The right branding partnership will yield the best results for your business and your customers. Here are five things to look for — and look out for — when you’re searching for the branding agency that best fits your organization’s needs, wants and intangibles.
Factor 1: the basics — branding capabilities & expertise.
At the ground level, you need a branding partner who can provide the strategic and tactical support and guidance you’re looking for. A creative solution should be designed to help a client reach their goals, so before you start shopping for agencies, make sure you know internally what you’re looking to achieve and how you’ll measure success.
When it comes to creative and branding services, are you looking for copy, design, web development and/or production? Reach out to a few agencies to find out what they offer and what they don’t. If an agency doesn’t have in-house capabilities for everything you need, do they have additional partnerships that can fill those gaps? Below are just a few tactics and executions your organization might look to a branding agency for:
- Overall branding
- Brand audits
- Competitive analysis
- Website creative
- Audience personas
- Messaging frameworks
- Naming
- Logo work
- Creative campaigns
Whatever tactics and executions you seek, you need an agency partner who can create, update and maintain a polished, differentiated brand for your organization — with an emphasis on the word partner. An agency that can execute to your specifications is just scratching the surface of how fruitful and productive a true creative partnership can be.
Look for agencies that can bring your brand to life and keep it fresh over the long term. Unveiling a shiny new (or refurbished) brand that languishes without support after launch is a waste of work and potential. The smart move is to work with an agency to carry through brand activation, measurement and maintenance to make sure your brand is fully realized in the market.
Factor 2: the proof — past branding work & future vision.
How can you know if a branding agency really can achieve all that it says it can? The right agency will be able to provide proof. This can come in the form of case studies, testimonials and measurable results from past work.
While it’s important to review an agency’s past work and results, and to feel confident in an agency’s experience and playbooks, that’s only part of what you should look for. A good agency partner has the chops to help you develop and deploy a standout brand. An even better agency partner offers realistic but visionary ideas for where your brand can go next, suggesting practical levers to pull in order to get there.
Look for an agency that has its finger on the pulse of marketing, as the industry is changing all the time and quickly. Are they tracking the latest trends and thoughtfully using emerging tools, such as automation, machine learning and AI?
A true agency partner is prepared to commit to your organization well beyond brand launch, to keep your brand current and ever-evolving, while remaining true to the core values and pillars of your brand. At this intersection of conviction, consistency and adaptation, you’ll find a brand that stands the test of time.
Factor 3: ways of working — communication & branding processes.
In marketing, the ends don’t always justify the means — and a painful, inefficient or misaligned process rarely results in the outcome either party seeks. Successful projects and thriving partnerships are built on open and honest communication, clear expectations and efficient processes. While it may seem from the outside like branding work is a freewheeling exercise in brainstorming names and colors, the truth is that there is a discipline and structure to the craft.
Of course, that’s not to say there’s no room for flexibility or spontaneity within creative work or within healthy creative partnerships. Of course there is; that’s part of the fun. And working with an agency can and should be fun!
The right agency partner should balance nimbleness and adaptivity with a helpful framework and sound methodology for the execution of all projects and longer-term work. This ensures that everybody knows what will be delivered, when. If there are delays, snags, changes of course or other hiccups — as there will inevitably be — a clear process can help all parties absorb and adapt, shifting things as necessary to create a path for a positive result.
As for communication, the right agency will be able to follow your lead and adapt to your preferred cadence and channels. Some organizations prefer updates several times a week, while others are lower touch. Some prefer emails; others prefer Zoom.
Whatever the case, look for an agency that can meet you where you are, communicate proactively and respond in a timely and thoughtful fashion. As you move through the process of meeting with potential agency partners, their communication styles may become clear to you, but don’t be afraid to make your preferences clear.
Lastly, the right agency partner will encourage a collaborative process. They will take the time to ask questions and work to understand your organization’s industry, customers and goals. Similarly, any good-faith agency partner will welcome questions, input and feedback from your organization while standing behind their marketing expertise.
It’s your agency’s job to be an advocate for your brand, and that may occasionally mean making recommendations or even pushing back against ideas from within your organization. As long as communication remains respectful and grounded in expertise, creative debate built on a foundation of mutual trust often yields the best work. After all, it takes a little sand to create a pearl.*
Factor 4: getting down to brass tacks — size & price.
And now for everybody’s favorite topic: your budget. The fact remains that your organization has financial parameters. Even barring those parameters, the largest, most well-known creative firms aren’t the best match for every brand. Working with small and mid-sized agencies comes with benefits the Ogilvies of the world simply can’t offer, such as:
- Cost-effectiveness without creative compromise
- Niche expertise and industry understanding
- Access to top talent and leadership
- Lower overhead costs
- Client-centric, personalized focus
- Agility and flexibility
- Long-term partnerships and businesses that grow together
When it comes to choosing a branding agency, look for partners who can offer you the expertise and access you deserve at a cost that makes sense for your organization.
Factor 5: the special sauce — creativity & character.
Finally, you might call this the “vibe check.” There are many branding agencies in the world with technical capabilities, great talent, successful past work and a creative vision. All things being equal, how can you choose the agency that best fits your organization, its culture and its goals?
In the hour of discernment, this is where you go with your gut. Are you excited about the work you’ve seen? Does it stand out; is it fresh; does it make you see things differently? Are you energized by the people you’ve met? Is your sense of confidence in the agency shot through with hope and enthusiasm for the future? Do you feel understood but also challenged (in a good way)?
We don’t recommend that you select a branding agency based on vibes alone. And we really don’t recommend that you try to get organizational approval on those grounds. But if all goes well, you’ll be working closely with your branding agency over time on projects that matter to you and to your organization. It won’t always be easy, and it shouldn’t be. But you should feel heard, supported and invigorated.
The right agency partner will believe in the potential of your brand and will push you to believe in it too.
It’s all about the right fit.
The sweater that looks best on your friend, no matter how high quality or on trend, might not look best on you (no offense). By doing your research, understanding your goals and needs, and asking the right questions, you’ll find an agency partner who can elevate your business and build a rewarding relationship that stands the test of time.
We’re not the best fit for every organization, but we might be the best fit for yours. Get in touch today to find out how a brand partnership with Sunup could take shape.
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*This isn’t actually how pearls are formed, but it’s such a nice metaphor.
