Branding is one of the most esoteric and confusing terms, even for those who have actually studied marketing. The American Marketing Association defines a brand as the “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.” While that seems simple enough, a brand is about connecting your business to consumers not only on a physical level (by identifying a product) but on an emotional level as well. In this article, I’ll take you through a simple 4 step process to creating a brand as a small business. Step 1. Brand Positioning Brand positioning is a process of understanding the target market and defining the space that your brand occupies in the minds of customers. It is also about understanding who you are as a company and what you want to be known for. The first step in developing a strong brand position is research. This includes customer research and competitive research, where companies learn about t