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So You Think Brand Guides Are Expensive?
By: Kelly Donahue-Piro
President: Agency Performance Partners
Co-Founder: Agency Appeal
Have you considered creating a brand guide for your agency? But thought, “Well that should only be a couple hundred bucks right?” Let’s be honest, you probably spent more on a fancy dinner this month so why short change your brand? (Basically what I’m saying is don’t be stingy with the only thing that people have to assess you on before they meet you!)
Hubspot states that 60% of the sales process is over before they talk to a salesperson!
So when appearance matters, how do you look to your ideal customers (who look at you way before you speak with them!)? Let’s play a word association game, which of these words come to mind when you think about your brand?
- Dated
- Traditional
- Modern
- Fresh
- Vibrant
- Dull
- Sharp
- Edgy
- Scattered
- Awesome
Now that you have your answers, tell me if you are impressed by your brand? The other answer to this you may be having right now is “What brand?”
So, How Much Is a Brand Worth?
Brands are an investment, but investments convert into money. So how do you get an ROI on your brand?
- A strong brand is saleable at a higher level
- When you give your team something to be proud about you get some buzz in your community
- Your website that is mobile and user friendly attracts more opportunity
- When you stick out you gain attention
- Wearing cool team swag helps spread the word
So how much is awesome team morale and a good look worth to you?
What Should You Spend On Your Brand?
Your investment in your brand should not be taken lightly. This is how your agency looks to the world. You can’t spend more on a wedding dress that you will wear for one day than your brand.Yes, you heard me – wedding dresses shouldn’t cost more than the look and feel of your business. This is literally your identity in a very crowded space!!!
When you want to go through the whole branding process it should include:
- Logo Refresh
- Colors
- Tone
- Brand Story
- Brand Foundation
- Brand Position
- Fonts
- Patterns
- Images
The end product should be something that you could make into a coffee table book, something that is worthy of how awesome you are. Something like these: https://www.agencyperformancepartners.com/branding-guide/
Brand guides generally take 40 full hours to create by the time you include competitor research, designer time, brand survey reviews and polishing up the final product. It’s not a few hours to throw it together. It’s an extensive process.
Our brand guides start at $5000, but with our end of year special you can take off $500.
When Is The Right Time To Build Your Agency Brand?
Today, yes today. There is no perfect time for change. Also, why would you wait? What will change? Our process takes about 8-12 weeks, so let’s get started today!
