To be a successful business entity in London, you must be strong and must have a great brand identity and personality to go with the city. Also, as several businesses are catering to the many residents and visitors to this great city, your organization must be able to stand out in the crowd.
To stand out, your business needs a strong brand identity communicating your values and what you stand for. This you get done by employing the services of the right branding agency.
These are companies that have specialization in designing, creating and launching the identity of other companies. They also plan, strategize and manage branding for clients which may include advertising and promoting the client’s interests.
One major purpose of branding agencies is that they help organizations to define a clear communication strategy which enables them to have a competitive edge and to easily access markets.
What is Branding?
Branding in itself is the development and design of a company’s identity and brand which includes its name, colors, logo, motto, etc. This affects the way the company is perceived and how clients and others relate to and with it. The identity built will be applied to marketing campaigns and advertising. A company’s brand represents its promise to its customers and what these customers should expect from whatever the firm offers. It also reveals how they are different from other firms that offer the same products or services.
Good branding helps to increase the value and profitability of an organization while poor branding decreases it.
Many private and public organizations make use of branding agencies who help them with their brand identity and strategy.
Branding is useful all through a company’s lifetime, beginning from its start-up. No matter for how long they exist, they need to keep engaging customers and clients using this strategy.
Branding is also useful when mergers and acquisitions happen. Agencies who offer branding services help the companies involved to go through the processes so they can keep customers engaged and send the right communication and messages. They do not necessarily promote at this point but it is essential to keep the brand’s customers.
Sometimes, some companies need to undergo a rebranding. This may be due to several reasons which may include staying current with emerging trends or to be ahead of competitors. It could also be that the company is trying to be rid of a negative image plaguing them which may be due to many different factors.
What is Rebranding?
Rebranding is a form of marketing strategy which tends to present a company in a light different from what people have known it to be. It might be drastic that, is completely changing the image of the organization, or it can be partial, which may involve changing a part of the company’s image. A good example is the changing of logo or colors like the Premier League in England did in recent times.
Rebranding aims to reposition the brand for more business and to scale up. It can be applied to the company as a whole or to just the products and services they offer.
Whether an organization is starting a new brand strategy or they are rebranding, the job of the agency is to help them achieve their goals which is sending out a powerful message of their intent to investors, clients, and stakeholders.
What Makes a Good Rebranding Agency?
Expertise and Creativity
Branding is a huge investment and as a business, you want an agency that knows their onions. Asides from being creative, the agency must know how branding relates to profitability and the economy. They must understand the nuances of culture and how customers and the general public connect with the items used in branding such as the logo, name, and colors. They should understand the dos and don’ts and with all these, they must be creative in their ability to communicate, tell the story of the brand and captivate audiences with their work. This is important as it is one primary trait that separates a great branding agency from others.
Portfolio
One of the best measures of a branding agency is their portfolio. How many companies have they worked with and in which industries? This will help you know how versatile and how experienced they are. Another thing that their portfolio reveals is the quality of what they have done and how they capture the emotions, spirit, and authenticity of the brands they have worked with. What results did they get and how did those campaigns turn out?
When considering an agency’s portfolio, don’t be fixated on what work they have done in your particular industry. The more work they have done in different industries, the more confident you are that they can handle any project.
Reputation
Another factor in choosing an agency is its reputation. How do people perceive them in branding cycles and other industries? You can only give what you have so an agency with a bad reputation cannot help you build a great brand. Part of their reputation includes their branding. How are they performing in their sphere of influence? What does a visit to their website and social media pages reveal? All these are important considerations that help determine if an agency has a good reputation of not.
Well-defined Processes
Good agencies have clearly defined and articulated methods, strategies and processes they employ to ensure quality work. This should include how they relate with potential and existing clients, carrying out researches, using data to their advantage, the time frame of project delivery and how they handle on-going concerns and post-project activities such as changes to elements of the brand. All these and many more can reveal to you how good the agency is.
For more on factors to consider, you can see this post: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2016/04/27/10-influential-factors-brands-should-consider-when-selecting-an-agency/.
Conclusion
London is known for its excellence and good taste. With a good brand identity that not only tells your story but also fits into the London brand, your business is sure on its way to being successful.
