This is not to say both are not important but many companies waste millions of dollars trying to establish brands through advertising. When it comes to branding, too much money is worse than too little, because when you have a lot of money, you spend a lot of money on stupid things, like commercials or spot advertising. Brands are built on what people are saying about you, not what you’re saying about yourself. People say good things about you when 1) You have a great product, and 2) You get people to spread the word about it.

In other words be smart about all your business moves.

Establish your brand on positive attributes like “customer service,” “honesty,” “thinking about your clients business” and a “making a Happy work environment”– NOT on doing in your competition. Think about it: When was the last time you bought a product to hurt a company’s competition? That’s not why consumers spend their dollars. If you want to beat your competition, establish an uplifting brand, but don’t try to establish a brand based on your own desire to beat your competition.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be English, but speak in nonjargonese. If your position statement uses any acronyms, the odds are that 1) Most people won’t understand your branding, and 2) Your branding won’t last very long.  For example, “Best JPEG decoder” assumes that people understand what “JPEG” and “Decoder” mean. And 10 years from now, who knows if JPEG will even matter anymore? Not to be an ageist, but a good test is to ask your PARENTS if they understand what your positioning means. It’s a good idea to understand technology .. but it’s a better idea to know how to explain it.