Sometimes, branding seems like an unnecessary expense for a company, especially if you are a startup owner. As an entrepreneur, your goal is to spend less and earn more. Hiring a branding agency entails an additional expense for the business that is not even making a profit yet—hiring branding agencies should be done before the launch of the business.
But branding actually takes the business to a whole new level. A company without branding is just a business entity. A business with branding is a lifestyle. Think Nike or McDonald’s or Hermes—these are not ordinary companies: one is a sports essential, the other a happy place, and the last is a symbol of fashionable wealth. All these brands have created a mark in their respective industry, yet, they continue to indulge the services of top branding firms. That’s because branding is an important business strategy and every business should not stop branding just because they have become larger than life.
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If large corporations like Nike and McDonald’s continue to use the services of branding firms, why shouldn’t you hire a branding agency in San Francisco?
A branding agency, especially a good one, is going to be worth it. It will steer your business into success and it can even coordinate with the best design firm to provide you with a web design that gets your business closer to your target market.
Here are the basic principles of branding that will make a difference for your startup company:
1. Stand out
Brand strategy dictates that your business should stand out. Part of standing out is having a personality. That is where your brand identity comes in. President Donald Trump, whether you hate him or not, is a person with big personality. Despite his many despicable traits, he still won the presidency. That means that a lot of people still like him. And whether people like him or not, it is a fact that this person stands out because he has a big personality. That is how he became the most powerful leader in the world.
A branding firm will help your business craft an identity that will stand out. Don’t worry, you still have a voice in the strategy and design conference, so your company will not be a Donald Trump if he’s not your cup of tea. A branding agency will help you identify distinctive qualities that will be put to your brand identity so that you will stand out.
This is why it is significant when you hire a branding agency even before you give birth to your business. Because the firm will be able to help you create a logo that will stand out.
2. Be bold
A lot of memorable brands out there have staked a claim on an important segment in business. Ever heard people ask: “Do you have a Kleenex?” When in actuality, the person was really asking someone if they have a tissue. How many times have we heard people say they want to Xerox some papers. Xerox eventually found its way into the dictionary but it really is a brand name.
That is what you should aim for in your business. You want to stake your claim somewhere—whatever brand or service you are offering to the public. A branding firm will help you stake your claim. While you can easily say you can do it yourself, a branding firm actually has a leg to stand on.
A branding firm is not just an ordinary company that decides to be creative about strategies. It actually crafts strategies through research. There is actual knowledge behind the creation of an emotive brand.
3. Keep your promise
Related to being bold, you have to keep your promise. If you are going to be bold about things, you are definitely implying promises. A branding firm is great at crafting promises that you can deliver.
Regular entrepreneurs can easily say: My company makes the best product! But how do you know that? How did you measure it? If people will buy your product, will they be able to say the same thing? Do not make promises you can’t keep because in this digital world, your lies will quickly become viral.
Leave it to branding firms to be creative about making promises that you, as an entrepreneur, can actually keep.
4. Emotion
Mastercard’s commercials are always “priceless” and they touch your emotions. The latest one involves Camila Cabello making people happy through her Mastercard. And for years, the credit card company has been giving the public commercials that show Mastercard can buy a lot of things, but family, love and happiness are priceless.
You might think that as a human being, you can touch a person’s emotions on your own. But touching a person’s emotions is actually a science. There is a right approach to it. And branding firms—at least those that do it right—have the right knowledge, through research, on how to psychologically appeal to people’s emotions.
5. Consistent online visibility
Your company will not survive this cutthroat business world without having an online presence. Allow the branding firm to make your online identity, which will be consistent with your corporate identity. A design firm will have to be involved in creating your website, mobile application and even your social media accounts.
The design agency should be able to catch your corporate identity in your other digital projects, which is why having a branding firm is important. A branding agency will make sure there is consistency and that your brand identity will shine through in whatever medium.
Hire a branding agency San Francisco
Not only are branding agencies great at creating your company identity, it is also great at salvaging failures—wherever in the business process it happens. The best branding agency always delivers. Find an agency with offices in San Francisco because some of the best companies have congregated in America’s tech hub.
A branding agency San Francisco can take your startup to the next level, but find one that has principles that will align with your own business ideals.
