Hiring a top branding agency can be stressful. We know from our clients and from top corporate CMOs that making the decision to bring on an outside firm in the first place – let alone deciding which firm to bring on, is a major decision. First and foremost, it’s a marketing cost that might not have been allowed for in the budget. Justifying the ROI, especially off-cycle, looks like a heavy lift from a distance. Second, shifting work on something as integral to a company as their brand raises fears of losing control to a team that’s not in your office or under your control. Key to making the case for a top branding agency is recognizing that an agency with the right experience and creativity will help your business grow, and can be one of the most important investments you make.
Here are five reasons to hire a top branding agency:
- It’s the Creative. Even if a company has a top designer in-house, it’s often better to turn to an outside source for several reasons. Number one, a top agency will have a range of creative designers bringing different options and creative approaches to the project. An in-house individual or even a small team will never have the range of styles of an agency. Pretty soon, all creative tends to look the same. In addition, we can bring our team specialists in strategy and content to the job.
- Consistency. What we often see with in-house teams is that they turn to the branding task in their spare time and that they never have enough spare time because their services are always in demand around the office. As a result, the work is inconsistent, both in quality and in tone. A top branding agency recognizes the importance of consistency to your brand.
- Brand Management. A top branding agency isn’t valuable only on the one project but will be with you for the long-term. That means that as your brand grows and evolves, it lessens the risk of diluting it as new ideas are explored and boundaries pushed. An agency team can make sure that new directions are kept within the context of the brand style guide. A great branding agency can lead the development of new deliverables and can deliver on the vision for the brand.
- Industry Insights. Top branding agencies work across a variety of industries and keep on top of trends and styles across many verticals. That is not something that an in-house team can do.
- Creating a Vision and Sticking to it. A top branding agency has the expertise and creativity needed to develop a comprehensive brand that is consistent and tells a compelling story. It takes lots of work to develop that skill and requires significant know-how and ability to both see the vision and execute on that vision.The right firm recognizes the intricacies of taking a brand from concept to completion at different stages in their client’s business lifecycle. That skill – to see the big picture of your organization and help you bring your brand to life – is critical and valuable.