A logo, tagline, and colour scheme alone do not constitute a brand—it needs a unique perspective too. Businesses should decide what it stands for before it can know what to look or sound like. Retailers, for example, might begin by asking themselves what makes their brand unique. Does the business offer higher-quality goods, better service, or lower prices than its competitors? What change does the company want to see in the world or marketplace?

A useful way for business owners to discover their brand is to write 50-100 adjectives on notecards and spread them around the floor. Then sort them into two piles: those words that define the brand and those that don't. From the pile of notecards that define the brand, are there any common themes? If so, those adjectives describe your brand.

Once a business knows what it stands for, it can decide on its branding assets like logos and colour schemes. For example, if you decide your brand is friendly and helpful, you can use that to choose a welcoming colour scheme.

When creating a brand, simplicity is key. Because consumers have so many options and devote so little time to each message they encounter, a brand may be more effective if it can be communicated in as little as a few words, colours or images.

Once you've defined your brand identity, you can adopt these few strategies to make the most of it:

Stay consistent

If simplicity is key, consistency is king. The point of a brand is for potential customers to recognise your business as distinct from others. The more a business deviates from its brand, by, say, using a different typeface in its brick and mortar signage and its e-commerce site, the more that brand is diluted. Potential customers may feel confused. They could wonder if the two are related and hesitate to make purchases because they may not know whether the great experience they've had with one applies to the other.

Expose consumers to your brand

Expose consumers to your brand as much as possible. The same principles that apply to radio, television, and billboard advertising also apply online—it takes many encounters or “impressions" for consumers to take notice of a business. Businesses with strong branding stand a better chance of being noticed and the more they expose consumers to digital interactions such as social media posts and digital ads, the more opportunity the company has to become known by consumers.

Try to offer genuine value

Build your brand around offering value to consumers. Brands that genuinely attempt to help customers can build better relationships with them. Some companies do this through a blog where they offer news, tips, and insights. This gives consumers a positive impression of the brand. Some may share their positive experience with their friends, make purchases, and help grow the business by becoming a brand cheerleader.

With so much competition online, it's more important than ever to have a strong brand. By defining what you stand for and how you present yourself, you can build a positive perception that has the potential to translate into customer traffic and sales. You don't have to be a branding expert to get started, but if you want to be found, get going right away.

Learn more about building brand engagement with our guide.

^{These tips and strategies are suggestions only and do not guarantee any specific results.}