Anyone who watched the Super Bowl has seen branding at its best (or, depending on how you felt about the PuppyMonkeyBaby ad, its worst). What makes a brand more than a name, though? What turns a corporate identity from one of the crowd to a unique entity, one that your audience knows to trust?

Names Matter
Branding starts with the name. Think about some of the most recognizable brand names and how memorable they are. Whether they’re named after a company founder, a Greek goddess, or an incredibly large number, they’re easy to recall and pronounce. They’re often short at just a syllable or two, and if they’re longer, they’re often shortened in ad campaigns. “Coke” is as recognizable as “Coca-Cola,” and “Kentucky Fried Chicken” is now reborn as “KFC” in part because the name was shorter. Companies that are trying to redefine themselves or are undergoing a merger often make a new name for themselves literally by changing their name brand.

Your Voice, Your Values
What does your company personify? Which values define it? What sets you apart? What do you want your audience to think about you? These are integral aspects of your brand. Brands have a voice that resonates with their customers, one that cuts through the noise other competitors create. Maybe you’re the best in the business at personalized customer service. You might offer the fastest, most efficient service. Your company could be the one that offers the most choice. Find your differentiator, and you’ve found one of the key elements of your brand.

Branding with Content
Content marketing is more important than ever, yet it’s one of the things that companies establishing their brand get wrong most often. Instead of reinforcing their brand through their content, they use content to push their brand. Content marketing isn’t just long-form advertising; it’s something of value you give your prospects. It contributes to your brand, but the content itself isn’t branded except for possibly a line or two at the bottom welcoming readers to learn more. You have plenty of opportunities to advertise via paid media channels and SEM; let the quality of your content speak for your brand by itself.

Brands as Lifestyles
One of the surest ways to brand effectively – yet one of the toughest – is to become a part of an audience’s lifestyle. For B2C companies, becoming part of a lifestyle is a little more straightforward: Target a product appropriately, get it into the right celebrities’ or athletes’ hands, and maintain a consistent image across all channels. B2B marketing is a somewhat different story. Most people’s lifestyles are separate from their work-styles, and by definition, B2B means marketing in a professional context. In this case, branding has more to do with aiming your offer to company cultures and philosophies. Capacitors and office equipment aren’t really lifestyle signifiers, but the companies that use them can certainly align well with vendors that best fit their needs and ideals.

What’s in a brand name? It’s much more than just a few catchy syllables, it turns out. Your content, voice, unique value, and company philosophy all contribute to a strong branding strategy.