When you run a business, your brand is one of the most important assets you have. After personal, human capital, it is perhaps the key factor in the success or otherwise of your business. It’s the asset that dictates the perception of your business that customers and would-be customers come to have. It takes what you’re trying to achieve and turns it into something tangible and easy to understand.
Why you need to invest in branding
Branding is one of the most important investments you will make in your business. Whether or not you give your branding much thought, your business will still communicate a set of brand values to your customers and potential customers. It’s entirely possible for businesses to accidentally find themselves with negative branding, that acts to the detriment of their business. When that happens, it can then be difficult and costly to try to undo the damage. That’s why it’s important to have some agency over your branding, to think about it in detail, and then develop it with an overall strategy in mind. Thinking about branding can, in itself, offer new insights into your business and help you plan your future strategy.
Branding is your company’s first impression
We’re constantly told that first impressions matter, and it’s the same with branding. If you want to get the message across then you’ll need a strong brand. Intelligent, well thought out branding will communicate something vital about your company, your products, and services to a prospect immediately. Branding says something important about the values of your company and what you want to achieve.
Branding makes your company coherent
Branding helps you to clarify what your company is all about, and the values that motivate you. Few people go into the business purely because of the bottom line. What they’re doing adds value to the industry, or services that they’re working in. Branding is not only for your customers and prospective customers. It’s also for everyone in the company. It says something important about the company as a collective endeavour and can help guide and shape practices and behaviour within the company.
So, if it’s that important you need to make sure you do it properly, right?
That’s where a branding agency comes in.
What is a branding agency?
Sitting with a blank sheet of paper in front of you trying to come up with company branding might seem like a good place to start, but if you’re serious about branding, then it’s going to need more than a few rough ideas sketched in a notepad.
A branding agency is your creative ally when it comes to developing a truly unique and effective company brand. They’re highly specialised creative agencies whose focus is on clarifying your goals and objectives, and then communicating this to your target audience. They’ll work with you to create a strategy to help you grow your brand.
What do they do?
Branding agencies will fully immerse themselves in every aspect of their clients’ brand identities. They can then offer a range of services, dependent on your particular business and its requirements. These could include:
- Identify and then build a new brand identity from the ground up.
- Rebrand an established business.
- Create an entire brand strategy.
- Help to establish brand positioning and messaging.
- Formulate brand guidelines for design, style, and tone.
- Construct brand architecture.
- Design brand logos and other visual identities.
- Produce content that reflects the brand identity.
In short, they can help create, construct, sustain and grow your brand identity, making the entire process much more focused. You can either opt for a whole package of branding support, or instead choose a more bespoke approach taking up the particular services you need.
How much do branding agencies charge?
The cost of branding for your business will depend on the size of your business and how much support you require. If you only want a branding agency to help you create a logo for your business, then you may only pay a few hundred pounds. For a more substantial package of branding support, the fees could range from a one-off payment of two or three thousand, to several thousand a month for ongoing branding support.
Whatever the size of your business or budget, you can take advantage of a bespoke package of branding support that can give your business the edge over its competitors.
What should you consider when looking for a branding agency?
If you’ve decided you’d like to work with a branding agency it’s important to choose the right one. Here’s a checklist on what to look for…
Understanding
Firstly, are you confident they can understand your business? Do you think they can understand your market and its consumers? Does their existing portfolio show flexibility and a breadth of experience?
Creativity
Does their existing work show high levels of creativity, or is it slick but formulaic? Are you confident they can come up with something totally unique for your business, rather than off-the-peg solutions?
Versatility
Does the team at the agency have a range of skills and competencies? Do they have a range of experience that you think could bring real insight to your brand?
Process
How do they work? What is the process they use when working with a new business? A branding agency should be able to tell you how they work and the stages they go through, from initial meeting to delivery.
Get in touch
At Dawn Creative, we give our branding clients direct access to our design and digital teams helping them deepen their understanding and build closer relationships.
Contact us today to find out how we can help transform your branding and give your business the edge.
