As a marketing consultant, Norman Birnbach often receives press releases from technology firms. Recently, he noticed that a semiconductor company was changing its boilerplate description with each release. Birnbach asked the owner about it: “He said changing the corporate description showed the company was nimble and able to work with a number of different industries,” recalls Birnbach, who is based in Marblehead, Mass. “I think it showed the company couldn’t define itself.”

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The moral of the story: Every action you take positions your brand and defines your reputation. So how can a growing business proactively maintain a consistent brand image? Consider these tips:

• Make brand management a priority. You’re never too small to have a brand position in the marketplace. If you are not defining yourself, you can bet that someone else is. And that individual may be your competitor.

• Think beyond the logo. Brand positioning is about the promise made to customers and the company’s ability to follow through. The logo is just the visual; it’s not the brand. Be sure your visual captures the promise your brand makes.

• Remember the emotion. Customers buy brands because they like them and they can rely on them, not because they are well defined, says Guido Quelle, managing partner of Mandat GmbH, a marketing consulting firm based in Dortmund, Germany. Technical execution is only the first step; emotion must be part of a brand positioning strategy.

• Beware fads. Don’t position your brand too closely to an element that might soon change, such as a particular technology. It’s no bonus to be the king of faxing, notes Kate Koziol, president of Chicago-based K Squared Marketing.

• Be patient. The positioning of a brand does not happen overnight. Do not pull the plug on a brand strategy too quickly.

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