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Building a powerful business brand
Essential strategies for industry success AND 5 reasons why you should invest in branding & brand management.
Branding and brand development are not just buzzwords: they are the cornerstones of every business that knows branding is the most powerful way to thrive and grow.
Read more: On Brand brand teaser campaign and promotion
Think about your customers: they are inundated with choice. So they have a lot of decisions to make! What information can you give them to help them choose you? And how do you do it quickly while creating long term, valuable relationships?
Think about some of your own favourite brands – a fashion brand or a car marque you’re loyal to. What you like about what they do and how they do it? How easy do they make your buying decisions and ease of purchase? Aren’t you more likely to buy from them while another brand may need to do more convincing to lure you away from your first preference?
That’s how effective good branding can be. And they make it look easy!
A well-crafted brand not only sets your business apart from the competition but also creates a powerful connection that grows a relationship with your audience. It also makes all your marketing spend more cost-effective and efficient.
Our foundational approach to brand development is that a good brand must naturally build trust and loyalty, turning consumers into customers and keeping them for life.
And that’s why we’re a branding agency that joins all the dots in terms of brand strategy, development and execution to incorporate all the digital skills that bring your brand to your market.
Yes, we…
and we can do those things as part of ad hoc projects. But the real magic is in getting everything working together and then executing a considered brand strategy via all your brand touchpoints.
So what we do is create cohesive and memorable brand experiences that resonate with your audience, wherever they are.
What is a brand?
Wikipedia will give you the basics on what a brand is:
“A name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies a seller’s product or service.”
We know it’s much more than that.
Ultimately, your brand is what people think of you. It’s not just your name, logo, colour palette, font, graphic symbols, or tone of voice – it’s how these elements work together to represent your values and how your audience perceives them. A brand embodies trust, quality, reputation, reliability, community, loyalty, expertise, excitement, belonging, and value.
Our branding solutions are designed to evoke emotional connection by shaping the collective perception of these elements with your audience.
This is all further complicated by one simple fact: you have a brand whether you invest in it or not.
So, if you’re leaving your public perceptions up to chance, your brand is at the mercy of the big bad world.
Not actively managing your brand means you’re allowing the market to shape it for you. That can give competitors an edge from the off: at best, you look like you’re being reactive while they give the impression of being proactive.
In short, they get the lead on the leads.
In this context, the only question is: can you afford not to invest in your brand?
What branding can do
Whatever the scope and scale of your business, branding can overcome challenges and exploit opportunities in ways you might not have expected.
The benefits of good branding go way beyond making your business look attractive visually and sound appealing in terms of tone and style.
Get your brand working on all the design and digital levels you need it to, and it can feed into every aspect of your stability and sustainability.
Here are our top five reasons why you should invest in branding & brand management:
Build a community
By connecting with your ideal customers – those who love what you do and keep coming back for more – you develop strong relationships and foster brand loyalty. Word of mouth is also a powerful marketing tool and your community can be your strongest advocates.
Maximise your marketing
A well-defined brand ensures consistent and articulate marketing, allowing you to develop targeted campaigns that resonate with your most promising and valuable customers. This, in turn, amplifies your brand, increasing recognition, embedding familiarity, and enhancing both engagement and efficiency.
See how we helped Randoll Industrial transform their brand presence with a strategic branding, web and digital strategy that drove remarkable engagement and business growth.
Make sales easy
A well-defined brand creates warm leads, making sales processes more efficient. Customers familiar with your brand are more receptive and trusting, giving your sales team a head start. Additionally, your website can function as a 24/7 salesperson, continuously boosting sales.
Discover how we simplified sales, boosted conversions and enabled seamless partner connections for Arnold & Baldwin with bespoke digital solutions.
Maximise margins
Customers don’t just buy a product; they buy into a brand and are willing to pay more for it. A strong brand leverages its values, establishes expertise, and owns higher quality, justifying higher pricing strategies. HeightOn’s brand values: caring, committed, confident and well-connected – ensure exceptional insight and specialist expertise, giving you the best service and product. Read more about our rebranding journey.
Strategic brand development isn’t just about visibility – it’s about value.
See how we strategically developed Arnold & Baldwin’s brand to command higher fees and stand out from competitors.
Add value
Brand equity is a substantial business asset. Successful brands influence share prices and generate stronger financial performance. Strong brands also realise an enhanced sale price when you’re ready to sell. For instance, Boohoo’s purchase of the Debenhams brand for £55 million included only the brand, not the physical assets. Brand value is also advantageous in negotiations, making your business more attractive to investors and partners.
A brand transformation can do more than refresh your image – it can drive real business growth. Find out how we successfully pivoted Arnold & Baldwin’s brand, strengthening their market position and paving the way for a successful acquisition.
Insight and best practices
Investing in branding yields long-term results, improving marketing and sales performance. A strong brand identity not only supports current business goals but also builds a foundation that can adapt and thrive in an ever-changing market.
