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“Shoot first, ask questions later,” might make for a good Western, but isn’t your best approach when deciding how you’ll brand your business. When building or marketing your brand, consider these questions to make the best decisions – and the most of your marketing money!

1. What is branding? Branding is the ongoing process of creating and enhancing the brand. The brand is the emotional connection that encourages your clients to cling to the organization, product or person. It is important for you to understand that branding is an emotional connection.

2. Why is branding important to business? Effective branding builds that emotional connection. The more emotional your clients are about you, your company and your product, the easier it will be for you to sell to those clients. You can appeal to emotions instead of logic.

3. What mistakes do companies make with branding? Many entrepreneurs get confused about branding. They believe that branding is about logos, fonts and PANTONE colors. But this isn’t the case. Branding is not the goal-it is a tool. The goal is to sell more.

4. How can business build a strong brand? A strong brand is about feelings. First, you need to decide what feelings you want to evoke from your customers. You need to be clear on your intended message and the mindset of your best customers. You can build feelings by the way you treat your customers. You need to treat them in a manner that stands out from the competition.

5. Is branding the best marketing approach? No. Branding is only one approach to marketing. Marketing is about making customers want your product. Branding is about building an emotional bond with your customers. It takes time to build that bond. And branding requires one of two things in abundance―money or creativity.

6. What is the alternative to branding for small businesses? Small businesses can do something that’s better than branding: They can build real relationships with their clients. Big corporations can’t do that. That’s why big corporations spend millions of dollars on branding. Small businesses have a better tool. They can build real relationships.

Want to get started on a win-win relationship? Ask us here at The Dunstan Group how to put your brand in front of clients in a lasting, meaningful way.

Source: George Torok is the coauthor of Secrets of Power Marketing―The First Guide To Personal Marketing For The Non-Marketer.