Many startups and small businesses believe branding is a luxury reserved for large enterprises, but that’s not true. Branding is just as important for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). It helps set you apart from competitors, people recall your brand, and build customer loyalty. 

If you’re a marketing leader at an SMB who’s unsure how to create a brand or doesn’t have the time to do so, hiring a branding agency could be a great option. 

An external agency can help develop a brand strategy that perfectly captures your business’s unique personality and speaks clearly to your audience. Although branding requires upfront investment, it also brings in more customers and boosts your bottom line in the long run. 

Kira Karmazin  ^[1] , founder of California-based women’s athleisure wear company KiraGrace, sheds light on four reasons it makes sense to get support from branding agencies.

1. You’re missing your sales or conversion goals 

Are you getting many visitors but few sales? Are your marketing and advertising campaigns generating leads but, combined with your website and other branding touchpoints, not converting those prospects?

A weak brand foundation could be the reason. A well-branded company sees better results in marketing effort and sales. With an external branding expert, you’ll get a fresh perspective and industry experience to identify where your brand story might be failing. 

Before Kira hired a consultant, her brand voice wasn’t consistent throughout the customer journey. Through the brand consultant, she could bring consistency across email marketing campaigns, social ads, and product packaging using a brand style guide. 

2. Your budget restricts your ability to grow talent in-house

As an entrepreneur, you could be wearing many hats, leaving you with limited bandwidth to set up an in-house branding team. A strict budget could also restrict your ability to grow in-house talent.

With branding agencies, you get access to a variety of skill sets and services—from brand design and copywriting to market research and branding strategy. A team of trained professionals takes care of everything you need to build a strong brand, allowing you to focus on running your core business activity.

Despite having worked with major corporations in marketing, Kira hired a branding agency to transition from a B2B company that sold to retailers and clothing stores to a D2C business that sold directly to consumers.

3. You need quality and consistency in design

Do you use out-of-the-box templates for your website, social posts, and other creatives? While these are excellent starting points, they fall short of clearly and consistently communicating your brand identity across customer touchpoints. 

A branding company can laser-focus your design and messaging by bringing consistency to everything. From product design to marketing messaging and customer engagement, they make sure all elements work together to create the greatest impact for your brand. 

Kira’s shift to a branding consultant was also marked by the realization that her existing creative collaterals weren’t aligned. 

4. You want to rebrand or launch a new product line

If you’re shifting your business model—say, from B2B to D2C (as in the case of KiraGrace)—or expanding your business to new regions or product lines, rebranding becomes necessary.

A branding agency can help you develop a new brand strategy that builds on your existing success. Hiring a branding expert at a growing stage also sends out a positive message to investors about your seriousness for the future of the business and your efforts to better (re)align with your customers.

By Amita Jain.