Does Your Small Business Need Branding? Yes & Here’s Why

As an agency that serves clients of any size, from small businesses and major corporations, we often get asked the question of whether it’s worth the time and financial investment for a small business to build a brand. The short answer? Yes. Whether you’re a business of one or one million, you should have a brand that resonates with your customers, your employees (if you have them), and your community. We might even argue that having a small business is even more of a reason to have strong branding in place that drives customer interest and, ultimately, sales.

Do I Need to Hire a Branding Agency for My Small Business?

Hiring a branding agency may seem daunting as a small business. You have a limited budget, and branding doesn’t come cheap (or it shouldn’t if it’s done well). That being said, it’s important to note that good branding doesn’t need to cost you three years worth of profits (and if someone says it should, run). There are plenty of great branding agencies out there that scale their work and price tag to help small businesses succeed, so you also shouldn’t feel like your only option is a cousin who just graduated college with a degree in marketing. You have options, so be sure to do your research or reach out to us. We’ve helped small businesses grow their client and customer base, increase revenue, and build stronger community ties all with the right branding.

What Should I Expect When Hiring a Branding Agency as a Small Business?

While every agency works a little differently, the core of the process is going to be this: research, develop a brand strategy, and incorporate that brand strategy into your small business’s assets. This may mean logo development or redesign, site design or redesign, new business cards, and more. But it doesn’t have to mean those things. The truth is, your branding can go as deep and far as you want it to go, depending on your time, goals, and budget.

As a small business, you should strive to cover all customer-facing touchpoints with your new brand, from business cards to social media accounts, to ensure a cohesive experience. This doesn’t mean the branding agency needs to do that though. In fact, when you walk away from your branding agency, you should have a style guide with colors, fonts, and guidelines that you can share with your own designer to continue to create new assets as your small business grows.

3 Things to Remember When Branding or Rebranding Your Small Business

We understand that all the assurances in the world may not help alleviate your concerns about investing in branding for your business. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 3 things you should always remember when working with a branding agency. This list assumes that you’ve done your research, and you’ve got a pretty good idea of who you want to talk to about branding your small business.

Your budget matters.

Don’t be afraid to ask the agency you interview about their scoping process. That is, the process they use to determine how much time and money each task on your branding list is going to cost. If you get a vague answer or a gut feeling that they might not be great at managing their time and your money, move on. There are some branding agencies out there who say they work with small businesses, but they don’t actually have many small businesses in their portfolio to prove they understand working on limited budgets and timelines.

Which leads us to our next point…

Experience matters.

When looking at branding agencies, be sure to skim their portfolio. You should be asking yourself these questions: Do they have small business brands in their book? Do you like what was produced for the small business? Are any testimonials on your branding agency’s website from small businesses? If so, are they positive? Asking these questions can help you gauge whether the branding agency is right for your business.

Your time matters.

Whether you’re paying a thousand dollars or tens of thousands for a new brand or a rebrand, your time matters. This means that if you have questions, you get timely answers. The general rule of thumb is that if you send an email, you get a reply from your agency within 24 hours. Granted, there are exceptions to this rule, but don’t let anyone tell you that because you’re a small business or you have a smaller budget, you get less attention when you need something.

Hire a Branding Agency You Can Trust with Your Small Business

Any good business relationship starts with trust, and the same is true when you’re engaging a new branding agency for your small business. Not only does your business deserve the right branding for your customer base, you deserve to feel confident in the time and money you’re spending to get it right.

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