For customers to purchase something, 81% of them need to trust your brand first. Where does this trust come from, especially for a new customer who hasn't experienced the quality of your product or service? It comes from the brand identity you have built for your business.
How you market and position yourself in the market defines your brand identity. It can include everything from your packaging design to the brand positioning statement and even your customer service. With their years of experience and teams of branding experts, brand strategy services can help you create a distinctive brand identity to carve a space for yourself in your industry, irrespective of the uniqueness of your audience or the market competitiveness.
These services have in-depth knowledge and innovative approaches to craft your ideal brand voice. We've done the legwork and can recommend the top 10 brand strategy services for your business.
10 Best Brand Strategy Services
1. Duck.Design
Location: London, UK | New York, New York
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $1,000
DuckDesign is the go-to branding agency for businesses aiming to create a cohesive and potent brand identity. Recognized for their specialization in both the design and strategic aspects of branding, they cater to startups as well as well-established brand, marketing, and creative teams. A major highlight is their dedication to aligning branding strategies with the client’s own marketing strategy, customer feedback, and competitive intelligence.
Key services DuckDesign excels in include colors, typography, and more. With DuckDesign, you can expect work delivery in 12- or 24-hour turnarounds. This agility is supported by a team of top designers from around the globe. Additionally, DuckDesign emphasizes a fully managed, scalable, and reliable design process.
One of the most notable things about DuckDesign’s services is that they offer unlimited requests. Their team will be at your service until you’re fully satisfied with their work. Every project is also assigned an art director and a designer to ensure that the final product aligns with your brand guidelines and exceeds your expectations.
This offering is extremely handy for startups who are still figuring out their brand image and need to try out multiple options before finalizing. DuckDesign provides clients with all digital and print graphics for their business, along with taking care of UX/UI and illustrations, marketing, ads, logos, pitch decks, and more.
The DuckDesign Solution
Trusted by more than 400 enterprise and high-growth companies, DuckDesign is an excellent partner for brand strategy creation and implementation. The agency’s expertise was evident in the branding project they did for Poke 23, a healthy grab-and-go restaurant.
Poke 23 wanted to create a brand identity for themselves with a new logo and color palette. They also required a user-friendly and visually engaging interface for their website to make them a recognizable brand.
DuckDesign embarked on this challenging project by focusing on three aspects: branding, UX/UI design, and graphic design.
Poke 23 branding
Strategic Approach
Here’s how DuckDesign did it:
- Created a modern and colorful logo for the brand, keeping their niche and Hawaii-esque aesthetic in mind
- Selected a brand color palette that exhibited love, playfulness, warmth, and growth
- Created mockups and wireframes for the website to help the client envision user journeys
- Conducted usability testing to refine the UX/UI design
Poke 23 case study results
Due to DuckDesign’s strategic approach to Poke 23’s brand strategy, the brand saw a 70% increase in brand recognition. User interactions also increased by 55% on their website.
Branding services offered by Duck.Design:
- Logo and Visual Identity Design
- Creation of Brand Style Guides
- Bespoke Desktop Web and App Designs
- Tailored Presentation Templates
- Digital Graphics tailored to the brand’s identity
Duck.Design
Your brand designs are too important to be left in the hands of unreliable freelancers or expensive creative agencies. Why not hire an experienced, full-time designer who knows you by name and your brand by heart?
50+
New York, London, Berlin, Hong Kong, Vilnius
Best for:
Small and Medium Companies
Duck.Design
Your brand designs are too important to be left in the hands of unreliable freelancers or expensive creative agencies. Why not hire an experienced, full-time designer who knows you by name and your brand by heart?
2. WEBITMD
Location: Los Angeles, California | New York, New York | Dallas, Texas
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $5,000, average hourly rate is $150 – $199
WEBITMD stands out as a brand strategy agency that truly understands the intrinsic value of compelling visuals. They align their creative and branding services not just to create an aesthetic appeal but also to forge meaningful connections between businesses and their audiences.
Their comprehensive suite of services caters to both budding and established brands. They excel in creating recognizable color templates, crafting scroll-stopping advertising campaigns, and more.
A standout feature of WEBITMD’s approach is its focus on authentic and consistent visual identity. Considering that a brand’s signature color can significantly bolster brand recognition, they diligently work towards creating an identity that customers can recognize.
WEBITMD’S Four-Week Brand Messaging and Positioning Workshops
WEBITMD takes a four-week approach to create a brand message and positioning strategy for new or evolving businesses. Here’s how they do it:
- Week 1: A pre-workshop questionnaire in which the agency explores your competition, product, values, audience, and other brand elements.
- Week 2: A 60-minute discovery call in which WEBITMD clarifies the key elements of your brand messaging and story.
