If you’re a business owner, chances are that if you’re reading this article, you’re having a hard time making a name for your business. Perhaps you’ve tried hiring a branding agency, but their work didn’t meet your standards. Whether it’s your first or tenth time selecting a branding agency, you need to know what you should be looking for.
Once you have an idea of the type of branding agency that suits you, the next hard part is the actual search. After all, you will be spending a lot of money on rebranding. Want to make every pound sterling worth it? Choose the right branding agency! Here are four things to do during your search:
1. Know that a branding agency is different from a marketing agency
Business owners often aren’t able to tell a branding agency apart from a marketing agency. Many agencies take advantage of this. You should look for a branding agency that specializes in that field rather than a plain marketing agency that merely includes branding among its host of services.
Branding strategies focus on instilling the name and image of your product or business in the minds of people. In contrast, marketing covers the more comprehensive set of tools to make people buy from you. Merely managing to sell products won’t make you stand out from your competitors; that’s where branding comes in.
2. Do your research and think about what you want the masses to see in you
Now that you have a solid understanding of what a branding agency does, you can begin to do your research. In the process, you need to do some soul-searching as well. Identify your purpose, mission, vision, and values. You would want to work with a branding agency that fits all four and is capable of projecting those characteristics towards the wider community. Those are the characteristics you want people to associate with your name and image, hence the term “branding.”
Apple, for instance, has such a fanatic cult following because it managed to make its target customers and audiences imbibe high-tech, middle-class lifestyle aspirations. Apple’s branding appeals to the moneyed, self-centred middle class, especially the youth.
As you can see, branding is not just about selling a product—why else would Apple’s customer base still be willing to buy their newest expensive gadgets every year even if the “upgrades” are superficial?. Fashion and cosmetics influencers reinforce personal brands in the same way: by making their narcissist values strike a chord with the insecure multitudes who are predisposed towards them.
3. Create a shortlist and narrow your choices
After you have established what you want people to associate with your brand or the image you want to impart on their psyche, the next thing to do is to create a shortlist of potential agencies that can bring that vision to life.
This is basically an extension of your research work as you have to scrutinize each potential candidate. One of the key considerations you need to keep in mind is the size of the agency in relation to that of your business.
If you are a small business owner, large branding agencies may not bother to even answer to your request for a consultation. Even if they somehow respond to you, you might not get the priority and attention you need because you are just one of a hundred companies that the big agency is handling. A branding agency comparable to your business’ scale would be a more appropriate choice.
From an initial list of ten or twenty agencies, cut your choices to five. Then, reach out to each of them and request for proposals. Select three who have sent you the most compelling proposal and invite them in for an interview.
4. Test them during the interview
Many companies would claim that they are experts in branding. You can test their competence during the interview process itself by assessing their experience. Ask them to present their rebranding proposals in full and judge for yourself which proponent has what it takes to make you stand out.
After the interview, try to reach out to each proponent’s past clients and ask these past clients how the proponents worked with them. Put together all the data you collected about each agency and compare. You can then narrow down your options to the one that resonates best with you and your business.
If you’re looking for a digital marketing agency in Cambridge, Orange Squash Agency is your best option. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
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