One of the buzz words in marketing these days is “branding”. Google it (talk about branding) and you come up with a veritable gusher of responses. There will be books, CDs, DVDs, Seminars, Newsletters, and Gurus who promise to take you to the promised land of branding.

But what is it?

In its most elemental form, branding is simply giving your product, service or company an identity (for purposes of this discussion, let’s refer to product, services or company as YOU). Beyond that, it is making it distinct from all others.

First, let’s take a look at your identity. What do people think of YOU? Do they think inexpensive or high-priced? Do they think quality or cost? Do they think reputable or sleazy? In this case, if people think of YOU as inexpensive rather than high-priced, it isn’t necessarily bad. For example, think of Walmart as opposed to Nordstrom. Now, if YOU are perceived as sleazy vs. reputable, you have a problem which we can’t address right here.

Second, let’s make YOU distinct from THE OTHER GUY, down the street. THE OTHER GUY sells Joe’s widgets and so do YOU.

So how do you set yourself apart from all the rest?

Here’s where YOU can distinguish your company from the others. If you advertise, one of the first things you should implement is consistency. Consistency in the message, consistency throughout all your communications (print, TV, radio, billboards, etc.), consistency of your look (your logo, the announcers you use in radio, TV and messages-on-hold).

Some of the best examples of consistency in advertising would be the campaign with the Verizon guy, or the Mac and PC guys. Just at the mention of these fictional people, your mind probably recalled those familiar commercial images.

Let’s try another image. It’s Christmas and a commercial comes on the TV, with a familiar theme song, the sound of jingling bells, and six Clydesdales in a snowy scene right out of Currier and Ives…Got it? It’s the Budweiser Beer commercial, of course.

“YOU” probably doesn’t have the kind of money Verizon, Apple and Budweiser have, but YOU can be well on your way to branding your company. With consistency in your marketing campaigns, YOU will project a stronger message, generate a better response, and get the most of your advertising dollars.