- Week 3: A 90-minute workshop in which the agency positions your product in the market, identifies your brand voice, and defines your target audience while specifying your unique value.
- Week 4: You receive a brand story document with an actionable plan to execute your messaging strategy.
The final brand messaging deck contains one to two company profiles (for B2B customers only), 2 to 3 buyer personas, a company narrative, a brand style guide, unique value propositions, and competitive positioning with an internal SWOT analysis. Basically, you have everything you need to tell your brand’s story in a consistent and effective way.
The WEBITMD Solution
WEBITMD has helped businesses of all sizes disrupt markets and reinvent themselves to become more relevant and profitable. A startup that the agency has assisted in this regard is Foresight Works, an AI scheduling platform for the construction industry.
Since the brand’s value proposition was complicated and the target market was extremely niche, WEBITMD had to create a strategic plan to break through the stiff competition to reach the target market.
Strategic Approach
Here’s everything WEBITMD did to make Foresight Works a formidable competitor in the construction industry:
- Ran a messaging and positioning workshop (as explained earlier) to define buyer personas, unique value propositions, brand voice, and competitive positioning for the client
- Defined the client’s ideal customer profiles to help them target their messaging effectively
- Created several paid social campaigns for LinkedIn and display to generate leads and create specialized messaging for each buyer persona
- Created a content marketing strategy with blogs, whitepapers, case studies, webinars, eBooks, and infographics
- Identified 2 buyer personas, 4 brand values, and 4 one-liners for the brand to use consistently in all marketing efforts
Foresight Works results
The company narrative and strategy created by WEBITMD resulted in a 4,000% increase in organic traffic and a 590% increase in inbound contacts. What more could a startup ask for?
Branding services offered by WEBITMD:
- Branding & Logos
- Impactful advertising materials
- Cohesive marketing materials
- Encompassing CTAs
- Email templates
- Provision of Sales Collateral
WEBITMD
WEBITMD is digital growth agency focused on performance marketing & sales services tailored to drive growth for SMB's around the world. We are both a HubSpot Platinum Partner and Klaviyo Partner Agency.
10 - 50
Los Angeles, Miami, London, Sydney
Best for:
Small and Medium-sized Businesses
WEBITMD
WEBITMD is digital growth agency focused on performance marketing & sales services tailored to drive growth for SMB's around the world. We are both a HubSpot Platinum Partner and Klaviyo Partner Agency.
3. DD.NYC (formerly DigitalDesign.NYC)
Location: New York, New York
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $5,000, average hourly rate is $150 – $199
DigitalDesign.NYC stands out as a preeminent player in the brand strategy landscape, with its unique approach to crafting innovative, intuitive, and effective branding solutions for a diverse clientele.
Ranging from well-established corporate entities to sprightly startups, their expertise in understanding the intricate needs of various businesses sets them apart. They recognize that branding is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and their meticulous attention to detail ensures branding strategies are tailored to resonate best with a company’s specific industry and target audience.
DigitalDesign.NYC claims that it is “more technical than most design agencies,” and rightfully so. Unlike some other agencies, DigitalDesign.NYC manages both physical and digital assets for your brand strategy. Their branding services extend not only to B2C businesses but also to B2B ones and enterprises that may require rebranding strategies.
To further emphasize, they’ve had tremendous success in creating visually striking branding for multiple sectors, which often demand a unique blend of aesthetic appeal and business relevance. Their portfolio showcases their versatility with a myriad of projects, each reflecting the core essence of the brands they represent.
In fact, they’ve also won the Dieline award for one of their visual brand identity campaigns.
The DigitalDesign.NYC Solution
Speaking of DigitalDesign. NYC’s projects, they have over 150 successful case studies and eight years of innovation under their belts, which has garnered them a stellar reputation. Even better, they have received a Net Promoter Score of 9.8 from their clients, indicating an ultra-high level of satisfaction.
One of these clients is Symphony Sleep, a mattress and adjustable bed manufacturer. Symphony Sleep came to DigitalDesign.NYC for a complete rebranding, including packaging design for more than 100 SKUs. They also needed a fresh website design that could convert leads into sales.
DigitalDesign.NYC provided them with branding, packaging design, graphic design, and app + web design services to complete their brand strategy.
Strategic Approach
Here’s how DigitalDesign.NYC nailed this project:
- Refreshed the client’s website with a modern and sleek aesthetic
- Used a calm blue and soft neutral color palette to evoke tranquility and relaxation among visitors
- Used high-quality images to build a strong brand identity for the client
- Created new packaging designs that were eye-catching and informative
- Incorporated the new branding into the app and web design, including creating a seamless user experience for customers
Symphony Sleep case study
The rebranding was a success, bringing in 85% more brand awareness.
