You can say anything you want about Amazon.com Inc., but you cannot doubt the power and the depth of its brand.

The company owns way more than its name in the marketplace. The brand name you may know best is “Amazon shopping,” which is when you’re comparing a price at a bookstore, an appliance store, a hardware store, or any store, for that matter. You take out your smartphone, and you compare Amazon’s pricing to whatever you’re thinking about buying. And at that moment, you make a snap decision to either buy at the store or buy with your phone.

NOTE WELL: Amazon shopping is just the tip of the company’s brand iceberg. The depth of the brand goes way beyond the name, because when you purchase from Amazon, you refer to it in one of two ways: You either “1-Click it” or you “Prime it.”

“1-Click” means you purchase with your credit card without having to enter anything or do anything other than click your smartphone.

“Prime it” means you get it in two days, free of shipping charges.

Think about that for just a second. You don’t even say the company’s name. Amazon is known by the services that it provides: 1-Click for my credit card and Prime for two-day free shipping.

That is the definition and the power of brand depth. Amazon has created services that are so powerful that the company is literally known by the name that it has attached to the service.

OK, so much for Amazon. What are you known for? What name is attached to your brand or your business that you have or are creating a reputation for?

You don’t have one? My next question is: what could you become known for? Could it be same-day shipping? Could it be a better guarantee? Could it be free freight? Whatever it is, it has to be something that sets you apart – far apart –  from your competition.

Amazon’s brand is so deep that someone would have to spend billions of dollars to compete, and even then, there would be no guarantee of success.

Jet.com, a new company on the horizon, is trying to compete with Amazon. It has a huge budget, but Amazon owns 1-Click and Amazon owns Prime. It will take years and billions to dent that marketplace.  Amazon also has very low margins, making it even more difficult for someone to build profit and equity to market enough to gain a sizable share.

And regardless of who enters the market against Amazon, it has a customer comfort level in dealing with the company and social ratings to prove it. 

So for you, Amazon is a great brand to study. It’s a great company to use as a model for services that you’re trying to provide to your customers in order to secure their long-term business and their genuine loyalty. Study it to learn how your customers can help build your reputation by posting positive things about their experience with you. And, oh yeah, all these things help you make a buck.

Other dominant brands, like Apple, Google or eBay, own their space and their keywords because they have consistently provided products and services that people know and trust. They have created an online presence so sophisticated that they can claim ownership.

Whether it’s iTunes, or Buy It Now, or Google it, they own the phrases and words that connect and create recognition of their brand.

What words, phrases and services are associated with you and distinguish you from your competition? 

Take a close look at every aspect of your business, your products and your services. Then determine at least one area where you have the potential for market dominance.

Focus on that with every ounce of your social power.