It’s the concept that describes your company’s attempt at an identity, your customer’s perception of your identity, and attempts to bridge the gaps between your attempts and their perception.

It’s a series of processes…

Branding is an ongoing internal process of developing an identity for your company.  It consists of something as basic as your logo design, or as complex as the emotions and thoughts that you try to bring out through your logo design.  It’s the external process of customers and clients experiencing your brand, reacting to your brand, and categorizing/ranking your brand through internal processes.  It’s the ongoing process of molding your business to fit a specific identity through logo and collateral design, customer service, contact with your customers, advertising, etc.

Consistency.  Consistency.  Consistency.

Once you commit to a brand identity it is important to remain consistent in your brand message.  Through every communication and contact with the customer whether it’s a TV commercial, sales process, or letterhead design you need to be consistent in the look and feel of your brand, the value that you sell to your customers, and emotions you convey to them.  Every contact with a customer is an opportunity to reinforce your brand in your customer’s mind.  Don’t waver, don’t hesitate, and don’t blow it.

Are you there?  Do you hear?  Do you care?

Developing a unique and consistent brand identity will greatly impact the awareness that your customers have of your brand and what you stand for as a company.  Common sense says that you want your customers to be aware of you, right?  If they aren’t aware then they aren’t there, they don’t listen, and they don’t care.

Your brand builds equity!

Simply put: where you stand in relation to product x.  Add up all the factors that affect your brand and in the collective mind of your customers you are either favored over a generic product, viewed on an equal playing field, or viewed negatively. 

The overarching idea is that your brand is the foundation upon which your business and identity stand, but it is also woven into every aspect of your business and governs the interaction between you and your customers resulting in a positive, negative, or meaningless review of your business.  So, let a sales specialist guide your sales process, hire a CEO that enforces your company values, and hire Okay Yellow to build and guide your visual brand decisions, from your logo to your website to your advertising.