You might have a strong business, but do you have a strong brand?

Here are a few things to think about to help turn your company into a great brand.

Your Story. Big brands have a great story. Who is telling your story?

Expectation. Your marketing sets an expectation, your customers will buy that expectation. It’s up to your products and the quality of service to live up to that expectation. Meeting expectations will help keep customers coming back, exceeding expectations will build trust and positive word-of-mouth.

Trust. Trust is earned. You can’t buy it. The simplest way to earn trust with customers and prospects: Deliver great service with consistency.

Be Different. To stand out you need to be different. The truth is, you’re in business because you offer something different — focus on your difference, market to that point of differentiation.

Expertise and Leadership. Great brands are seen as market leaders. Establishing your expertise, leverage your experience and market yourself as a unique leader in the marketplace.

Concentrate on a strong marketing presence on- and off-line. Facebook and Twitter are free. The social networks are great to be a part of, but a truly strong brand will require broad marketing efforts, which also means traditional, face-to-face and one-on-one communications.