For more than two decades, accomplished advertising, marketing, and communications expert Amy Hefti worked for iconic brands in New York City. In her present role, Amy Hefti serves as the head of marketing for NCL Government Capital, where she is tasked with creating and maintaining the firm's brand identity.

A brand identity is an image a company portrays to both its clients and the public. It refers to a collection of elements a business utilizes to stand out in the marketplace. A brand identity should be formulated only after careful research and deliberation. Conducting a brand audit is the first major step a business should take to evaluate and understand its customers as well as understand the status of how its current brand is perceived. Both online and offline brand aspects should be audited to determine their effectiveness. For online tools, websites and social media platforms should be carefully examined, together with offline branding tools such as logos, slogans or taglines, colors, fonts, and the tone of messaging.

Businesses should log all audit findings to identify any inconsistencies in the marketing channels, and implement changes to ensure overall consistency. Other important brand auditing procedures involve performing an in-depth competitor analysis to review their brand identities, websites, search engine optimization techniques, and advertising. This is done in order to better understand their approach, and can lead to putting in place strategies that will better position the business in the market.