Branding is important- it is the gut-feel response that customers have to your business.  To create an effective brand, ask yourself three questions:

1. Who are my customers (or, who do I think will most likely be my customers)? Thinking about segmenting customers (location, age, industry, size, needs, etc.), targeting segments, and positioning yourself will help with this. A small one-stop-shop IT consultant may want to target small local firms who can't afford lots of time to find an expert, or large IT firms who may need generalized subcontracting assistance once in awhile.

2. What will I do for them that's superior to what my competitors will do for them? Thinking about your strengths and leveragable assets will help with this, but you must complete this sentence "I'm the best solution for you because _________."  Perhaps you'll have the most user-friendly website, complete with credit card payment option.  Or you'll do everything face to face.  It's up to you to figure out what you'll be able to do better than anyone else (or why else ask your customers to employ you?)

3. How will I provide these superior offerings? The answer may be your experience, equipment, location, or relationships, but perhaps it's your systems, or just willingness and ability to be available 24/7.

Once you've determined who you're targeting and how you want to position yourself relative to your competitors, then make sure what you do is internally and externally consistent with this plan. Internal consistency is how you align your company with your plan- if you want to be the value leader, you probably shouldn't spend big money on an office or create expensive brochures. External consistency is how your plan aligns with marketplace realities- if your business plan relies on high margins for growth, you need to be in high margin service segments. An inconsistent strategy can put you in future position to have to retreat or change your offering- which can damage customer trust- which is really what your brand is.

Once your strategy is defined and consistent, you need to communicate it clearly to employees, partners, competitors, and customers. Write up a vision statement and tag line that says what it is your company will do well, and how. Employ a graphic designer or marketing firm to help design a consistent look for your signs, website, mailings, folio.  Get your message out.  Perform (nothing damages a brand like nonperformance!) 

And then, as you move forward, collect data to figure out which segments of your business are most profitable.  Refine your targeting, and positioning to capture more customers in these segments to drive your brand towards the areas of greatest need- and returns.  And keep an eye out for when your business starts to serve such a diverse mix of customers that it may make sense to create an additional brand, or brands.