Whether you’re launching a new business, starting an eCommerce store, setting up a startup, or running a B2B business, your brand is your most valuable asset.
It is how consumers get to know you, why they’d choose you over others, and drives success for your business.
And this makes it extremely important to choose the right branding agency for your business. An agency/ team that understands your business goals, your values, and truly believes in what you do.
In this blog, we share 25 tips to help you choose the best branding agency for your business.
Let’s get started!
25 tips to choose to the right branding agency for your business
Here’s a quick guide of factors you must consider when looking to hire a branding agency for your business.
1. Agencies that ask uncomfortable questions
A good branding agency will want to learn as much as possible about the brand. Not about colors, fonts, and moodboards, but about why the brand exists, why their customers buy from them, and what kind of meaningful connections they create in the industry. The agency should ask about where your brand is stuck to understand how they can help you grow.
2. Can explain what not to say
Quite often, brands get carried away and end up oversharing or stuffing messages. But strong brands do not feel the need to do so. Rather, they remove generic messaging and claims. An experienced and efficient branding agency knows this and will be able to explain to you what you should avoid saying in your brand messaging.
3. They obsess over category positioning
When choosing a branding agency, it is important to pay attention to how they research your competitors. Do they simply take screenshots of competitors’ websites and make a list of elements they have on their site? Or do they get into deeper questions about how each competitor makes customers think, which gaps they’re not filling and how your brand could fill the gap? Choose a branding agency that goes beyond surface level aesthetics, and into more important questions.
4. They have a framework for making decisions
If your branding agency brings little on the table in terms of ideas, but are good at execution of only what you want, it’s a red flag. Your agency should have its own strong framework and system to ascertain and design your brand positioning. If an agency simply does what you like, stay away from it.
5. They think about distribution while building the brand
Creating a brand that looks good is only one aspect. The other important aspect is to ensure it is distributed well across channels. If your brand doesn’t work on LinkedIn, Google search, AI search, podcasts, sales calls, investor decks, etc., it is pointless. Pick a branding agency that can solve real challenges of your brand across channels.
6. The agency can describe your future customers, not just current
Creating strategies to engage and retain your current customers is important. But customers keep evolving. New generations get added to the consumer base. Does your branding agency have a plan to attract new sets of customers in the future? Ask the potential agencies how they plan to target new customer segments.
7. They challenge your assumptions
If your potential branding agency is only going to agree to everything in your brief and only good at executing it, they’re not contributing anything creatively or strategically. Good branding agencies know when to push back your ideas and identify ideas that won’t bring results. And your agency should be able to respectfully explain this to you.
8. They measure success beyond launch day
When hiring a branding agency for your business, understand their definition of success. Ask them what metrics they’ll watch six months after the re/branding. If their idea of success is to get the maximum number of people to like the new logo, it means they’re only thinking about design, not business. Your branding agency should be able to show you how branding changed business and sales for you.
9. How the agency collaborates with its clients
When working with an external agency, it is important to understand how they interact and collaborate with their clients. From the process and system they use, to the tools they’d expect you to use, and the point of contact, among other aspects. This will give you clarity from the start.
10. You leave meetings thinking differently
The best branding agencies don’t just give you a pretty picture of everything, they also share market insights, and deeper knowledge that change the way you think about your business. At times, your branding agency should leave you with insights and thoughts you had never considered before.
11. Real-world experience and work samples
Some branding agencies, especially the ones that are just starting off, tend to share work they’ve done internally for pet projects or their own agency in their portfolio. While there’s nothing wrong in that, to assess the real impact, it is important to view case studies of branding work they’ve done in the real world.
12. Does the agency have a focus?
Working with a generalist agency that does work across formats and industries compared to one that knows your industry inside out makes a lot of difference. Even if not a specialist, choose a branding agency that has some sort of focus or a considerable body of existing work in your industry.
