Branding is often seen as the ability to successfully add a logo to a business; perhaps even going so far as to consider the role of business in a community.

While this is not incorrect, it is not really a core definition of what a “brand” is, or how “brand” can be leveraged. “Branding” is a marketing practice that needs to be imbued throughout an entire company (not just on the surface level).

While young or smaller businesses don’t need a brand (at least to start with), they will usually grow to a point where they need to at least consider what a “brand” means and why it’s important. It is this consideration (and acting on it) that determines whether or not a company will grow greatly.

The most important thing to consider regarding “brands” / “branding” is that it is usually the only element that allows a business to grow. There are many “levels” to company growth; Not having a core “brand” offering is by far the biggest hurdle for most people who want to progress beyond simply being a curiosity to a market.

Ultimately, a “brand” is about people, not products. While products are extremely important, what is *most* important is how people can use those products. This is very simple, although some may argue esoteric: people continue to use products because they enjoy the benefits they provide OR because it does something else for their well-being (increases social reputation, etc.).

The point is that if you’re thinking about running (and growing) a business, one of the key things you need to do early on is figure out where your brand fits into the grand scheme and how it can be leveraged to ensure you’re capable of doing it. the best strategic investments when the time comes.

To do this, the best thing you can do (as a business) is determine WHO your business is for. Ambitious youth? Rich middle-class housewives? Japanese people? The best brands are ruthless in their quest to deal with people who share their ideals. This is essentially what determines the core of the growth of some of the largest companies in the world.

If you consider, for a minute, that any brand that focuses exclusively on the kind of people it’s trying to work for, instead of following the same path as everyone else (selling massive amounts of “me too” products), adapts a experience around a final ideal that your audience can benefit from. That’s where the “innovation” comes from.