ex and UPS also deliver packages, but they don’t do it in the middle of the night in a sleigh drawn by eight tiny reindeer. Santa has cornered the market on uniqueness.

He has not strayed from the market he identified in his positioning statement. His target is not every carbon-based life form. He focuses on kids. End of story. Talk about customer intimacy. Santa has perfected data mining.

Who else knows if you:

• are sleeping or awake

• want a Barbie or a baseball bat

• have been naughty or nice

Santa invented viral marketing. As his customers get older and become parents, they market to the emerging group of customers for him. They know that if they deliver Santa’s message, they will benefit from their children’s good behavior.

And it’s not just the parents. Other marketers help him, too. Santa has never spent a dime on advertising. He has used good public relations tactics to develop, manage and maintain solid relationships with marketers who advertise for him. Consider the Coca-Cola ads featuring Mr. Claus. Think of all the newspaper inserts that carry his picture during the holidays. Then, there are all those helpers in department stores everywhere.

Because of his adherence to simple marketing tactics, everyone loves Santa. Not bad for an old burglar with a reindeer fetish.

Harry Hoover has 26 years of experience in crafting and delivering bottom line messages that ensure success for serious businesses. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at http://www.hoover-ink.com.

Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs of cattle or stock of some type, all discriminate by virtue of a registered brand. That’s a most common and accepted understanding of branding.

You have just now used your mind to develop a picture that promises easy recall. You may not yet be aware but there’s always a new secret marketing aid being developed and made available … nearly every day of the week.

I’d be one of many that could point out who the target group is for all of these hidden treasures and industrious salespeople. But if you’re reading this, then take a bow and a large step forward! You are in fact the "demand" component of the supply that’s being generated.

Now what happens when you also join the ranks of the industrious? It doesn’t take a whole deal of thinking to recognize that you can easily get lost in the traffic, especially if you are starting up a business of your own. Being known as an absolute is a very real way of defeating some of that traffic; not the only way but a very effective one.

Your general copy writing and headline creation tactics certainly help the cause but in a saturated market environment you need to embrace every advantage.

Exactly what then, can you do, to be noticed? Question well asked and the answer ….. consider branding yourself.

The reason branding works is that it gives individuality to the value you provide to those that come to your site. If they don’t come to your site then its through your e-mails, e-zines, blogs and advertisements.

It makes folk recall your Site and perhaps even prompts them to bookmark. Do it right and they might even opt to scan for forthcoming product that carries your brand name.

You’ll be far more noticeable if you can create something that settles on someone’s mind. Catch the imagination of your readers, use unique or quirky themes and make that difference that magnetizes your audience.

By way of example, let me relate a branding experience using a quick story…. tangent if you will.

There’s a huge red rock located in the middle of Australia that was at one time known as Ayers Rock. More recently it has adopted the term Uluru.

The rock and the country around it belong to a group of Aboriginal people called Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara.

So, the people also have been renamed and are now referred to as "Anangu" because it’s easier.

These people have a history rich in story and in this case they identify the various faces of the rock using that approach.

One saga goes something like this….. A long, long time ago, in the time of the Tjukurpa, which the Aborigines call the dreamtime, the animals gave shape to a rock.

There was a young woma python, or Kuniya, that was passing by and was surprised by a group of Liru, which are venomous snakes. Kuniya, not being from that area, was affronted by the Liru who threw spears at the python and killed him.

So hard did they throw their spears that the points made holes in the rock.

The Pythons ancestor, also a Kuniya, was so angered by this that he killed one of the Liru with a stick.

So, on the west face of the rock there are holes that are said to be from the points of the Lirus’ spears and on the south face of the rock, Kuniya the woma python can still be seen as a dark wavy line on Uluru.

Now the story in itself doesn’t mean a whole lot but if you are ever able to visit Uluru, you will happen to find a south and a west side of the rock that now has individuality because it’s been branded.

To any one else this is simply a rock but to you, you now know there exists Western and Southern rock walls that hold special understandings. These are unique and remembered even if not in the original light.

Get yourself branded and stand out from the rocks that exist in your niche marketplace.

Start with your ads, an article or two and build from that into your website. Regardless of what appearance might do to enhance any efforts, it’s generally how you stick in a customer’s mind that produces results.

Dave Jones, is a business promoter hoping to encourage new starters into improving their financial futures http://www.work-at-home-create-opportunities.com is his latest project to help other people make a full-time living doing part-time work from home. For more info, you can visit or contact Dave at livesupport@work-from-home-affiliate-options.com

To begin, let’s define “Brand Identity,” which is the combination of consistent visual elements that are used in your marketing materials. A basic Brand Identity Kit consists of a logo, business card, letterhead, and envelope. It can be extended to include a website, brochure, folder, flyer, or any other professionally designed pieces.

