randing isn't just for big businesses. Every company, from Nike to Nick's Plumbing needs to understand its brand and what it means to existing and potential customers.

Figuring out your own brand and how well you represent it may be a bit tricky, but it's a worthwhile exercise. The following four questions can help you determine if you truly understand your brand and the impact that day-to-day behaviours can have on it.

1. Do you have brand standards?
Simple things, including font and colour consistency across all communications can go a long way toward establishing your brand. Here's an exaggerated example: If you were an investment advisor responsible for taking care of your client's financial future, would you want this to be your brand font?

If you, as a potential customer, saw this, would it inspire you to trust the company with your retirement fund? Of course not.

On the flip side, if you're trying to brand yourself as the low-cost alternative to your competition, using fancy letterhead or a prestigious-looking font can actually work against you:

2. How do you address customers or clients?
A very formal brand always refers to clients by their last name with an appropriate salutation, such as "Dear Mr. Smith" or "Dear John Smith." A moderately informal brand will often refer to clients by their last name, unless directed otherwise by the customer: "Hello, Mr. Smith" or "Hello, John." An informal brand will usually refer to clients by their first name: "Hi, John."

Beyond that, there are subtle but important differences in how you greet and refer to your customers in correspondence.

As a greeting, do you use "Hi"? "Hello"? "Hey"? "Dear"? "Attention"? Each of these conveys something slightly different. If you want your business to be perceived as fun, friendly and carefree, you might use "Hi" or "Hey." However, most businesses would fall safely into the "Hello" camp. More formal relationships would use "Dear" or "Attention" as it conveys a less-than-personal connection.

And what do you call the people who buy from you? Do you refer to them as customers? Clients? Patrons? A simple word change can impact the formality of the relationship. Consider how "one of our premier clients" has a completely different feel to it than "one of our favourite customers." Which is more appropriate for you and your company?

3. Can you pick a pen?
If presented with a collection of different promotional pens, could you choose the one (based on size, colour, weight, quality, etc.) that best represents your company? You may be surprised to know that most business people find that very difficult to do. And when they do choose, more often than not, they pick the wrong pen. But if you truly know your brand, it's an easy, instinctive choice.

If your company relies on trust, you wouldn't pick a fun, funky or cheap pen.

If your company appeals to people's playful side, you wouldn't pick the most basic, corporate pen available.

If your company is known for getting things done right, you'd keep it simple but temper it with high quality.

To practice this approach, you can also look at everyday items, including furniture, artwork, even coffee cups, and ask yourself, "If I had a waiting room, would I want this to be what potential customers see?" As you get better at answering that question, you'll get better at instinctively knowing your brand.

4. Do you live your brand every day?
Maintaining a professional image is important if you want to portray a professional brand. This applies to any aspect of your business that your customer will encounter. Your stationery, your storefront, your logo, your vehicle, your employees — everyone and everything that connects you with your customers needs to match the image you're trying to convey.

Here's another good brand identity exercise: Spend three days paying attention to everything that customers can and will see during your interactions with them. Then play a game of "which of these things is not like the others" to identify the points of contact that don't fully support the image you're trying to create.

With practice, you can become your own brand champion. You probably already know most of what makes up your brand. Just give yourself time to think about it and then get used to living it every day.

The overall benefit of having a strong brand is that your customers and potential customers will know what to think of you and, more important, when to think of you, i.e. at the time buying decisions are made.