The term “branding” can be easily misinterpreted by many businesses as an idea that is only relevant to the biggest and most powerful companies in the world. This is simply not true. Branding is quite simply the process of making your name known to the public and creating an image and a presence for yourself in the marketplace. Becoming a household name does not necessarily require millions of pounds and a staff of marketing gurus; it simply requires hard work, creative thinking, and a willingness to educate people about you and your company.One of the easiest ways to help create your own brand is to make your website informative, interactive, and continuously updated with current and relevant information. A web presence is an increasingly important ingredient for successful businesses, and the more traffic you drive, and the more you entice people to visit your site on a regular basis, the more success you will have with creating your brand. It is important that you have a method for capturing your customer’s information, which can often be easily obtained by providing them with the opportunity to sign up for a company newsletter.Adding a section for blogs or commentary can provide your customers with a place to speak their minds and actively engage with other customers. Also, with the expanding role of social networking sites, offering Facebook and Twitter access to your customers can go a long way towards helping to create your brand. People now have the ability to share information with hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of people at the click of a button. If you have successfully captured one person’s attention, the likelihood that they will share your brand with their contacts increases exponentially.Perhaps one of the most fundamental steps that you can take to increase your brand’s recognition is to provide a high quality service and/or product and then provide outstanding follow up service to your customers. While it is widely known that most people will generally share a bad experience much sooner than a positive one, there is no advertising as valuable as word of mouth advertising. Leaving your customers with a positive impression of your company will help to generate positive feedback to other potential customers. If you can exceed their expectations, they may pass along their experience to others which could have a tremendously positive impact on your brand.