What do Apple, Southwest Airlines and Coca-Cola have in common?

They’re all widely recognized brands that tell the world what to expect about their products. When you pop open a can of Coke, you can be sure you’re about to imbibe a sweet, carbonated beverage. Apple is synonymous with user-friendly personal technology. Likewise, Southwest Airlines is known for its fast, friendly service at reasonable fares.

A successful brand stands out in a sea of sameness and establishes an identity that is credible and trustworthy. Successful brands are magnetic—people are drawn to them.

Right now, among your co-workers, boss, vendors and customers, you have a brand –a reputation. It says to the world, “When you deal with me, here’s what you can expect.”

What are you known for right now? When people think of you, do they feel a powerful connection? When people talk about you, what stories do they tell? Do they think, “Unforgettable, get it done, go-to person, industry expert, thought leader, guru who is indispensable and would be sorely missed if he/she ever left”? Or do they think something else? Every day you do something to build your brand equity or weaken it.

Use these five tips to help you get more strategic about what you want to be known for.

Have incredibly high standards. Demand more from yourself than your clients demand from you. Are you better prepared for a meeting or an interview than anyone else? Do people applaud your sense of urgency and responsiveness? Do you take creativity and execution to a higher level? When you meet a potential employer or client for the first time do you know more about that person than any competitor will ever dream of knowing about them? Do you have a reputation for doing your homework or for winging it? Do you go above and beyond what’s called for, or just do the bare minimum?

Create a project portfolio that rocks. Think of an account executive from an ad agency being interviewed to make a pitch with a new client. The portfolio counts! Who you’ve done work for, the level of creativity expressed in that work, the ROI of your campaign—it all matters. What if you had to “re-up” for your job every six months? You go in for your interview, open up your portfolio and what’s there? Stunning projects that shook the world, gave history a shove? Or same old thing?

Keep lots of company. You are as cool, stimulating, adventurous, thoughtful, reflective, spiritual, disciplined (you get the point) as the people you associate with. What’s the collective IQ, EQ (emotional quotient) or any other “Q” of the gang you hang with? How big of a net do you cast? Do you go to lunch with the same people all the time? Do you attend the same conferences with the same people? Do something to broaden your network and surround yourself with people who will stretch you in new directions—people who are fun and bring something significant to the table. By the way, the key to this is being the kind of person cool people want to hang out with!

Light up the room. Go to your favorite grocery store, watch television, look through a magazine — what packaged products grab your attention? Answer: those that exude energy, vitality and life! When you walk into a room, do people think ACTION, CREATIVITY, MAKE IT HAPPEN, GET IT DONE? Or do they think CAN’T, DOESN’T, WON’T, WET BLANKET? When you walk out of a meeting do people think you made a distinct and memorable contribution?

Show initiative. Start projects on your own instead of playing the victim and hiding behind the veil of “I don’t know how to do it,” or “I’ve never done that before.” Look for ways to cut costs or create new revenue streams without being asked. This means you build an aggressive marketing campaign to grow sales instead of waiting for the orders to come in. And, if you haven’t got the slightest clue about how to do that, you surround yourself with a network of people who do, then learn like crazy. It means you volunteer for bigger, more challenging projects.