It can be tempting when you’re knee deep in client projects, product development, and building your business to slap a logo on that new thingamabob before it launches and call it a day. But let me tell you, having a strong, identifiable brand for your new thingamabob will absolutely help you sell it better, easier, and of course more frequently. This is true of both products and services whether you’ve been in business for 5 minutes or 5 years.

A strong, identifiable brand helps you in a variety of ways but today we want to talk about how it helps people know what you stand for.

Ultimately, a strong brand starts from you. It’s your beliefs. It’s your why. And it’s that why that connects with people. The best brands in the world tell you what they believe and, if you believe it too, you will be a fan for life. You’ll paste their stickers on your laptop, you’ll buy mugs bearing their slogan, you’ll buy their wares and happily display them on your body, in your home and in your driveway. Your brand is not really about what you and your business do. Your brand is about what you and your business believe. And the beliefs are what people really buy. As Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

Your why is an integral part of your brand regardless of what industry you’re in; it doesn’t matter whether you are a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker. Once you are connected with your why and share your beliefs with your customers, they will cease to be customers. Instead, they will become loyal fans who will buy from you repeatedly, tell their friends about you, read your weekly emails, buy the t-shirt and even display the calendar you send them at Christmas. Your brand is deeply personal not only to your company, but also to its employees and its fans because they believe what you believe. They stand for what you stand for.

So take the time to develop a strong, identifiable brand for your business, products and services. Your bottom line will thank you.