Having a Brand Identity is incredibly important to your business’s success. However, many business owners have some misconceptions about brand identities that can damage their businesses, and I’ve discussed those below:

My cousin can design my brand identity (logo, website, and marketing materials) There are some very significant areas of your business that should be left to the professionals.

First of all, while your cousin may have been “great in art class,” this doesn’t mean that they have the knowledge and expertise required to create great graphic designs. Designing a logo, business card, or website is much different than painting a picture or making a collage. You must make a brand logo scalable, meaningful, and symbolic. See my article on the “9 Keys to an Effective Logo” for more information on what factors to consider when creating a great logo.

Second, by having a professional designer on your business marketing team, your projects will be a top priority. I have many potential clients who start their designs with a friend or relative, who are then “put on the back burner”, and then have their project drag on for months. After much frustration, they come to me and are amazed at how quickly things are completed. As a professional, I make your projects the most important items on my to-do list.

Finally, would you trust a friend to do something really important requiring unique skills for your business? Make an important client presentation for you, or give a speech? You probably would not, unless they’re a sales professional or a professional speaker. Would you trust a friend who’s “good with math” to do your corporate taxes? If you wouldn’t trust an amateur with an important business function, then why would you trust an amateur with your brand identity – the key to your marketing success?

Designing a custom brand identity is too expensive It’s true that having your marketing materials designed is an expensive proposition. But, it may be even more expensive not having a high-quality, custom brand identity professionally designed – in terms of lost business, lack of respect from your clients, not being taken seriously in business. The list continues.

A strong brand identity quickly pays for itself. For most businesses, if just a few – two or three – new clients call you over the course of your business because of the equity that your brand identity develops, this new business would pay for your logo and brand identity design package. New customers will contact you because they remember your logo, hold on to your business card, or are impressed by your brochure. It’s likely that many more clients than the required few will contact you, and your business will grow from the (relatively) small initial investment in the brand identity.

Consider also that a brand identity is a sustainable expense. Once you’ve had a timeless logo and set of marketing materials designed, you can use them for years to come. And, once you have a strong logo, then creating consistent, targeted marketing pieces and programs is an easy addition to your existing system.

I don’t need a brand identity If you are a professional in business, you need a brand identity. You wouldn’t imagine being in business without other important business essentials – your own computer, perhaps, or a business name or bank account. A brand identity is another of these basic business essentials – it’s the central piece to the marketing and promoting of your business.

My professional experience has taught me that there is nothing that looks less professional than not having a professional brand identity. If you don’t establish a clean, high-quality, and consistent look and feel to your materials, you’ll have a much more difficult time gaining the trust of a potential client – and signing them on to use your services. All of the Fortune 500 companies have a logo, and for a good reason – it makes them look more professional. If you want to be perceived as offering a high-caliber service, you have to look polished and “put together.”

About the Author

Erin Ferree, Founder and Lead Designer of elf design, is a brand identity and graphic design expert. She has been helping small businesses grow with bold, clean and effective logo and marketing material designs for over a decade. elf design offers the comprehensive graphic and web design services of a large agency, with the one- on-one, personalized attention of an independent design specialist. Erin works closely in partnership with her clients to create designs that are visible, credible and memorable – and that tell their unique business stories in a clear and consistent way. For more information about elf design, please visit:

Logo design at http://www.elf-design.com

How would you like to sell as much in one year as Britney sells in one day or in one hour? Have you put much thought into how marketing empires are created? If you’re selling anything then you’re a marketer and you should study the biggest successes to follow in their footsteps.

We’ve all heard of branding, but do you do it? Have you branded yourself? If you have, are you expanding your marketing opportunities with your brand?

Once you’ve created a name, built successful marketing campaigns and gotten people to know and like who you and your company are don’t stop there.

The real money is in building multiple streams of income. Once your brand begins to build you can diversify to create your own franchise. Think Star Wars, Harry Potter, the books for "Dummies." You don’t have to be a celebrity or an acclaimed author to cash in, but we can definitely learn from them.

Here are some examples:

Britney Spears makes money on CD’s, concert sales, posters, books, movie appearances, TV appearances, videos, Pepsi commercials and other endorsements.

Paul Newman makes money on movies, and makes money for charity on salad dressing, pasta sauce, popcorn, salsa, lemonade, steak sauce, cook books, T-shirts, hats, and sweatshirts.

Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield (The "Chicken Soup For The (fill in a lucrative target market here) Soul" authors make money on a series of books and tapes so large and profitable that they have their own book rack at Barnes and Noble stores everywhere. There are over 35 titles and 53 million copies in print in over 32 languages. What if they would have stopped with the first title and not bothered to expand the money making potential of their brand?

