Brand: the combination of symbols, words, or designs that differentiate one company's product from another's. Brand is also used to describe a company's family of products. A brand of coffee, for instance, might include its regular variety, as well as, its decaffeinated and instant varieties.

Brand Awareness: The extent to which a brand or brand name is recognized by potential buyers.

Brand Equity: The intangible value of a well-known brand.

Brand Extension: The application of a brand beyond its initial range of products, or outside of its category. Brand Image: A group of associations that a consumer attributes to a specific brand.

Brand Identity: Desired customer perception of a product or brand.

Brand Name: A protected, proprietary trademark of a manufacturer or products or services.

Brand Value: The value a brand holds when viewed on a company balance sheet.

You want your name everywhere when you are in business. You want to see every person that applies to your service or product to know about you. You want to be a household name. But are you? Branding yourself means to identify with the customer. If you are not putting your name on everything that is attached to you may want to think about why you are not. Was your logo created by your brother’s girlfriend’s mother’s uncle? Did you pay to your kid to place a clip art with your name? Does your “brand” look like an “off-brand”?

A quality logo is worth paying for. It represents who and what you stand for. You might have a vision but if the vision is clouded and your client can’t see what you are saying, you may be missing out on your success. Take a communications cue from the advertising industry. Communications in Advertising can –even for the most sophisticated audience - be a simple logo or symbol.

When deciding on your “image”, make sure you can see it on all aspects of Advertising. Can your message be seen clearly if you have it on a shirt? Or how about on a vehicle or does it get lost in your yellow page ad? What ever you do, do it with quality the first time and you will be growing with success and not figuring out how to start over again, and again. Affordable Image is here to help you communicate your message to your customer. Call and make an appointment with one of our Advertising Coaches to get your Brand going!