Branding services offered by DigitalDesign.NYC:
- Fashion Branding
- Food and Beverage Branding
- Specialized Restaurant Branding
- Comprehensive Law Firm Branding
- Tailored Small Business Branding
- Expertise in Corporate Branding
DD.NYC (formerly DigitalDesign.NYC)
DD.NYC® is an award-winning NYC digital design agency for branding, web design, UI/UX & packaging design!
10 - 50
New York, NY
Best for:
Midmarket, Enterprise, Small Business
DD.NYC (formerly DigitalDesign.NYC)
DD.NYC® is an award-winning NYC digital design agency for branding, web design, UI/UX & packaging design!
4. NinjaPromo
Location: London, UK | New York, New York | Dubai, UAE | Singapore | Vilnius, Lithuania
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $5,000, average hourly rate is $50 – $99
NinjaPromo takes brand strategy to the next level, acting as a beacon for businesses looking to carve out a distinct identity in the competitive marketplace. They grasp the quintessence of what a company stands for and what sets it apart. By fostering meaningful connections at every touchpoint of a company’s marketing strategy, NinjaPromo ensures uniformity, which has a transformative effect on consumer interactions.
Their suite of services addresses multiple facets of branding, right from the embryonic stage of brand strategy to the intricate nuances of brand tone and style. Whether it’s leveraging the latest social media trends to bolster a brand’s global presence or crafting compelling media narratives that underline the intangible ethos of a company, NinjaPromo exhibits unparalleled expertise.
Brand messaging is the most organic of the agency’s services, further supplemented by logo design, brand tone of voice, brand positioning, and brand style. The agency takes a five-step process for brand strategy campaigns:
- Understanding the client’s business
- Using what they’ve learned during the briefing session to craft a brand strategy by conducting market, consumer, and competitor research
- Creating the brand marketing strategy for the client, including logo, mission statement, web content, and more
- Implementing the strategy through various marketing channels
- Continuously monitoring and adjusting the strategy to ensure effectiveness
Part of the reason working with NinjaPromo is so effective is that unlike DuckDesign and some other agencies that are only by your side in the branding and UX/UI design steps, NinjaPromo can become your long-term partner for success. The agency offers pretty much every digital marketing and design service, so you won’t need a second partner at any point in your brand journey.
The NinjaPromo Solution
Since NinjaPromo offers a ton of services, from brand marketing strategy to social media management and PPC marketing, the agency has collected a ton of success stories. In terms of branding, their work for Archicad Master, a study platform made for designers and architects to learn how to use Archicad faster, is a great example.
The platform had a very niche audience, which made traditional marketing methods less effective. NinjaPromo took on the challenge by transforming the client’s brand to make it more targeted to their ideal audience.
Strategic Approach
Here’s how NinjaPromo aced the job:
- Created a branding guide for the client that includes fonts, color palette, and typography
- Selected design and architecture-oriented colors for the brand’s color palette
- Created an architectural logo to appeal to the target audience
- Developed marketing collateral and communication materials with a consistent brand identity
As NinjaPromo’s branding efforts captured the creativity and professionalism of the Archicad Master brand, the client’s brand recognition increased.
Branding services offered by NinjaPromo:
- Development of Brand Style Guides
- Brand Design and Development
- Specialized Logo Design
- Innovative Social Media Branding
- Paid Social Media Advertising
- Expert Corporate Branding
- Website Branding for Maximum Engagement
- Brand Messaging and Positioning
NinjaPromo
Established in 2017, NinjaPromo helps brands with different aspects of their social media marketing strategy and connects them with their customers by creating personal appearance in a digital world.
50+
London, New York, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vilnius
Best for:
Enterprise, Small and Midmarket Businesses
NinjaPromo
Established in 2017, NinjaPromo helps brands with different aspects of their social media marketing strategy and connects them with their customers by creating personal appearance in a digital world.
5. Ignyte
Location: San Diego, California
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $25,000, average hourly rate is $150 – $199
Ignyte is a full-service brand strategy agency that starts its service provision with research and then goes on to strategy creation. The research phase involves brand audit, customer research, audience persona, brand equity research, and message testing. In the second phase, Ignyte begins strategy creation, which includes brand positioning, story, architecture, naming, and roadmap.
The agency doesn’t stop there. They can also build a memorable visual and verbal identity for your brand through logo and graphic design, website design, packaging design, and content creation. For startups that are just kicking off, Ignyte also offers website design and brand guidelines services. On top of that, the agency provides brand launch and activation services to startups.
When required, Ignyte also offers employer branding, which includes employee engagement, internal brand launch, employee value proposition, and company culture creation. The comprehensiveness of the agency’s services is due to its CEO’s belief that branding is a “powerful thing” that lives in the minds of customers and employees.
