By Michael Mance | Expert Advice

In an already crowded marketplace, new companies and products are popping up every day, and all are competing for your attention and ultimately your hard-earned dollars. So how do these companies grab your attention? Branding. It’s one of the secrets of how a company gets you to be a loyal follower. Needless to say, proper and consistent branding plays a huge role in the ultimate long-term success of any company or product.

When a company sells a product, one important aspect of their brand would be how their products are packaged. Research teams spend many hours and sometimes millions of dollars trying out different types of packages to see just which one appeals to specific types of consumers that make up the target audience for their product. They address many important factors like color, package size, package shape, texture, font styles and even slogans to find the perfect combination that will grab your attention.

When a company sells a service, branding becomes essential for them to stand out above the competition. They might want to emphasize a certain specialization or level of service provided to their customers. An example of this might be a law firm, accounting firm or even a plumbing company.

Even individuals brand themselves to distinguish themselves from other people in the same industry or community. For instance, entertainers, politicians, sports figures and even ministers would benefit greatly from branding. Of course, you don’t need to be famous to reap the benefits of branding yourself as a unique individual. Most of us have been branding ourselves since we were young in the form of a work resume, a hairstyle, a type of clothing, what kind of coffee we drink, what schools we attend, the type of vehicle we drive, even what sports we like to play. So, stop and think about it.  You are a brand. How are you packaging yourself?