“Your brand is the single most important investment you can make in your business.”
– Steve Forbes, Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine.
We all want our brands to look precisely how we envisioned them to be – appealing to the target audience and established as unique and popular brands in the industry. But in an attempt to save money we end up not hiring the right kind of professionals (read branding companies) and that leads to a bigger loss than we anticipated. We know hiring a good agency isn’t easy but we are going to help you make a solid decision that doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket and gets you the desired results that you have been waiting for all this while. Read on to know how.
Branding In Layman Terms
Creative agencies are extremely important for giving shape to a company’s identity. For consumers and many companies, a product’s brand identity is just about designing and redesigning a logo and adding an apt tagline to it but branding isn’t that simple. The core idea of branding rests upon the idea of creating an experience that enables the audience to comprehend what the brand stands for. Many times, people confuse advertising with branding but these two are quite distinct in nature. The confusion arises because their functions overlap with each other. Both branding and targeted advertising help corporations in establishing themselves amongst their competitors. But without a solid label in place, you can’t publicize something that doesn’t exist.
People recognize products by their branding and that can only be done when the identity of the brand stands out. For Example, everybody knows what the Apple logo stands for and it is the uniqueness of the design of the apple that helps it stand apart. Branding provides a distinct voice to a product and helps the audience form an emotional connection with it.
Now that we have discussed what branding is in simple terms, let us go through the reasons why branding can also be a cost-effective solution, shall we?
1. They Have It All (More Tools, More People)
Number one reason why hiring a professional agency is a cost-effective solution is because these website design companies are equipped with all the latest technologies to provide top-notch services. Be it designing or content creation/management, they carry out all the aspects of branding with aplomb. They also have the capacity of targeting the biggest audiences across different platforms and mediums. Many branding agencies have various contacts and their networking game is strong which helps them reach out to different publications for a multi-directional plan targeting different modes of communication. Apart from these reasons, they really do have all kinds of skilled professionals to handle your branding and give the product a 360-degree treatment to get the best outcome. This saves you money by housing different individuals under a single roof and also decreases unnecessary hassles.
2. One-Time Investment
What many people don’t understand is that branding is a one-time investment for a longer period of time. It is also a constant process because you need a team of branding experts who understand your brand well and align all the content and aesthetics as per the core branding identity. Many companies go for an out-n-out brand makeover when a considerable amount of time has passed and they need a major upgrade. Major changes only happen once in a couple of years and that automatically makes branding cost-effective.
3. Industry Experts With A Clear Objective
The biggest advantage of working with a branding agency is that these people have industry experts who understand the requirement of different industries and customize a plan that is personalized and targets problem areas unique to each and every client. These people also have a clear objective and their perspective is non-biased. What happens a lot of times with an in-house team is that after a point of time their perspective becomes stagnant and personal. If you hire a good branding agency, chances are, they will lead your company in a new direction and make sure the branding makeover has been done keeping in mind the right target audience.
4. Time It Right
It is important that you as an owner do not take any hasty decisions and understand if your company really needs to go through a rebranding or not. What is important is taking a good amount of time to establish a brand properly rather than having a voice that keeps changing from time to time. Many people go for fresh branding when they are about to launch a brand new product with the potential of taking the markets by storm. In such cases, branding makes quite a lot of sense. Besides the purpose of a brand makeover, branding can also be done if the audience has lost touch with the brand and it is important to remind them of what the brand stands for. It is almost like renewing your marital vows with the audience and reestablishing the lost bond.
5. Know What You Need
If your company is clueless as to what your requirement is and what the reasons behind branding/rebranding are, chances are, you will end up spending more on the project because you might have to re-do everything all over again to align your philosophy with the necessary imagery. The clarity in the vision will save you time, money, and effort. Many companies struggle with the aesthetics and content of their brand because it is never established what the vision and mission of the company are and that leads to a lot of confusion. Stakeholders play a massive role in defining the values of a company and if they are not on the same page, chances are, the company might never fulfill its destiny and that might also lead to a confused brand with no proper positioning in the market. So it is crucial that due time and importance be given to understanding the goals and vision of the company.
6. Make Use Of Other Techniques Too
A lot of times, many new companies feel like branding is the solution to all their problems but that is a big farce. You also need the support of other communication tools and techniques like marketing, advertising, SEO, PR and social media to have an all-rounded growth. Success is not an easy path and taking the harmonious route of balance is what will help you get an edge over your competitors. A lot of agencies have specialized departments taking care of all the above-mentioned categories and this very phenomenon might turn out to be a cost-effective and easy solution to all your problems.
7. Small Is Big
Many organizations feel like associating with the best agencies in the world will surely guarantee success and this might be true for some of them but it also comes with a huge bill. There are so many medium-sized branding/creative agencies out there that are more humble in their approach but pack a solid punch when it comes to serving their clients. They have some of the best talents as part of their team and utilize all kinds of tools to help companies form unique identities. The only thing that matters here is giving such hardworking and dedicated branding agencies a mighty chance. If you are a start-up and need that extra push from some laser-sharp branding then hiring a small but experienced agency might help you shine and wouldn’t turn out to be an expensive affair either.
Conclusion
We hope that the above-mentioned pointers helped you with your decision of hiring a sound and dependable branding agency. Collaborating with a responsible and earnest team might actually be the first step in creating your dream brand and catapulting your product and services into the markets and hearts of the consumers.
Author Bio:
Brijesh Jakharia co-founded SPINX Digital in 2005 and takes great pride in crafting web and mobile marketing solutions for mid-market businesses to enterprises. Marketing is his passion, and the thrill to build a brand from the ground up has helped him craft successful brand stories for world-class clients. While not at work, he loves to spend his time on research and reading digital content stories.