Brian Lischter, the agency’s CEO and founder, has vast experience in strategy and marketing direction, which he has translated into the agency’s work. With a background in psychology, Brian understands human behavior and leverages that knowledge to create powerful brand strategies.
Their brand positioning service isn’t just about plotting a course; it’s about setting brands on a trajectory that establishes a distinct edge over competitors. Through collaborative workshops, Ignyte dives deep to unveil each brand’s intrinsic attributes, ultimately delivering a brand brief that encapsulates its essence.
The Ignyte Solution
One of Ignyte’s most impressive success stories comes from Reveel, a logistics brand with a dated identity that wanted to revamp its brand to compete with tech-savvy competitors. Ignyte helped them achieve this through a myriad of services, from brand strategy and brand identity creation to marketing collateral development and website design.
The agency began with conducting research for the client’s brand strategy, which included 5 competitive audits and 20 customer interviews. They found that the company’s unique value proposition encompassed responsiveness, knowledge, and sincerity. Based on this information, Ignyte positioned the brand around the central idea of “Shipping Intelligence,” which no other industry competitor was using at the time.
Ignyte brand strategy research
Strategic Approach
Here’s how Ignyte took it from there:
- Changed the brand name from Compete Consulting Group to Reveel to give it a modern touch while reflecting the client’s transparency and integrity
- Redesigned the logo to embody Reveel’s unique values and evoke trust and loyalty
- Created marketing collateral, such as service overviews, company summaries, and case studies
- Redesigned the website to feature the new brand positioning and visual identity
- Provided photography services to create assets for the website, which would offer a visual experience to the visitors
The end result was a fresh and modern brand identity that aligned with Reveel’s values and brought them up to speed with modern-day aesthetics and technology. The new website also helped to attract and retain customers, resulting in an increase in sales and business growth for the company.
Brand strategy services by Ignyte:
- Compelling Brand Story Creation
- Cohesive Brand Architecture Design
- Effective Brand Communication Strategy
- Future-Oriented Brand Roadmapping
6. Scorpion
Location: Valencia, California | Islandia, New York | Addison, Texas
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $1,000
At the forefront of contemporary brand-building, Scorpion prides itself on being the bedrock upon which future-oriented brands are constructed. Their holistic approach emphasizes both foundational brand strategy and measurable results, with an impressive track record of generating leads, phone calls, and visitors in colossal numbers.
Their service suite isn’t just about creating a brand but weaving a narrative emblematic of each business’s unique essence. This process is meticulously developed, ensuring brands are always aligned with current trends and resonate with their target audience. This emphasis guarantees every interaction, be it digital or physical, enriches the customer’s relationship with the brand.
Brand strategy services by Scorpion:
- Customized Market Research
- Comprehensive Brand Designing
- User Experience Optimization
- Powerful Marketing Campaigns
- Holistic Customer Interaction Strategy
7. Goodman Lantern
Location: London, UK | New York, New York
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $5,000, average hourly rate is $50 – $99
Goodman Lantern doesn’t just offer brand strategy services; they promise to elevate a brand’s image to the pinnacle of its potential. Through their expertise, they aim to position companies as industry thought leaders, ensuring that audiences don’t just see them but engage with them.
Goodman Lantern understands the essence of a brand, emphasizing its pivotal role in converting prospects into loyal customers. Their insights into the brand’s significance stress that it is not just a representative of a company’s values but is instrumental in driving business success.
Delving into the details, Goodman Lantern covers a broad spectrum of brand-related strategies. They meticulously plan each brand’s long-term marketing journey, ensuring alignment with business goals and the needs of the desired audience. The agency also offers expertise in brand positioning, ensuring clients resonate effectively within the consumer’s mind.
Brand strategy services by Goodman Lantern:
- Co-branding Strategy
- Brand Extensions
- Brand Portfolio Analysis
- Branding Architecture Strategy
- Proposition Development
8. Mekanic
Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $25,000, average hourly rate is $150 – $199
Mekanic is a brand strategy powerhouse that believes in transforming a brand’s core strengths into a masterpiece. With a unique approach, they weave the intricate elements of brand building to provide a unique, comprehensive brand experience for consumers.
A significant area of expertise for Mekanic is brand architecture, fully understanding that a clear, coherent brand architecture is crucial for audience engagement. Mekanic’s role involves charting out this architecture, defining its existing structure, and crafting the desired one, ensuring a seamless bridge between the two.
Brand strategy services by Makanic:
- Clear brand vision and strategic planning
- Targeted brand positioning for market dominance
- Utilization of benchmarking metrics and KPIs
- Emphasis on delivering authentic brand value
9. Boldthink
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $5,000, average hourly rate is $100 – $149
Boldthink harnesses the power of data to fuel curiosity-driven brand strategies, emphasizing it as the bedrock for long-term business success. They understand the profound impact of brand perception, so they’ve formulated a strategic approach to enhance the essence of brands. The brand experience they deliver is deeply rooted in consistency across all touchpoints, generating trust and making lasting impressions.