Talk about branding! …and they get other people to send them stories for free so they don’t even write the books. Beyond this, they make money from other books and tapes, public speaking, joint ventures, and seminars.

Robert Kiyosaki (author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad) makes money from books, tapes, board games, public speaking, seminars, an affiliate program, game events, teleconferences and real estate.

There are limitless possibilities of where you can go in expanding or capitalizing on your brand. Mark and Jack have used their "Chicken Soup" fame to sell unrelated products that are also directed at helping people live the lives of their dreams. Paul Newman is using his fame as an actor to sell food and sauces that have nothing to do with the movies he’s been in.

So don’t limit yourself. As your success builds over time continue to write down new and bigger goals. Imagine what you would do and what products you would create if you were already famous in your field. What would you sell? How would you market? How would you expand your empire?

You are a brand and so is your company. Even before you had a business everyone you came into contact with had an idea of who you were (your brand) because of how you presented yourself. Now it’s time to be aware of the brand your building and make the most of it.

Hey, we can’t all be Britney, but we’re missing the boat if we don’t learn from watching her cash in.

About The Author

Sopan Greene, M.A. is a marketing & life coach & editor of the Net Profits newsletter. Grab Your 2 FREE eBooks & a FREE report: "Million Dollar Emails" "How To Start Your Own Traffic Virus" & "The 13 Deadly Internet Marketing Mistakes Almost Every Business Is Making…" mail to: webmaster87-5956@autocontactor.com

http://www.NetMarketingMastery.com

Do you have the architecture in place to make sure each and every brand contact sends the right message?

Thinking in terms of architecture, a building that looks great and catches your attention is probably designed so that each component looks perfect and enhances the overall effect of the building.

In the audiobook, “Sound Advice on Brand Marketing,” author Tom Miller says, “Great architecture works because of attention to detail, and great brands depend on the same level of attention.” Each component of a brand that touches the customer must support and enhance the overall message.

A brand architecture also builds a connection between corporate brands, master brands, product brands, and branded features, which, according to Miller, “makes decisions easier when it comes to messaging and graphic design.”

Miller suggests everyone take a fresh look at their own brand architecture, beginning with a review of all current marketing materials. “Is the message consistent? Does the look and feel convey the value of the brand? Is there room for improvement?” Once a brand is viewed as architecture, it may never look the same. Says Miller, “It may be the beginning of building your own best brand.”

Tom Miller offers branding advice each week in the free audio newsletter from What’s Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz/full_story.asp?ArtID=92

About The Author

Richard Cunningham is a principal of What’s Working in Biz, http://www.whatsworking.biz, a publisher of business audiobooks and online audio programs on marketing, sales, and small business strategies.

Your brand is the culmination of everything about you and your business. It is how people come to know you. It is your business name, logo design or other symbol that identifies your goods and services. It’s what makes you different from everyone else in business. What are some of the components that come to make up your brand?

1. Who I am.

Your brand is a representation of who you are, including your talents, gifts, needs, values, and integrity. Your talents and gifts are what allow you to develop the products and services you offer. Needs are what you need fulfilled to be your very best. As a business owner you may have a need to accomplish. Values are behaviors or activities to which you are naturally drawn – perhaps creating or contributing to the welfare of others. Integrity is all about your thoughts and actions being highly aligned. What you think, what you speak, and what you do are consistent. Who are you? What are your most important values and needs? What talents are you sharing with others through your business?

2. How I act.

How you act is also a fundamental component of your branding. It includes everything that the public experiences when they deal with you. Your personality, your strengths, and your weaknesses are all parts of how you show up, whether face-to-face, on the telephone, or even through email. How you act is one of the most fundamental and direct ways that others get a sense about what is behind your brand. What do your daily actions communicate to others?

3. What I do.

The type of business in which you engage speaks volumes about your brand identity. Do you provide a product or a service? What industries do you serve? Do you serve people directly or do you serve other companies? How do you run your business? Are you a control freak, do you delegate or are you a solopreneur or an employer? How do you handle projects? Do you avoid them or do you readily engage them. Like your actions, all of these components provide others with a sense about who you are. What you do tells people what is important to you. What does your type of business say about you?

4. Who I know.

Your network of business contacts, the types of customers (demographic/psychographic profile) and the business organizations and associations to which you belong give others a sense of your business “come from place”. Who you know immediately communicates to others who you enjoy being around and to whom you market and sell your goods and services. Who is important to you? Who do you spend time with and why? How is this influencing your company brand?

5. Where I am.

Your physical environment also communicates a lot about your business to others. Do you work from a home office? Are you situated in a business park or an office building? What about the inside of your business? Is it neat and clean inside and out? What are your interior colors and furniture style? All of these things create an impression of your business, who you are, and your attitude. When folks hear your name, all of these things will come to mind. What does your environment communicate about you and your business?

