It’s a series of questions every business asks itself:
How do I stand out?
Is it just about getting my brand out there, or is there more to it?
How do I know where I need the most help?
Which agency should I choose?
The answers to these questions will heavily define your growth and reputation as a company. This is why choosing the right brand agency—not just any agency—is essential.
1. Specialization
While markets may group them together, every business is unique, with its own set of business goals, targets, values, mission, value proposition, and vision for the future. And your brand is the powerful vehicle through which you can express this unique individuality. The agency you choose must have the ability to clearly identity, refine, and distill the specific attributes that make up your business, and then create a tailor-made brand strategy that aligns with your company’s needs and goals.
Beware agencies that take a more generalized approach. “This is what has worked before” is not a strategy. It might work, it may not. But it’s not uniquely yours.
Consider that brand strategy agencies focus on brand specifically—strategy + story—which is different from an agency that does branding as part of a larger suite of services. And many brand agencies also choose to specialize in certain industries or niches.
For example, after decades working with F500 brands, we have carved out a niche empowering startups, and growing small businesses with the same level of service and value. This expertise allows us to have a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities specific to a company of a certain age, and in particular markets.
This makes us more valuable as partners who truly “get” who you are, and deeply understand what you hope to do, and accomplish.
2. Differentiation
One of the primary goals of brand strategy is to stand out from your competition. Differentiation is particularly crucial for startups and young companies as they strive to capture the attention of potential customers in markets that may be very new, or already saturated with more established companies.
Customizing your brand strategy to the distinctive elements of your brand and its offerings—and finding a viable lane amongst the competitive traffic—gives you a fresh voice in order to get noticed, and truly resonate with your target audience. It also gives you and your people something to rally around.
This is who we are. This is why we exist. This is what we aim to provide.
So be careful to choose an agency that will take the time to work hand-in-glove with you and your fellow stakeholders, in order to deeply understand the underpinnings of what make you, and your offerings, invaluable: special and unique. Armed with this insight, they can then collaborate with you to create and promote a strategy that leads to a distinct and memorable brand story.
3. Focus
Most businesses have limited resources when it comes to branding and marketing, so it’s vital to invest them wisely. An advantage of working with a boutique agency lies in their ability to focus on prioritizing your goals and concentrate on your brand exclusively.
With fewer clients to manage, they can dedicate more time and attention to more deeply understanding your business, and devising insightful strategies that are centered around your objectives. At CRC, every client gets our Founder’s personal attention and dedicated focus.
This hands-on approach allows for a deepened relationship between you and the agency, fostering better communication and collaboration both now and in the future. Your agency should become an extension of your team, working passionately and effectively towards your growth and success.
4. Personalized Service
One big plus when you choose a smaller agency is that you’re not just another client in a book of other names. Like us, smaller agencies take pride in offering personalized attention and service to each client they serve.
They genuinely care about your business’s growth and success, because your growth is intertwined with their success. The better your ROI, the better they look.
Naturally, this makes them even more invested in delivering significant results, and not just cashing your checks. From our initial design-thinking based ideation sessions to the final execution, you’ll work directly with our agency’s leadership, along with our sharpest creative minds, strategists, and designers.
This direct involvement ensures that your brand’s essence isn’t diluted by multiple layers of communication, leading to a more authentic representation of your business in the market. It’s one of the reasons our clients love us: we are invested in them, and they feel that every day.
5. Cost-Effectiveness
Budget constraints are a common reality, particularly for startups and small businesses. While the allure of big agencies might be tempting, their premium prices can be prohibitive for smaller ventures.
A boutique agency typically operates at a leaner scale—sharply focused on efficiency throughout the process—making their services more cost-effective and accessible when budget may be of primary concern. Chris has captained massive multi-million-dollar engagements over the years, and this experience helped to shape our process, which is all about bringing efficiency to an inherentely inefficient process: creativity.
It’s really all about ROI, on the engagement itself, and all marketing spend to follow. By investing in an agency that applies this approach, you can achieve a highly effective brand strategy without breaking the bank. The money saved can be allocated toward other essential aspects of your business, such as product development, marketing, and/or expansion plans.
6. Building Relationships
A successful brand strategy is not a one-time endeavor; it’s an ongoing process that requires consistent nurturing and adaptation to stay relevant.
A specialized brand agency is well-positioned to foster a long-term partnership with your business, evolving the brand strategy as your company grows, and faces new challenges.
Larger agencies might not have the capacity to maintain the same level of engagement and commitment over time.
As they tend to focus on acquiring new clients rather than cultivating lasting relationships with every client, regardless of account size.
7. All This Matters
In the quest for real and sustainable brand growth, choosing a brand agency is much more than just Googling “Best Brand Agencies.” It’s finding the folks that are all about the due diligence required to deeply understand their clients, first.
Then from there they are efficient and effective with your resources in defining and helping to execute a bespoke brand strategy that takes all these strands and weaves them together seamlessly.
You should be able to capitalize on the agency’s expertise, receive personalized attention, feel confident that efficiency is always front of mind, and that they are looking for a long-term collaborative partner. Done right, this partnership should help you establish a brand strategy + story that you’re proud of, that resonates, and drives growth for your business.
Here at ChrisRubinCreativ, we take pride in our hands-on, personalized approach. It’s how we do what we do. It’s why our brand strategies work. Our clients come back to us because of the real results—and the personalized attention—that they receive.
We’d love to learn about your specific growth objectives, and explore how we can help grow your business… Reach out and let’s talk!