At the heart of their offerings are distinctive services Brand Architecture, an approach that customizes service portfolios based on target audience preferences. Their prowess extends to devising brand positioning statements that precisely capture a brand’s value proposition, thus ensuring an edge in the competitive landscape.
Brand strategy services by Boldthink:
- Customized brand plans and strategies
- Crafting compelling brand experiences
- Employee brand alignment and advocacy
- Focused customer journey designs
- Comprehensive brand research and feedback analysis
10. Noble Studios
Location: Reno, Nevada | Las Vegas, Nevada | Bristol, UK
Pricing Info: Minimum project size is $25,000, average hourly rate is $200 – $300
Noble Studios is a digital branding service positioning brands to thrive in the modern marketing sphere. At its core, they believe in developing Performance Brands – entities rooted in truth, simplicity, and emotion.
This means any brand strategy or positioning derived has to be grounded in reality to resonate authentically with both internal teams and the target audience. The beauty lies in their simplicity, which provides a lucid understanding for teams to harness it effectively, and the inherent emotion ensures brands establish transformational relationships.
With a holistic approach, they dive deep into logo design, branding, positioning statements, and messaging, always ready to assist brands in navigating the waters of digital branding. Their Performance Brands process acts as a catalyst, cementing the organization’s foundation, directing cohesive team efforts, and fostering marketing that genuinely incites action. Further, they pride themselves on carving unique value propositions, ensuring brands are distinguished in their niche.
Brand strategy services include:
- Brand research and perception analysis
- Branded content development
- Strategic brand messaging and voice/tone guidelines
- Digital-first visual brand identity design and implementation
Why a Strong Brand Strategy Is Essential for Business Growth
Think of all the brands that you can recognize by simply their color palette or a glimpse of the logo. What do they have in common? A brand strategy that works.
For any business to grow and remain memorable for its customers, it must be backed by a brand strategy that's consistent across all channels so no matter where a customer interacts with the brand; they have a similar experience.
Brian Lischer, Ignyte's CEO, emphasizes the importance of branding by saying that it helps
"companies attract the ideal customer, differentiate your business, enable you to close more deals, command higher prices, attract top talent, and boost business value."
He further explains,
"It's a long-term strategy that delivers measurable returns throughout the life of your company."
So, a one-time investment can go a long way in ensuring the success and growth of your business in the following ways.
Brand Differentiation
Now that almost every industry is saturated with businesses offering similar products or services, it is becoming increasingly challenging to stand out and differentiate yourself from the competition. A strong brand strategy can help you in this aspect by showing your customers that you offer something others don't.
For example, in Reveel's case, Ignyte used Shipping Intelligence as a differentiator, positioning the logistics company as superior to its competitors. This helped Reveel attract customers who were looking for a more efficient and streamlined shipping process.
Customer Loyalty
Your branding is directly proportional to customer loyalty because consistent messaging and service fosters trust. When a customer feels connected to your brand and has a positive experience, they are more likely to return for future purchases.
That's exactly what happened in the campaign DigitalDesign.NYC ran for Symphony Sleep. When the agency redesigned the brand's strategy, their loyal customer purchases went up by 3%. For a mattress and bed manufacturer, that's a significant revenue that's coming in because of the customers' trust in their brand.
Long-Term Success
As Lischter said, branding helps your brand throughout its life. A brand strategy acts like the North Star guiding your business as it grows. It sets a foundation for your marketing, product development, advertising, and customer service efforts, ensuring that they are all aligned and consistent.
Plus, a well-defined brand strategy can also help you weather any challenges or changes in the market. For example, when tech advancements or new trends emerge, a strong brand can adapt and stay relevant while still maintaining its core values and identity.
Key Services Offered by Brand Strategy Agencies
Brand strategy agencies provide a wide range of services. Here are some of them.
Core services of brand strategy agencies
Brand Identity Development
When a brand starts out, it's very important for it to create a distinct identity for itself in the market. Even established brands often have to refresh their brand identities to make them more relevant to the current market.
However, as Baruch Labunski, CEO at Rank Secure, explains, this process is quite complicated. He says,
''A successful marketing strategy includes a logo, a catchphrase, a mission strategy underpinning all of it, and consistency in all your messaging. A common problem is people try different logos and catchphrases in the same campaign, which confuses people. Decide on all that with small focus groups and A/B testing before you fully launch your branding campaign. You only need one message, so keep it to one good one.''
As a business that's already busy in managing its operations, it can be difficult to step back and invest time and resources into developing a brand identity. So, brand strategy services can do all of this for you.
