We hear this word tossed around all the time in the creative and entrepreneurial realm. What is branding anyways? And how does one accomplish creating a brand?

Much to the dismay many entrepreneurs, your logo is not your brand. Your logo is the foundation and representation of your brand. Everything about it—the color of the font, the shape, etc…But it is not your brand.

So what is branding?

Don’t get me wrong, establishing your brand is a really fun process for most—think about the possibilities! The rainbow of colors you have to choose from, the libraries of fonts to select from and even the inspiration boards that will get your creative juices going. It can be exciting and motivating and invigorating.

According to Entrepreneur, branding is: The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product from other products. Your brand tells your customers what they can expect from you and sets you apart. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.

YOUR BRAND IS YOUR PROMISE TO YOUR CUSTOMER. – Entrepreneur

You must—I repeat, MUST—take this seriously. I recommend you take some time on this process even though it seems super exciting that you’ve determined that your biz idea has potential, you’ve named it and you’ve got all your legal and money ducks in a row. You’ve been cruising along, and now I’m going to tell you to STOP! But it is for a fun project that you’ll be so glad you took the time for when all is said and done.

You do not define your brand. Your brand is defined by your customer’s perception of your business.

Did you create your imaginary biz BFF? If not, this is an important thing to do BEFORE you try to establish your brand. You can read all about this process and get a worksheet to create this bestie you never knew you needed until now HERE. Many of the aspects of defining your brand come directly out of this exercise. Once you’ve done that, you can move onto using this amazing new resource that some of my favorite, entrepreneur friends just released called the Brand Launch Workbook. Get it here.

how an imaginary bff could transform your brand