Branding is one of the most expensive assets that a business owner or entrepreneur has. Branding is how other people identify your brand. For instance, whenever anyone sees a golden ‘M’, they automatically think of McDonalds.

When people think of fast and free 2 day shipping, they think of Amazon. Each brand represents something unique to them.

The first step to determining what your brand will represent is to define your brand.

Mission – What is your brand’s mission?

If someone were to go to your website right now and stay for about 20 seconds, would they be able to understand who you are and what you do?

Does your brand inspire action?

Is it clear who your brand is geared towards? Are the services and products clear? Is there a call to action?

If you cannot answer these questions clearly, your brand needs to be defined.

Purpose – What is the purpose of your brand?

There should be no question in anyone’s mind about who you are and what you do. Your brand should tell that narrative.

Who are you? What does your brand represent?

What are your values? What inspires you?

What’s your WHY?

Answer those questions to give your brand a purpose.

Brand Identity – What dos your Brand look like?

People will identify your brand and associate it with specific colors, a specific vibe and a feel. Believe it or not, your brand will give off a certain aura. Each time your brand

What colors does your brand represent? Do You have a logo?

Be sure that your branding stays consistent across all platforms. If your color schemes and posts are all over the place, no one is going to pay attention and your followers will lose interest if there was any to begin with.

If people see one theme on one social media platform and then a different theme on another, they’ll be confused and your credibility will be shot.

Brand Voice – What does your Branding Voice Sound like?

Make sure you’re speaking to your audience in a way that they can relate to and connect to. If your audience is middle aged moms aged 34-50, then you’re not going to want your theme to be reflective of teen girls who love Abercrombie and fitch. Make sure your content matches your audiences’ relatability.

Be mindful of what you’re posting and who it relates to.

Behaviors consumers want from Brands on Social media are: Honesty, Friendliness and Helpfulness. Throwing in funny and trendy may be good here and there.

Brand Profile – Sum up your brand in 150 characters or less. Remember, you’re starting out as a smaller brand than Nike, Sprint and McDonalds. They can be a little more lenient with their 150 characters.

You’re just starting out; therefore, you need to make the most of your 150 characters on Instagram. On Twitter, you get 160 and on Facebook you can write 101 characters.

Use these characters wisely. Make sure people know who you are and what you offer. No need to be fancy and tell them you’re a college grad or a proud mom. They’re selfish. They only want to hear what you can do for them. So use that space to tell them who you are and what you offer.

And remember, your brand is you! Your brand is your business card. You’re always representing your brand. So make sure everything you post is in alignment with your brand.