They are experienced in creating unique brand identities, which include everything from color palettes and logo designs to tone of voice, typography, and messaging. These elements come together to create a cohesive brand identity.
Market Research and Competitor Analysis
Brand strategy services don't simply go with whatever seems good to them while developing a brand identity. Instead, they use market research and competitor analysis to position your brand in a way that not only differentiates you from other established companies but also appeals to your audience.
Megan Gersch, a brand designer, explains how she does this:
''When crafting a strategic brand, I always start with market research to see what others in the industry are doing. After we have a solid understanding of what the "norms" are, I do a deep dive with the client to understand how they are differentiating their business from the rest. This could be anything from their core values to how they are crafting an impeccable client experience.''
This approach shows that brand strategy agencies aren’t basing their strategies on guesswork. Instead, they work with you and conduct extensive self-research and analysis to determine the best approach for your brand.
Brand Positioning and Messaging
One thing that brand development agencies do remarkably for any business is create messaging around it. It's the way that you speak and what you say when communicating with your customers.
Besides the tone, these agencies also help devise a positioning strategy. How do you want to be known in your market? What kind of impression do you want to leave on potential customers? This is what they tackle.
When business owners try to do this themselves, they often focus more on their own origin story than that of their brand. However, brand positioning and messaging should be centered around the customer, not the business owner.
As Hilary Young, Brand Strategist at Hilary Young Creative, says,
''I encourage all of my clients to craft a brand story that isn't their origin story, but rather an emotion-driven narrative that helps their audience understand what they'll gain/feel/experience by engaging with them and their brand. It really helps to set the brand apart and makes it clear to the target market what they will get out of the engagement.''
With such precise insights, a professional hand in your brand strategy can help bring out the best in your brand messaging and positioning.
Brand Audits
In cases where an existing brand has to be revitalized, brand development agencies perform a comprehensive brand audit. They look for areas where the brand's message may be getting lost and also determine if there is a need for a messaging overhaul. Maybe there's an issue with your visual identity. What if your brand's personality doesn't align with your target audience?
Basically, in an audit, the agency evaluates how your products and brand are positioned in your respective market. They also analyze your brand positioning, which indicates how customers recognize you, whether it’s through your unique value proposition or any other element.
A brand audit usually includes these three areas:
- Internal Branding: An insight into your company culture, vision, and mission, to help employees understand what your brand stands for.
- External Branding: The story behind your brand’s messaging or offerings, exhibited through components like logos, websites, social media posts, and advertisements.
- Customer Experience: An audit of how your brand is being perceived by the customers based on your customer support and sales process.
After looking at all these aspects, the agency then provides you with a clear plan of action. Then, they take a step-by-step approach to implement that plan.
Customer Persona Development
If your brand strategy isn't targeted to the customers you serve, it loses its whole point, doesn't it? Brand strategy services ensure this doesn't happen.
They develop customer personas that tell you what your messaging should look like. You can then personalize everything from email campaigns and content according to these personas. For example, WEBITMD's final brand story stack includes a few buyer personas for the brand to focus on when creating content and messaging.
With customer personas, you can tailor your marketing messages for a specific audience. It allows you to address your ideal customer’s needs, objectives, and preferred methods of consuming content. In a way, it is a reflection of the target market you aim to engage.
Based on the data in the customer personas, you can present your offering from the viewpoint of people who will eventually be using it. As a result, you can deliver meaningful value to keep customers satisfied for a long time.
How to Select the Right Brand Strategy Agency?
Selecting the right brand strategy agency is a critical decision for your business. Here's how to ensure you partner with the branding agency that aligns with your vision and goals:
Assess Their Understanding of Your Business
To select an agency that can truly elevate your brand, probe their grasp on what sets your business apart. A competent agency will do their homework before meeting you, coming to the table with insights about your market position and potential opportunities.
They should be asking incisive questions that cut to the heart of your brand's challenges and aspirations, demonstrating their commitment to a tailored strategy rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
Examine Their Track Record
The past successes of an agency can be predictive of your project's outcome. Scrutinize their portfolio for evidence of transformational work in sectors relevant to yours. Have they propelled brands to new heights? Can they show measurable growth or market share gains as a result of their strategies?
Agencies that have navigated brand journeys similar to what you envision can reduce the learning curve and accelerate your success.
Analyze Their Strategic Process
A detailed walkthrough of their strategic process can be incredibly telling. You want an agency that relies on empirical data and market research to inform their strategies. How do they integrate consumer insights and competitive analysis into their process?
Their methodology should be systematic and replicable, yet flexible enough to be customized for your brand's specific challenges and goals.
Look for Creative and Analytical Balance
An agency’s capability to fuse creativity with analytical rigor is paramount. They should illustrate how they translate data insights into creative brand narratives. Can they provide examples where their data-driven strategies have led to innovative creative solutions?
