Fitbit, Apple, and Coke: All brands that offer instant recognition, right? What about your own business brand, is it as easily recognizable and are you doing everything you can to make it so? Are you curious as to how to build your business brand for success? Keep reading.

Firstly, it’s OK, if you’re not as big a company as those above, but that doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t build on your business name or its brand. You don’t have to be a huge company or hire a mega PR firm to get its name out there. Instead, perhaps try these steps below before you do go that route. You might be surprised at how following one or all of these tips could help build your brand in the months and even years to come.

  • Know your mission. What drives and motivates you? Knowing this may help you determine what success means in your life. Whatever drives you, a clear mission achieving it will serve as an identifiable path on a reliable map.

    • Know your organization’s brand, needs and priorities.     This is for those who want to better bond their own name/brand to another brand/organization. What’s the connection? If your company’s brand is about making healthy food items, and you are developing a personal brand centered on sports therapy, there could be problem with your mission statement.
  • Perform brand research. Determine the future skills needed for what you want to do, and research the industry and those businesses that have success in your ideal future. For the more personal branding side, ask, “What are the long-term things I need to discover in order to be the person I want to be 10 years out?”
  • Create a brand plan. If your brand were a container sitting on a shelf, would it be dented and would the label be bland? If you ignore, reject or skip this step, then you’ve opted to live the life you now have versus the life you want.
  • Become more visible. In a room or a business meeting, are you quiet and sit back being mum, or are you a go-getter, not afraid to state your mind or ideas? Even if your brand is more about being a sort of low-key but has an impressive client list, you don’t want your image to be diminished.
  • ID your brand’s overall state. While building your brand now, do not forgot what it could be in 10-20 years down the road. You likely have unidentified talents, or, your brand/business may be used in a way you haven’t yet figured out or considered.
  • Be sustainable. All brands needs to remain relevant to stay sustainable. To be sustainable, your brand needs to be scalable. Your ability to deliver consistent performance at a high level is what leads to brand sustainability. Decide who will help you be accountable for the achievement of your goals and the continued sustainability of your brand. That person may be a life coach on a more personal level; however on the business side, it might be a rising  employee.

Whether you are aiming to be a household name nationally, or simply recognizable in your own home town, building your brand could be key to creating a successful business for years to come.