Ranking of branding agencies
41 North Digital
8 Thirty Four
829 Studios
92 West
A&M Digital Media
Absolute Creative
Acadia Marketing Maine
Aceseo Consulting
Afflecto MM
Agency Mabu
Agency Squid
Ainsley Agency
Alaska Digital
AQ Marketing
Arbor Omaha
Attention Digital
Atypikal Marketing
Basso Marketing Agency
Big Red Jelly
Big Step Marketing
Bigpxl
Bigsur Branding
Blak Sheep Creative
Blue Compass
Blue Seven Studio
Blunt Soft
Bragdeal
Brand and Mortar
Brand Camp Digital
Brand Lume
What are the main functions of a branding agency?
The main function of a branding agency is to create a brand identity. But it depends on the stage a business or brand is in.
In the most initial phase of a business, branding must start with a logo, corporate colors, typography, design line… This phase, unless you are an expert in doing business, is usually the most rushed and is done on the fly so that everything goes more smoothly. Brands do not usually take into account the impact of carefully choosing all the aspects that will make a project successful.
The brand or identity manual is usually something that is not elaborated until a business has several people working on it. This is the only way that employees and other external collaborators can follow the line of the brand. This does not discredit the values and continuity of the brand.
Surely you have heard of storytelling, it is a fundamental part of branding that tells how a brand, business or company developed from the beginning, what are its values, the purpose it has, its message and which people develop the fundamental roles of it.
Resolving reputational issues or scandals. When a brand makes external communication or has repercussions in the media for something that has been done, it is usually necessary for the brand to speak out and make brand campaigns in the media to minimize the negative effects.
And to finish with this point dedicated to its functions, I would like to highlight rebranding. As I said, the normal thing, especially for small companies that are developed by individuals, is not to brand from the beginning. Everything is usually brought out as it arises. So if the company prospers, the logical thing to do is rebranding. It consists of giving the brand a new identity, colors, logo… All this without losing the essence of who they were. It is also a very useful function to disassociate itself from a harmful image that may have been created in the past.
How much does it cost to hire a branding agency?
The million dollar question, is it expensive to hire a branding agency? The answer to any price is always depends. What do we expect from the agency? At what stage are we at and where do we want to take the business? How long will it take?
In order to lay the foundations. There are companies dedicated to branding and reputation that for what is a basic identity service we can hire them from 800 to 1.000€.
If we go to a budget of 1.500€ to 2.000€ we could talk about agencies that are in charge of making that initial identity phase, a strategy and design plan.
But the cruder truth of a branding agency that is really worthwhile and that is able to cover all areas from the beginning, development to the outcome, can mean a total of €15,000.
There are companies that need to develop the market plan with market research and study. And a branding company is in charge of that. That way you can know what is the viability of a business and what are the strategies to be followed, gaps in the strategies of competitors and take advantage of them in our own convenience. That’s why the budget depends a lot on what we need.
How are the results achieved by these companies measured?
It is true that, as we have seen in the previous points, the functions that these companies perform are very varied. So it always depends on what your objectives are.
If we are talking about the development of an initial branding strategy, in which we are going to define what we will later distribute as a brand, we will only be able to see results in the long term when the different phases of the business are implemented. A brand on its own, without marketing, communication and positioning actions, cannot achieve results.
The recommendation is to choose the agency that is going to meet the expectations in the phase in which we are. For example, if we are going to start a branding stage in digital media, we can ask for results in terms of visualizations, brand impact, clipping or clicks. It is only necessary to be clear about the strategy and the steps to follow in order to be able to recreate those long-awaited results.
We would talk about another type of results if we are talking about a case of rebranding. If we are giving a new look to the brand for whatever reason, we know that the perception of users will change. What we want is for it to have a positive impact. Therefore, the company that is helping us with the strategy should know our buyer persona and make a study of how it will affect the brand. Based on that, they can set a goal and a time frame to achieve it.
As we can see, measuring results is closely linked to the objectives that are set. How to measure results? Are the objectives met? To what extent? Does it have an impact on the strategies that are being implemented? All of these questions and many others can help you evaluate whether the agency is doing its best to bring results to the table.
What branding strategies do agencies follow?
We have already seen the functions, tasks and what an agency can do for a brand. But if we talk about branding strategies, you are probably waiting for the ways that agencies have to achieve results in terms of increased sales, numbers and ROI.
It is a fact that every brand is a world. And there are cases that are applicable for B2B that are not applicable to B2C. But let’s look at different types of campaigns or actions that are usually carried out.
The growth of a personal brand can be crucial for a company’s brand. There are companies that thrive only because of the confidence that the CEO or one of its top executives gives about it. That’s why agencies take advantage of this type of strategy. Instead of working directly with the business brand, they choose an authority figure who will have a voice to communicate on behalf of the business.
Let’s talk about multichannel strategies. This type of strategy consists of adapting the brand according to the channel in which it is going to be communicated, trying to cover as many channels as possible. For example, we cannot communicate in the same way on TikTok or Instagram than in a traditional media such as a newspaper or a billboard. In addition, our buyer persona must be studied in depth. Although today social networks play a fundamental role in the entire population, only a part of it consumes advertising consciously.
Finally, I cannot leave this section without mentioning one of my favorites. Co-Branding, a type of strategy that allows through the synergy of two brands the growth of both. In the past, it was very common for market giants, such as Nike and Dior or Pandora and Disney, to collaborate together. In other words, a symbiosis in which they release a limited edition to make themselves known in the respective channels of each brand. The arrival of social networks accelerated this type of collaborations, being more affordable for brands and influencers to reach an agreement for this type of campaigns.
As you can see, there are many types of actions that can be carried out in relation to the brand. It’s just a matter of finding the right one for each case.
When is it a good idea to hire a branding agency?
Generally a branding company is only hired when you want to give your brand a boost. But the logical thing would be to have one from the beginning of a project. In this way, a strategy can be carried out over a long period of time, allowing to achieve objectives in stages, in an organized, structured and scalable way.
It is understandable that projects in their initial stages save the costs of an agency in order to prioritize other areas. But it is a fact that if everything was well tied up from the beginning, it would be simpler when it comes to the communication and brand optimization stages. Besides, if a brand is forged strong, it is very likely that the results and returns on investment will be seen sooner than in a company that does not take into account the user.
It is a good idea to start with an agency when you see the need to start communicating strongly. Or when you need to make a leap to a higher and more focused brand than what you have. In addition to cases of reputation or scandals in which having an expert branding company can save a company from bankruptcy.
My recommendation is that when you think you need to outsource this service, start asking yourself questions such as: What do I need specifically, how do I want it to be done, and how long do I want results? That way you will be able to evaluate if what you are really looking for is a branding, communication or positioning agency. Whatever you are looking for, we hope that in our selection of hand-picked agencies you will find what your business deserves.