The right agency will showcase how they’ve used consumer behavior analysis to drive branding decisions, resulting in compelling campaigns that resonate with the target audience.
Evaluate Their Communication Style
Effective communication can make or break a brand strategy project. Reflect on your interactions with the agency thus far. Do they provide clarity, anticipate your needs, and articulate complex strategies in an understandable way? Their communication style should instill confidence and foster collaboration, ensuring alignment throughout your brand’s evolution.
Consider Cultural Fit
The synergy between your team and the agency can influence the creative process. An agency's culture and philosophy should mirror your own, fostering an environment where ideas can be exchanged freely and collaboration is natural. A cultural misalignment can lead to friction and misunderstandings that jeopardize the success of your brand strategy.
Inquire About Metrics and Measurement
Finally, accountability is key in any agency relationship. How does the agency define and measure success? They should be able to provide concrete KPIs that align with your business objectives and offer a clear framework for reporting and analyzing these metrics over time. This approach not only ensures transparency but also enables ongoing optimization of the brand strategy based on performance data.
By deeply evaluating potential agencies on these facets, you can confidently select a partner that will not only conceptualize a visionary brand strategy but also execute it in a manner that propels your business forward in tangible, measurable ways.
The Impact of a Well-Executed Brand Strategy on Business Growth
With all the services brand strategy agencies provide you can expect to see the following impact on your business growth.
Increased Customer Engagement
A strong brand strategy ultimately makes your brand more appealing to the target audience, increasing customer engagement and brand recall. Due to this, there's a higher customer satisfaction rate, which means repeat purchases become more likely. This increased customer engagement can also lead to positive word-of-mouth marketing, which is an invaluable form of advertising for any business.
For example, in a DuckDesign campaign for Lumara, a real estate industry platform, the agency created a branding guide for the client to reflect their innovation and professionalism. They also redesigned Lumara's website according to the new brand guidelines and made the interface more user-friendly.
Lumara case study
Lumara's brand recognition went up by 70%, with an accompanying 89% user satisfaction rate — a testament to the power of a well-executed brand strategy.
Better Market Positioning
Let's say you're a tech brand. But there are so many of them out there. Why should customers choose you? A good brand strategy helps define your unique selling points and differentiates you from competitors. This, in turn, improves your market positioning by highlighting what sets your brand apart.
Customers can then easily identify and connect with your brand, making it more likely for them to choose you over competitors. Brand strategy agencies can help position your brand in many ways, such as:
- Pricing: As a competitively priced brand.
- Product Quality: As a brand that produces high-quality products.
- Product Use: As a brand that creates products for specific use cases.
- Competitors: A brand that’s better than its competitors in one or more ways.
- Cause-based: A brand focused on a cause, such as sustainability or women empowerment.
To do this, the agency will determine your current brand positioning and create a brand essence report. Based on competitor and market research, they will then identify your unique value proposition and build a framework to position your brand. These agencies also develop a brand positioning statement that connects you to your customers and prospects emotionally.
That's what DD.NYC did for Akemi Cosmetics, a beauty brand. The beauty industry is highly saturated, which makes it difficult for new brands to stand out.
However, DD.NYC positioned Akemi as a scientific, sustainable, innovative, and hygienic brand. These terms ultimately became the brand's selling points and helped them gain a strong market positioning.
High Brand Loyalty and Trust
Together, the culmination of customer engagement, satisfaction, and solid positioning results in customer trust. With consistency in brand message and identity, customers begin to see you as what you claim to be, whether it's a sustainable brand, a luxury symbol, a reliable service provider, or the next big innovator in the market.
Higher customer loyalty and brand trust ultimately mean higher customer retention and repeat purchases. It helps generate a consistent revenue stream, ensuring your brand's long-term success.
The impact of brand loyalty and trust isn't just monetary. Customers also develop a meaningful emotional connection with your brand. They become brand advocates and spread positive word of mouth, which can lead to new customers and increased credibility for your brand.
Get Brand Strategy Services On Board to Build an Unforgettable Brand
Whether it's a strong visual identity developed by creative branding agencies or a robust brand strategy devised by full-service brand strategy agencies, the end result is the same: a brand that remains at the forefront of consumers' minds and stands out from the competition.
A brand strategy is much more than what your business cards would look like or the kind of tone you'll use in your marketing collateral. It encompasses all facets of your brand's presence. With a brand strategy service by your side, everything from market research to value proposition, mission statement, brand personality, voice and tone, and even product packaging will be taken care of.
All you have to do is provide your input where required and sit back to watch your brand grow into the successful business you've always envisioned.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a brand strategy service?
A brand strategy service offers a comprehensive plan for developing and establishing a brand's presence in the market. This plan is designed to differentiate your brand from competitors, create a strong brand image, and communicate your brand's value proposition to your target audience.
