Don't mix up your priorities, many small business owners get caught up between the everyday planning of their marketing, web site, advertising and selling.

There are several studies that show companies that market their products or services without first establishing their brand identities are not likely to achieve a return on their investment.

Define: Branding Your Brand is Your Personality. Branding is not Marketing, PR nor is it Advertising.
Once you define your brand, then embed it into all your Marketing, PR and Advertising.

Branding is what the market perceives you to be. The message about how "your soultions solve their problems" How you can become their prefered supplier. Your ability or skill to do that.. will allow you to position yourself as a "Premium Brand"... and people will be willing to pay more for your ability to solve their problems.

Your logo, service or product is not your company's brand nor your business card. Your brand is the genuine "personality" of your company. "It's what your customers think of you and say about you when they've left your company,"

Define: Internal Branding - Every department in your company should know exactly what your brand stands for. You should include your brand position during meetings... so that all departments.. portray the companys brand. Your most important department is the customer service department. Thier jobs are to walk and talk the brand. Your brands promises what your company makes to the world.

Define: Marketing is the act or strategy taken to position your promises differently than brand promises.

Define: Advertising, comes in print as newspapers, magazine ads; outdoor, such as billboards; online Web banners; and broadcast advertising on radio and TV. The advertising goal is to grab attention, gain positive perceptions, and call to action.