![\"istock_000017310187small11\"](\"https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11.jpg\")
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Branding is a way of communicating the value of your brand to the world by engaging consumers on an emotional level to create a sense of involvement with the brand.\u00a0 It paints a picture of your values, personality, point of difference and tells a story to the consumers about why they should chose you over your competitors.<\/p>\n
Building a strong brand is more important now than ever before.\u00a0 These days there are unlimited choices in every category, so your branding initiatives have to clearly differentiate your offering and educate the consumer in order to influence buying decisions at point of purchase.<\/p>\n
It is the role of the branding agency to build strategic awareness by crafting and leveraging your brand value assets.\u00a0 The agency should work with you to identify your goals and your target consumers, and then develop a unique program that targets those consumer groups efficiently and effectively.<\/p>\n
When selecting your branding agency it is important to keep the following questions in mind:<\/p>\n
Pre-qualifying<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have they worked with companies of your size before?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have they worked with companies in your category before?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Have they successfully completed a project that is similar in scope to yours before?<\/p>\n Pricing & Value<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Does the price of the project make financial sense for your company?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How is the project priced?\u00a0 Is it a flat fee, or based on an hourly structure?\u00a0 If it\u2019s hourly, do they hours match up to the outlined price?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which team members are working on your project?\u00a0 Do different work levels have different prices?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the billing process clear?\u00a0 What is the procedure for billing work beyond the scope of the agreement?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How often do they exceed the allocated project budgets?<\/p>\n Scope of Work & Reporting<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do they provide a detailed agreement that specifies all the project details and deliverables?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do they provide detailed reporting on all activities that have been conducted?\u00a0 And identify the time allocated to each activity?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How do they report to you?\u00a0 Weekly meetings?\u00a0 Teleconference?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do they send meeting recaps for seamless communication and team alignment?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Track Record<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How long do they retain their clients after their initial work has been completed?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do they regularly meet their clients needs and exceed expectations?\u00a0 Do they have case studies and testimonials to prove this?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do they have hard figures to support their success claims?<\/p>\n \u2013 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Are they well respected by their peers as opinion leaders?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Customer Service<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Will they oversee the entire project from start to finish?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How many team members will be dedicated to the success of your project?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is the their turnaround time for responding to questions?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What procedures to they have in place to handle emergency situations?<\/p>\n Structure<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is the methodology for developing your project?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do they have the appropriate processes in place to stay organized with your project?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Will your project have one point of contact who is accountable for the success of your project?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Does the organization have the bandwidth to provide you the services and level of care you expect?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is their organization built mostly of collaborative employees, or do they rely heavily on freelancers?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What is the communication structure and how often do they update you?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Are they pro-active in leading a project or do they rely on you, the client to direct them?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How to they evaluate the efficacy of the work they develop?<\/p>\n Accolades<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Has their work received any recognition or awards?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Are the key players of the organization regarded as authorities?\u00a0 To they hold board positions and are they often featured as experts?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do they have strong 3rd<\/sup> party reviews?<\/p>\n Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Is the corporate culture in keeping with your own, or one that you would enjoy working alongside?<\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Do you like and respect the team members you\u2019ll be working with and feel confident in their abilities?<\/p>\n Ultimately, you should look for a an agency that has experience in and outside of your category, so you can benefit from experience, but also fresh perspective.\u00a0 And one thing to keep in mind that many guides don\u2019t point out, is that you should like the team you select, because you\u2019ll be working with them a whole lot.\u00a0 And work should be enjoyable.\u00a0 So don\u2019t hestitate to ask your agency a few personal questions to see if you\u2019re truly a good fit.\u00a0 Good luck and happy hunting!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Branding is a way of communicating the value of your brand to the world by engaging consumers on an emotional level to create a sense of involvement with the brand.\u00a0…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-branding"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11.jpg",898,535,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11-300x179.jpg",300,179,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11-768x458.jpg",768,458,true],"large":["https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11.jpg",898,535,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11.jpg",898,535,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/iStock_000017310187Small11.jpg",898,535,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/imagemme.com\/newsite\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":2218,"uagb_excerpt":"Branding is a way of communicating the value of your brand to the world by engaging consumers on an emotional level to create a sense of involvement with the 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