1. Understand your customers

It might sound simple, but customers, not companies, own brands. “You don’t own the brand, because the brand is something (customers) own in their mind when they think of ‘XYZ,’” Goldstien said. “What is relevant to your customers and how they live and how they think?” That is the starting point to a business’s branding strategy, he said.

2. Be who you are

“Businesses can no longer rely on creative marketing alone,” Solis said. “Your brand has to stand for something.” People are more savvy and discerning, he said, making it important for your brand to align with the beliefs and values held by customers. It’s also important to just be yourself, Goldstien said. “You are who you are. Take advantage of that,” he said. A good local example, he said, is Snookies Malt Shop in Beaverdale, which is able to attract customers based on the experience of going there.

3. Articulate your mission

This starts with a company’s leadership and filters down to every aspect of the business. It is as basic as having an easy-to-understand mission statement that employees are well aware of, Solis said. It’s also as simple as the way an employee answers the phone, Goldstien said. The brand has to be consistent across the board. “Some of the greatest detractors in your marketplace are your employers, because they don’t even know what they’re following,” Solis said.

4. Great products

Don’t forget what you are branding, said Mohr. How do you provide a great product for your customers? “You want them to love the product,” she said. “You want them to know that every time they taste it, they get a great-tasting product that tastes the same.” Of course, she added, knowing your customers and what they want are key to providing them with great products.

5. Show you care

Consumer behavior is changing, in part because of social media, Solis said. Businesses have to rethink their values and mission. What really builds loyalty, said Mohr, is showing that your brand cares. “That is becoming more and more important,” she said. The product is important for the customer, “but then if there’s something more, that’s really what gets people that are loyal to you, and they come back every time, and every time they go to a store, they buy your product,” Mohr said. “That’s what you want.”