Branding, says business coach, brand strategist and author Libby Gill, "is the means you use to capture mindshare--the head and heart of your customer."

To illustrate the concept, Gill pointed to the Apple TV commercials that depict Mac users as "snarky," and PC users as conservative and dull. "Apple doesn't want to convert PC users," she says. "It's just cementing the relationship" it already shares with its customers.

Gill was a keynote speaker at the Institute for Women Entrepreneurs' first-ever Women's Summit in Anaheim, Calif. The IWE offers no-cost advice to women entrepreneurs in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Nearly 600 women (and a few men) attended the all-day summit, which organizers said they pulled together in only seven weeks.

According to Gill, Mind-Blowing Value + Wow Customer Experience = Customer Loyalty. She has an illustration for that concept as well: Zappos.com. The company offers free shipping, free returns, a 365-day return policy and 24-hour customer service by phone. The phone number is on every page of the website. And, as Zappos founder Tim Hsieh likes to say, "We're a service company that just happens to sell shoes." If Zappos doesn't have a shoe in stock, it will look for the shoe at competing companies. "It doesn't care about the sale; it cares about the relationship," Gill says.

Gill also discussed several failed marketing campaigns, chief among them: New Coke. What was New Coke telling customers? That Coke was not "The Real Thing."

Then there were Gerber Singles, small servings of food meant for single adults, packaged in jars that were almost identical to those used for baby food. The message? "You're a loser," eating pureed food out of a jar.

Gill presented five strategies designed to capture mindshare:

1. Live and breathe your brand. "Your brand mission and methods must be consistent with your authentic values, gifts and goals," she says. You have to decide three things:
   a. What is your core business purpose?
   b. What are your values, beliefs and passions?
   c. How do others perceive you?
   
   Gill suggests that every entrepreneur go to at least five people for authentic feedback. "Ask them, 'What three words would you use to describe me?' See if you hear what you think you're putting out," she says.
   
   
2. Stand out from the crowd. "Your market is not 'all women.' Figure out your audience. What do you do that's different or special? What is your competitive advantage?



3. Craft a "sticky" message. Create a consistent and compelling brand message.
   a. What positive core message do you want people to remember about you?
   b. Spin liabilities into advantages, she advises. If you aren't as big as your competitor, then promote the fact that you're a boutique service and that you, as the entrepreneur, are personally involved in every account.
   c. What does your website say about you? Does it have too many calls to action? Strive for clarity of message.



4. Blast your brand. Once you know how to articulate your brand, you can turn any interview, networking function or social event into a personal branding opportunity.
   a. Contact radio shows and local papers.
   b. Don't forget the "three-legged stool" of LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
   c. Get written testimonials from happy customers. Ideally, get them twittering about you, too.



5. Expand your brand. Set goals for personal excellence and continuous improvement by learning new skills, offering new services and extending your brand into new markets.
   a. Are you using the "Kaizen concept," a Japanese term for "continuous improvement"?
   b. Continue to evolve. Understand how your audience's needs are changing and determine how you can evolve to serve those changing needs. Gill herself is about to kick off her latest endeavor, which she calls The Accountability Club. It's a 90-minute monthly phone call designed to accelerate participants' growth curve and create a custom support team.