How To Choose a Brand Development Agency
The ease with which you can start a business is a blessing and a curse. You can get a company running in no time, but so can anyone else.
To stand out in a crowded market, a strong brand is essential. Many companies are answering the challenge with the help of a brand development agency.
In fact, the branding market’s astounding 17.5% compound annual growth is almost twice that of the general creative agency market. Many of your competitors are likely already using these services or soon will be.
How can you find a firm that meets your needs? Discover how to pick a branding agency that does everything you need it to.
Key Takeaways:
- A brand development firm is not simply a marketing agency but helps you define who you are through an impactful identity and strong core messaging.
- An excellent brand agency saves you countless hours and is worth the investment.
- Ask about an agency’s reputation, portfolio, expertise, strategy, communication methods, and culture before hiring it.
What Is a Brand Development Agency?
A brand development agency helps your company create, launch, and polish your brand image. With a strong brand, you can outperform the competition in multiple domains.
This type of firm can assist with defining your identity, naming your company, and crafting core messaging. While these agencies do this work for new companies, brand consultants also help existing businesses revitalize a flagging brand or rebrand when necessary.
How Does a Branding Agency Differ From a Marketing Agency?
Despite their similarities, branding agencies are not marketing agencies. While marketing focuses on grabbing attention through messaging, branding helps you get to the core of who you are, what you do, and why you’re doing it.
Branding comes before marketing because your marketing efforts spring from your established branding. A brand development agency helps you differentiate yourself with distinct verbiage and visual pieces, such as taglines, logos, and mottos.
Why Should You Hire a Branding Agency?
With so many buying options available, customers want to find more than a solution to a problem; they want a compatible partner, especially in B2B. A brand development agency helps you concisely communicate why you’re the best choice for your ideal prospects.
Also, you spend a lot of time and money on your digital and print materials with your branding. An agency offers you an outside, unbiased perspective so you get things right the first time and don’t exhaust resources on rebranding later.
Branding and marketing are as important as the quality of your product or service, sometimes even more so. Hiring a branding agency leaves you time for other necessary operations without sacrificing the quality of any part of the equation.
How Can You Hire the Right Branding Development Agency?
A successful partnership with a consultant or agency requires knowing the criteria for hiring the right people. Look for the following points to find a firm that fits your needs.
Reputation
Your brand is your reputation. If a brand development agency can’t manage its own image in the industry, how can it take care of yours?
A quick peek around the internet can help you see how well the company does and what others think of it.
Expertise and Portfolio
Look for a company that has a diverse portfolio. A company with experience establishing strong brands in various industries demonstrates its understanding of human nature and how to appeal to different crowds.
Be sure to find an agency that can operate on various platforms so you can present a strong message across all channels.
ROI
Ask for testimonials and case studies that show the return on investment other clients had. Pay particular attention to the metrics that are pertinent to your company and industry.
Methodology and Process
You’re not just looking for a lot of flashy ideas from a brand development agency. Without a repeatable process with proven results, an agency’s success is only due to good fortune.
Your agency needs to know what works and why. Understanding these points allows it to pivot and explain why it’s taking one direction instead of another that worked in a similar situation.
Communication
Talk to past and previous clients to find out how well the agency communicates and how attentive the agency is to a client’s needs.
Your business is your baby, and you need to make sure this agency will be a competent “sitter” that can help you nurture your brand’s growth. You have every right to remain aware of what’s going on, so verify that you’ll be able to get actionable feedback.
Remember that the person offering you a proposal may not be the one working on your branding campaigns, so find out who the manager or team members will be on your project to ensure your communication styles sync.
Culture Fit
Having a strong brand is more about culture and community than anything else. If a brand development agency can’t speak the language that your ideal customers want to hear, you’re in for a long and disappointing ride.
Trust your gut and make sure after a conversation or two with a prospective agency that you’re on the same wavelength.
How Will a Brand Development Agency Benefit Your Business?
An outstanding brand makes you a force to reckon with. It helps you gain greater recognition, improve customer loyalty, and even attract and retain top-notch talent and partnerships.
However, building a successful brand is hard to do without reliable help. Use the preceding pointers to guide you in choosing the right brand development agency.
Michael Brenner is a keynote speaker, author and CEO of Marketing Insider Group. Michael has written hundreds of articles on sites such as Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and The Guardian, and he speaks at dozens of leadership conferences each year covering topics such as marketing, leadership, technology and business strategy.