Crafting a strong brand will help your business stand out from the competition.

The first step is to understand what a brand is.

A brand is more than a logo, says Sara Gilbert, founder of Strategist in Montreal. It is the perception of your business that you put out into the marketplace through all your marketing materials — whether it’s a tagline, colours or an email signature.

A brand makes your business more recognizable, she says, and increases the chances that when you send out a newsletter or brochure to clients and prospects, they will open it.

Follow these tips to build a brand for your business:

1. Work with a professional
Advisors are too close to their businesses to be able to craft an effective brand themselves, says Gilbert. Instead, you should hire a professional marketing coach to get the right look for your business.

“[Advisors] don’t see the forest for the trees,” says Gilbert, “And when you’re too close to it, you don’t have an objective view of what you really bring to your business.”

2. Seek approval
If you work with a larger corporation, talk to the marketing department to make sure your new look and message will be approved.

Ask what’s allowed and what isn’t for marketing materials, says Gilbert. Even if you work under a large corporation, there is usually room to craft your own identity. It might involve working with the company logo or colours.

Usually, the easiest way to set your business apart is with a tagline.

3. Keep it simple
Don’t derail your brand by being over ambitious.

Sometimes advisors try to add too many graphics and clichés to their marketing strategy, says Gilbert. Instead, use a simple design and tagline that will be easy to remember.

4. Involve your team
Work with your staff members to build a strong brand.

“Branding is a team effort,” says Gilbert. “Everyone on the team should [be using] the same graphic elements, the same branding elements, the same tagline and the same message.”

5. Promote your brand constantly
Be consistent in the way you use your marketing materials to promote your brand with clients.

If, for example, you craft a tagline, Gilbert says, that tagline should be in every contact you have with clients, whether it’s in an email signature or on a newsletter.