Branding is one of the most important tools in a business arsenal, so let’s start by clarifying what a brand is, or firstly what a brand is not. It is not a logo or a flashy colour palette or even a product, rather a brand is what people think about a business and what emotions it conjures up. Each person will have their own version of a brand is and while businesses can not control this they can help steer it by communicating the characteristics that make their product or service better than that of their competitors.

Basically, what all this means is that a company is not a brand, but rather it has a brand. This is why it is said that ‘a brand is not what you say it is, but what they say it is’.

Influencing something that solely exists in people’s minds can prove challenging. One of the key things to remember is that brands do not grow in seclusion; they occur from the interaction with numerous people over a long period of time.

So, the only way a company is going to influence what their brand becomes is by getting out there and interacting with the public – their target market whether it be face-to-face, advertising or social media.

To be effective the business must have a strong cohesive message that everyone working for it (from an intern all the way up to the CEO) is aware of and understands how to put into practice.