In an earlier post, I wrote about the foundational platforms you must put in place to build your expertise-driven business. Of those platforms, the first and, perhaps, the most important platform for building a sustainable business is your brand. And, for long-term success, your brand must be memorable as well as trustworthy.

Branding is all encompassing - who and what your brand represents and how it is positioned in the marketplace. Branding includes every aspect of how you are represented from your visual presentation to the feeling you want to invoke about you, yourself and your products. Your brand must appeal to your prospects and clients through the five human senses - sight, hearing, taste smell and touch. The more visceral your brand is the more memorable it will be.

To build a long-term, sustainable business, your brand must be have three core components I call The Branding ACT:

• Authenticity - Being the authentic you in all actions related to your brand

• Credibility - as you build your reputation and deliver on promises, credibility becomes part of the fabric of your brand. As you expand your circles of influence and increase your visibility, your credibility is further enhanced.

• Transparency - being transparent in all of your business activities is the fastest way to raise the 'know, like and trust' factor.

If you have questions about the branding process, enter your questions in the comment box below - I will be covering The Branding Act in an upcoming Strategy Talk.