6. Where I’ve been.

To a certain extent you are a product of your environment. Where you have been is a reflection of who you are. Where have you traveled to? Where do you live? Your travels have exposed you to different thoughts, beliefs, ideas, and ideals. The things that resonate with you become a part of who you are and are expressed in everything you do. Where you have been tells much about where you are today and where you will go in the future. How is your past expressed in your business?

7. What I believe.

Your religious or spiritual beliefs often form your operating framework. What you believe in and how you perceive your place in the world play a significant role in the type of business you select, how you show up in the world, how you treat yourself, and how you treat others. Your belief system will either be one that places the power of choice in your hands or it will be one in which you are a follower. In any case, what you believe will show through in everything that you do. What role do your beliefs play in your business?

8. What I learn.

Where do you choose to put your life energies when it comes to your personal or professional development? What do you focus on to enrich your life? What do you enjoy learning? Are you concentrated on your hobbies, sports, reading, volunteer work, or other interests? We have a powerful choice to make every day as to what we will do with that day. What we choose to learn, where we place our attention is strongly expressed in who we are and becomes a part of our branding as well. How has what you learned influenced your business?

9. Where I’m going.

Where you are going is just as important as where you have been. Where we are going is rooted in our hopes, dreams and plans for the future. It is the vision we have not only for our business, but for the person we hope to be. Everything we do today is a stepping-stone for where we want to be tomorrow. Inherent in your business and in your brand are the seeds of what you wish your future to be. How people think of you today is setting the stage as to how you want them to think of you in the years to come. What are your plans for the future and how are these expressed in your brand today?

10. What I think.

What you think is the underlying core of all of the components that comprise your brand. Thinking is the point from which everything about you emanates. It influences who you are, what you do, your personal and professional network, your physical environment, what you believe, what you choose to learn, where you go and your hopes for the future. It is critically important to watch what you choose to allow in your mind as these things have an uncanny way of manifesting themselves. In a larger sense, what you think is who you are. And, who you are is your brand. What thoughts are you thinking and how are they influencing the perception of your brand?

© Copyright 2004 by Alicia Smith

Alicia Smith is a Coach and Trainer whose specialty is helping people Make Money Now. She has taught over 70,000 people how to improve their business bottom lines. To learn more about her courses, products and services please email her at alicia@aliciasmith.com or visit http://www.AliciaSmith.com and http://www.90DayMarketingMarathon.com

It seems you can’t turn on the TV without seeing some sort of World Series of Poker contest. Poker, especially, Texas Hold ‘Em, has become extremely popular. It’s not for crusty old men anymore. Poker has a new brand - it is now young, hip and cool. When branding your business, take a lesson from poker. See, match, and push are poker terms that can have major impact on your brand. Below is a review of how you can use these traditional poker terms to raise the level of your brand-poker game.

1) See - Have a clear vision of what you want your brand to become. If you can see it, you can achieve it. I once heard a story about a reporter speaking to Roy Disney, at the opening of Disney World. The reporter commented that it was sad Walt was not alive to see Disney World. Walt’s brother quickly replied, "if Walt had never seen this, you wouldn’t be seeing it now!" Where do you see your brand in a perfect future? Can you describe it down to the smallest details?

2) Match - Be certain your actions fit with your brand. Good marketing is not always good marketing. A guy in a chicken suit may be a great way for a new chicken store to promote awareness. However, it would not fit for a new financial adviser office. The fit isn’t there. Associations and partnerships are just as important to match with your brand. You don’t see Tommy Hilfiger apparel on the shelves at Walmart. It simply would not be a good fit. The brands are too different.

3) Push - Lean into your limits. Sometimes limits are just there because no one has the courage to test them. Starbucks took coffee out of the deli and well, you know the rest of the story. It is safe to assume there were naysayers that laughed at such an idea! There are coffee addicts all over the world thankful that some businesses push the limits. Perhaps there are aspects of your product or service that have not been exploited for all of their value.

Follow all three strategies and you are sure to notice a sharp improvement in your brand-poker game. If your brand-poker game is strong, your business is sure to be stacking lots of chips!

Traditional poker definitions:

See - To call in the final round of betting.

Match - To put in the pot an amount equal to that already there.

Push - When a new dealer replaces an existing dealer at a particular table.

Kevin Kearns is a small business branding coach. He holds a Master of Science degree in Organization Development and is a member of the Coachville Graduate School of Coaching. With a mixture of hands-on experience, research, and FUN, Kevin helps you become the only choice for your customers.

Visit http://www.kevinkearns.com to join The Branding Bunch - a community made up of small business owners that want to grow their business the easy way.