That's third important factor in a healthy branding strategy: communications consistency. Being consistent means delivering your brand's message using a tone-of-voice that becomes recognisable as voice of your brand: that communicates brand's values to its target audience day after day, year after year, everywhere, anywhere! A good rule of thumb to consider is this: when you start feeling sick and tired of your brand's message and voice, its connection with consumer's recognition is probably just beginning. Remember, you are exposed to your brand thousands of times more frequently than your customers are. So don't let your own frequency of exposure affect your communications decisions.

Consistency is applicable in every facet of your brand's consumer communication strategy: ensure your brand targets its audience consistently, that it communicates same message to it, that it personifies and transmits same values, that it is exposed with same vocabulary, nomenclature, design elements and graphics every time.

Many companies fail on consistency prerequisite, even big ones which you'd think would know how to handle this fundamental branding challenge. Take Swissair for example. I bet you know name, but do you know that Swissair is also known as Crossair, Flightline, Jumbolino and Swissair Express? Each of these sub-identities are accompanied by a version of Swissair logo, even though they all fly internationally. I'm sure there's a logical reason behind airline company's divergent branding strategy. But I wonder if Swissair's customers understand it.

So, why didn't I define design consistency as a factor in its own right: graphic design, logo, look that surrounds brand? Well, because these elements are not what creates brand. They support it and can help accelerate recognition and therefore, speed up branding process. The "look" is a necessary element in consistent communication strategy, but it's just an element. If your brand possesses most beautiful logo and is associated with perfect identifying design, yet it has no clear audience focus, no value focus and no tone-of-voice focus with which to deliver its well-honed message, I doubt you'd ever succeed in building your brand. However, by following guidelines established by these three principles, you're likely to score brand-building goal, even without a fabulous logo.

Strong branding has nothing to do with a beautiful logo. But it has everything to do with your brand's message.

2. Your Price.

A. Is your market price sensitive?

B. If so, how does price of your product or service stack up against your competitors?

C. How are you justifying this price in accordance with "Price Curve" of your market?

D. Is there an obvious perceived value in having a higher price?

E. How does your product Service and Support Pricing compare to your competitors?

F. Do you offer "credit terms" to aid you in higher pricing strategies?

G. How do you think your competitor(s) will react to your pricing structures?

3. Your Competition.

A. Are you in or entering a market that is already overrun with competition?

B. Have you prepared for this with a well-planned strategy to overcome over abundance of competition?

C. What kind of companies make up your competition and can you compete with them in this market?

D. Have you diligently analyzed your competitions strengths and weaknesses?

E. Have you honestly analyzed yours?

Obviously these are not all questions you need to answer to successfully market your product. But if you can answer questions I've prepared here, you will find that answers to others will come more easily. I hope that you have given these questions more than a quick thought and haphazard answer. The old saying "more is better" certainly applies here. The more data you compile and apply to each question, better. Also, being dyslexic-absent-minded professor type, I have found that putting everything on paper makes it clearer, easier to remember and I have it to look back on when I need to refer to something I have long since forgotten.

Good luck to you in your Marketing Ad-ventures!