Once you know which audiences you want to aim your services toward, the next step is to identify how you want them to think of you. As defined earlier in this chapter, branding is all about controlling how people think of you in order, and in the sense of a business, these perceptions must link to benefits for the business that help it achieve its objectives. What objectives do you have that rely on how people think of you? Some examples may include:

By making this type of list, it becomes a lot more clear what type of brand perceptions you need to build in order to help you achieve your objectives. Although branding is closely related to sales and marketing, you will also see that not all objectives are directly about making sales, such as getting media coverage, being able to charge above the industry rates, and being considered as environmentally friendly.