Find Top Branding Agencies Near You

Branding Agencies 

A brand refers to the feelings and perceptions consumers associate with your business and the products or services you offer. It incorporates everything from your logo, marketing and visual brand identity to the way your employees interact with consumers, social media content and tone of voice.

In order to create a strong brand that differentiates you from your competitors (for the right reasons), you’ll need to build a brand strategy. This involved asking questions such as:

• Who are we?
• Who is our target audience?
• Why should they choose us?
• Who are our competitors?
• What makes us different from others?
• What are we best at?
• What's the key benefit we offer our customers?
• What do we stand for as a business?

While this is a good starting point, building a robust brand strategy involves a lot more work than simply asking questions. What’s more,branding is something that businesses can’t afford to get wrong. This is why many business owners choose to engage the expertise of branding agencies.

The aim of this page is to walk you through the services offered by branding agencies and how to find and hire one. We can also connect you with branding agencies in your area.

 What is a branding agency?

The role of a brand agency is to understand your business and its values and help you define, develop, manage and improve your brand. Brand agencies are experts in creating a face and personality for your brand, and bringing your business to life in a way that consumers can emotionally connect with and relate to. 

A branding agency’s work is strategy-focused. They provide you with a strategy and toolkit to enter the market with confidence in your identity, values and product or service offering. 

What is the difference between a branding agency and a creative agency?

The key difference between a branding agency and a creative agency is the focus of work. Branding agencies develop strategies, while creative agencies develop work across communication and design that aligns with a brand strategy. That said, brand and creative agencies may offer both types of services.

But do I really need a branding agency? This is a question many small business owners have.

Why hire a branding agency?

Some of the reasons why you should consider hiring a branding agency versus doing your own branding include:

• A fresh perspective:Branding experts have worked with businesses of all kinds and can give you fresh or alternative ideas that you may not have thought of.
• Unbiased approach:Sometimes our personal preferences can get in the way of what’s best. Branding agencies don’t have emotional ties to your business which can be advantageous. 
• Expertise:Branding agencies have extensive experience and knowledge of all things branding to bring your vision to life.
• Stay current: Keep one step ahead of what’s trending in your industry and beyond.
• Better return on investment:What seems like a bigger investment in your brand can pay off ten-fold later down the line.

What does a branding agency do?

Most branding agencies offer a full scope of branding services, and they may also specialise in certain areas. Here are some examples:

• Brand strategy: This involves market and consumer research, competitor analysis and a thorough evaluation of your business to map out your brand’s positioning and action plan for integrated marketing initiatives.
• Brand identity: Developing a visual identity and brand assets that align with your brand strategy and other marketing activities. This includes logo, signage, website assets and other promotional collateral.
• Brand architecture:Devising a strategic framework that outlines how your brand will grow and evolve.
• Brand positioning:A brand positioning statement defines what your brand is all about and what differentiates you in just a sentence or two. This statement is the benchmark that all communications and creative assets are measured against.
• Brand naming: Renaming or creating an appropriate name for your brand that aligns with your brand identity.
• Brand management:Managing and maintaining your brand to ensure that all creative work and communications are consistent and on-brand. 
• Rebranding:Developing a fresh new face for your business and ensuring this is seamlessly rolled across your channels.
• Co-branding:Collaborate with other brands or influencers to help build each other up.
• Brand guidelines:Create a set of guidelines and brand assets that your team can use across the business.

How do I choose a branding agency?

A branding agency will ultimately be helping you shape the face of your business, so choosing the right one is important. Some key considerations to help you include:

• Narrow your search down to the right size agencies:It’s more beneficial for small businesses to work with small branding agencies 
• Experience:Have they worked with similar brands? Ensure they have the expertise to fulfill your requirements.
• Genuine interest:Pay close attention to your initial conversations and the feelings you get. They should show genuine enthusiasm to get to know your brand and take on a new challenge.

How much do branding services cost?

The cost of branding services really depends on the type and volume of work required. For example, the cost of startup branding will be quite different to a brand logo design.

Agencies may charge on an hourly or retainer/project basis depending on the work involved.

At SavvySME, we can connect you with branding agencies who are ready and eager to help you. Simply tell us about your project and we’ll introduce you to the most suitable professionals.