In a recent community discussion article entitled What is a Brand? you provided some amazing concepts about the building blocks for a successful brand for a business or a blog.

It was also neat to note the shift in perspective that so many of us have clearly made in our ideas of branding. We discovered together that branding isn’t just about logos, slogans, and designs. It’s about the perceptions that potential customers have in their minds when they think of it.

The responses in that post were remarkable. Below you’ll find a sampling of some of the concepts that were shared in the conversation.

Branding isn’t visual…it’s mental.

A brand is something that is not recognized visually but mentally.

~ Mike Stenger from MikeStenger.com

A strong brand draws people in.

A brand to me answers the question “What is the business or individual known for?” It’s a combination of traits that form something valuable that people are drawn to and want to tell their friends about.

~ Tim Zager from Magic Dude Marketing

A brand is the very core of your business.

The fact is however, that branding goes much further. A brand is the very core of your business or organization, from it’s appearance on print and web, to it’s personality and clientele. Every time someone speaks to you on the phone, an impression of your organization is being made, thus branding is in the making.

~ Thomas McGhee from WinePress of Words

A brand sets you above your competitors.

The best part about the whole brand thing is that customers may choose you over competitors (often, even) just because they like the brand image you’ve built, not even due to the quality of your product or whatever.

~ Jason Periera from The University Kid

Group Reflection

Remember that a brand isn’t just about what your promoting. It’s about what people are getting from your promotions.

Toyota has been building a brand around the idea of reliability for the past 10 or 15 years and it’s worked to propel them to the top of the automotive industry. This year, however, that has all changed with their massive negative publicity related to the accelerator sticking on their newer models. It doesn’t matter how reliable they say their vehicles are when the news is running non-stop that the controls don’t work properly.

So what are doing to build your brand? Are you projecting an image to the world of reliability, expertise, and professionalism?