13. Are they able to answer difficult questions?
Most teams tend to go into meetings with simple and surfacial questions. But to really understand the capabilities of agencies, you need to ask tough questions. Ask them about the difference they think they can make to your brand, the metrics and data they will track, and how they will tackle roadblocks and challenges. These hard questions will reveal whether or not the agency is a right fit for you.
14. The agency should have design and strategy capabilities, not just one
Branding involves both design and strategy. Your agency should not only know how to make your brand look good, it should also know why they’re doing what they’re doing, meaning strategy. Your agency should consider all these factors that influence a good branding strategy: business goals, target audience, competitors, brand values, and aesthetics.
15. Understand the branding agency’s process
Unless an organization has systems in place, efficiency is hard to achieve. Ask the agency to take you through the process and system they follow when working on branding projects. They should talk about onboarding, research, team meetings, reports, feedback, implementation, etc. If the agency sounds vague or seems to be rushing you, it’s a red flag.
16. Chemistry between the agency and you
When you work with an agency, it is important to work with someone where there’s chemistry. The agency should be approachable, easy to talk to, where communication feels natural. Collaboration skills are a key factor when working with an agency.
17. Team strength and versatility
Branding and marketing is a multidisciplinary process. From logo design to UX to campaigns and content, you may require various kinds of services. When choosing a branding agency, look for one that has a large pool of resources, in-house or external. The agency should be able to meet your different requirements.
18. Long-term partnership
When choosing a branding agency, it is advisable to look for one that takes a long-term partnership approach. You may need help with various aspects after the re/branding process. Having a long-term agency partner makes things faster and easier for your brand. Besides, you can ensure consistency in the way your brand does things.
19. Discuss budgets transparently
One of the first things to discuss when looking to hire a branding agency is budgets. Certain agencies have a minimum project value. If your budget is way lower than that, it is best not to waste time in any discussions. And if your budget is more than that quoted by the agency, you have the potential of hiring a better agency for your brand.
20. Understand their activation process
Ask the agency questions about how they activate the strategies and design. For instance, social media, templates, graphics, strategy, timelines, etc. This will help you prepare internally, plan your soft launches, and have a clear picture of how you are going to present your brand to the world.
21. Consider the agency’s technological and digital expertise
Technology has changed the way consumers interact with brands, and how brands present themselves. Today, a brand’s technological ability is something intrinsic to brand building, identity, and positioning. Assess how evolved and advanced the agency is in terms of using tools, technology, and implementing digital experiences.
22. Look for speed and rapid response
Depending on the nature of your industry, you must look for a branding agency that is able to respond to your requests in time. An agency may be good at planning, but if its execution is slow, it will hinder your business growth.
23. Adaptability and flexibility
Another key factor to consider when choosing a branding agency is their ability to adapt to changes. Is the agency flexible enough to incorporate changes? Sometimes agencies are stuck and rigid about their processes, which might impact your business. Therefore, it’s important to understand how willing and adaptable the agency is.
24. Compare value, not only pricing
While it’s critical to choose an agency that fits your budget, prioritising low cost could mean you aren’t receiving value. Hence, apart from pricing, also look at the value the agency might add to your brand. Consider factors such as launch assets, scalability, the agency’s ability to drive real-world results, etc.
25. Does the agency truly believe in your brand?
It’s quite common for agencies to take on projects just for the sake of money. Many times, agencies work with brands they don’t believe in. Their decision to onboard a brand is simply based on money. This is one of the most important aspects to assess. Does your agency truly feel for your products, services, and brand?
Wrapping up
Selecting the right branding agency is more than just choosing one that has enough resources, a good portfolio, and is within your budget. It should be considered a long-term strategic investment. And hence, it is important to consider multiple factors before zeroing in on one.
If you’re looking for an efficient branding agency that knows how to help brands grow, reach out to The Brand Strategy Lab. We not only help build your brand identity, position, and overall branding, we believe in your brand as much as you do.
