Okay, so not being a native Texan, there were a few things I found different about Texas right away. The first was the heat. And, after 7 years, I'm still adjusting to this. But, the main thing that really surprised me was the Texas pride.

I lived most of my life in Pennsylvania and have traveled to plenty of other states all over the U.S. and in no other state have I found such a strong sense of state pride. I joke about this sometimes because people outside of Texas even know what the state looks like. After pondering this a while I realized Texas has been highly successful at branding themselves (and not by cattle brands either).

If you look around Texas you can find - Texas shaped tortilla chips, Texas shaped waffle makers, Texas shaped hamburgers, candles, cookie cutters, belt buckles, etc., etc. Who would have thought? Those of you outside of Texas are asking why would you want such a thing? Well, I'll tell you why. Texas has done such a great job of branding the state that it's residents love it and buy anything "Texan". I hear people talk about Texas being it's own country and that it is the greatest place on Earth. Talk about some strong branding!

The point is, that through consistent, ongoing marketing eventually you start to build a brand following and create brand loyalty in your customers (or residents in this case). Every time a Texan sees something "Texas", they get a nice warm fuzzy feeling inside. Wouldn't you like your company to create this same feeling for your customers? By offering a great product or service, treating customers well, meeting and exceeding expectations and regularly marketing, you too can create strong brand.

Imagine your company logo on a belt buckle, a waffle, a t-shirt, and a vehicle. Now imagine if your customers were willing to buy all this stuff because they were so in love with your product. This is true brand loyalty!

So, get out there and start servicing your customers in a way that they would be happy to pay for your advertising through these items. Great products and consistent delivery can create this kind of brand loyalty.