What's the difference between brand strategy and marketing strategy?
While they overlap, brand strategy focuses on defining what your brand stands for, its values, personality, and the message it communicates. In contrast, a marketing strategy focuses on how you'll promote and position your brand in the market to reach specific business goals.
How long does it take to develop a brand strategy?
The timeline can vary depending on the complexity of your business and the depth of the strategy required. Typically, a comprehensive brand strategy can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to develop.
How often should I revisit my brand strategy?
While a solid brand strategy is designed for the long term, it's a good practice to review it every 2-3 years. This ensures that it remains relevant in changing market conditions and aligns with any shifts in business goals.
Can a small business benefit from brand strategy services?
Absolutely! Brand strategy isn't reserved for big corporations. Small businesses can significantly benefit from a clear brand strategy, helping them stand out in a crowded marketplace and create a loyal customer base.
Comparing the top branding agencies
Branding agencies may be full-service in their operations or offer specialized services to certain industries. We have conducted an overview of these agencies below.
- Top 28 B2B Branding Agencies To Help You Stand Out
- Top 42 Branding Agencies You Should Work With in 2024
- 11 Best Branding Agencies for Strong Brand Identity
- 10 Digital Branding Agencies for 2024
- Top 10 Real Estate Branding Agencies
- Expert Brand Development Agencies
- Top 38 Creative Agencies to Check Out in 2024
- Top Design Agencies for your Brand in 2024
Comparing creative agencies
Creative agencies assist in developing visual identities for brands. They create a range of assets from logos and marketing collateral to website design. The following creative agencies can help you take your brand’s identity to the next level.
- Top 13 Ad Creatives Production Agencies for High-Impact Advertising
- Top Content Creation Agencies For 2024
- Top 10 Storytelling Agencies that Bring Brands to Life
- Top 21 Branding Agencies and Services in the USA
- Top 13 Creative Marketing Agencies For Enhancing Brand Visibility
- Top 38 UX Agencies for 2024
- Top 11 Creative Branding Agencies to Establish a Strong Brand Personality
- Top 24 Full-Service Agencies to Scale Your Marketing Efforts
What are the top brand strategy agencies?
At Influencer Marketing Hub, we have reviewed a number of brand strategy agencies, helping you find the best one for your needs.
| Brand Strategy Agencies | Location | Best For | Business Size | Channels |
| Duck.Design | London, UK | New York, New York | Mid-market businesses and enterprises | 50+ | Website |
| WEBITMD | Los Angeles, California | New York, New York | Dallas, Texas | Small and medium-sized businesses | 10 - 50 | Website, social media, Google |
| DD.NYC | New York, New York | Midmarket, enterprise, and small businesses | 10 - 50 | Website |
| NinjaPromo | London, UK | New York, New York | Dubai, UAE | Singapore | Vilnius, Lithuania | Midmarket, enterprise, and small businesses | 50+ | Website, social media, Google, podcast |
| Ignyte | San Diego, California | Large and enterprise businesses | 50+ | Website |
| Scorpion | Valencia, California | Islandia, New York | Addison, Texas | Midmarket, enterprise, and small businesses | 50+ | Website |
| Goodman Lantern | London, UK | New York, New York | Small and medium-sized businesses | 50+ | Website |
Which services do brand strategy agencies offer?
Brand strategy agencies offer a range of services from visual identity to market positioning. The top agencies provide the following services.
| Brand Strategy Agencies | Web Design and Development | Mobile App Development | Brand Identity | Content Marketing |
| Duck.Design | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | x |
| WEBITMD | ✔ | x | ✔ | ✔ |
| DD.NYC | ✔ | x | ✔ | x |
| NinjaPromo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Ignyte | ✔ | x | ✔ | ✔ |
| Scorpion | x | x | ✔ | x |
| Goodman Lantern | x | x | ✔ | ✔ |
How much does it cost to work with brand strategy agencies?
Depending on their services and industry experience, brand strategy agencies have different pricing models. Some also offer subscription-based pricing for their branding services.
| Brand Strategy Agencies | Hourly Pricing | Minimum Campaign Size |
| Duck.Design | Monthly subscription starts at $999 | $1,000 |
| WEBITMD | $150 – $199 | $5,000 |
| DD.NYC | $150 – $199 | $5,000 |
| NinjaPromo | $50 – $99 | $5,000 |
| Ignyte | $150 – $199 | $50,0000 |
| Scorpion | $50 – $99 | $1,000 |
| Goodman Lantern | $50 – $99 | $5,000 |
What are the best brand strategy services for startups?
Here are some of the best brand strategy services for startups:
- DuckDesign
- DigitalDesign.NYC
- NinjaPromo
- Ignyte
- Boldthink