3 reasons why you need a brand strategy and a brand management agency to implement it!
As we’ve said above, if you’re in business, you’ve got a brand whether you like it or not!
And as a big part of being in business is competing with others in the market, branding is not just a nice-to-have. It’s a must-have.
Effective branding and brand management are critical to ensuring your business stands out, resonates with customers, and thrives.
When we talk about branding, we’re talking about creating a unique identity that differentiates your business from competitors, making your products or services instantly recognisable.
We also focus on fostering deep customer loyalty and trust by building a consistent and relatable identity that customers can connect with.
Our approach to brand strategy builds in these three key considerations:
Differentiation
We create standout by highlighting and amplifying your USPs (unique selling points) and value proposition in a way that makes them synonymous with your business.
Customer loyalty and trust
Being consistent – and consistently relatable – builds resonance with customers – they come to know what they can expect from you and that solidifies the perception of reliability, fostering loyalty and trust along the way.
Business growth and value
When your branding is right, it can work to increase market share and also not only strengthen your position in the market but can also create a strong platform for further growth and diversification, guiding and feeding into your business strategy.
Our powerful process: five steps to switching on brand strategy success
Everything we do for each one of our clients is bespoke. But over the years we have refined a process that creates a framework for creating impactful work through an efficient process.
Our five step approach is designed to ensure your brand stands out in a competitive market and makes light work of in-depth research and strategy development, design and development, defining compelling messaging and content and then creating the brand guidelines that ensure your brand is consistent at every touchpoint, continuously refining and optimising to reflect industry trends, overcome challenges and identify opportunities:
1. Research and strategy
Thorough research and strategy development is critical to understanding the market, your target audience and the competition. We then find your brand positioning and create the brand values, mission, and vision that enable you to dominate it.
2. Design and development
The most exciting part for many of our clients is getting to see the new visual iteration of their brand. As well as visual elements such as logos, colour schemes, and typography, we also define your consistent brand voice and messaging to ensure all communications align with your brand identity.
3. Content and messaging
This is where we get into creating collateral and marketing campaigns, crafting compelling content and messaging that communicates your brand values in a way that connects with your audience. Consistency in messaging across all platforms builds a cohesive and trustworthy brand image.
4. Brand identity guidelines
The rulebook for your brand going forward is critical to brand consistency, ensuring that all visual and verbal elements are used correctly and consistently across all touchpoints. The ‘brand bibles’ we produce also contain guidelines for logo usage, colour palettes, typography, imagery and tone of voice.
5. Implementation and management
Once the design is in place, our online and offline marketing expertise comes into play. We implement and manage your brand across the platforms and channels chosen for their relevance to your audience. We continuously monitor brand performance and bring a fluid approach to adjusting as needed to maintain impact, strength and relevance.
Find out more On our approach to creative digital marketing
Switch on success: proof we build better brands
With over 30 years’ combined experience in developing brands from scratch across various industry sectors, we’re expert and equipped to guide your branding journey.
SellSmart
When Arnold & Baldwin needed to adapt to new industry regulations, we worked with them on developing a new property product and accompanying brand, SellSmart, that not only has helped their professional colleagues in the sector to understand and comply, but has also increased their pipeline of property survey leads.
Staunton Park Bees
Our buzzing brand for a corporate social responsibility initiative secured 20+ beehive sponsorships, including FTSE250 Estate Agents Foxtons.
Maddison Consultants
We crafted a new brand identity and a functional website with job board integration for Bristol-based Maddison Consultants. Major clients like GE and Philips rely on Maddison for top candidates in sectors like HVAC and electrical and our solution boosted job vacancies by 240% and LinkedIn audience by 14,900%.
“The website functions superbly and looks the business. We’re delighted with our investment.”
Simon Neil, Director
Stick or Twist
Our referral campaign brand for Arnold & Baldwin helped this surveying business secure more referrals from partners – effectively doubling their monthly survey sales.
“The most amazing branding & design firm I have come across. I have worked with the HeightOn Agency in two different businesses, in two different sectors and I can honestly say their ideas and concepts are incredible. My MDs are always delighted with their work and they are very easy to collaborate with. Exceptional communication, service, and ingenuity. I cannot recommend the HeightOn Agency enough for going above and beyond and delivering incredible results.”
Joe Arnold, Founder Arnold & Baldwin
How much does branding cost?
The cost of branding can vary significantly depending on the scope and scale of the project. Key factors influencing the cost include the complexity of the brand strategy & development process, the range of deliverables (such as logos, websites, marketing materials), and the level of market research and strategy required.
Traditional branding agency models have considerable overheads, meaning that less of your marketing spend goes into the actual work of marketing.
As a hybrid design and digital agency with solid experience, a flexible team and capable resource network, we can deliver more for your budget.
Our tailored branding solutions are designed to meet diverse business needs and budgets. Our pricing structure is transparent and designed to provide the best value for your investment. Whether you are a start-up seeking a fresh identity or an established business needing a brand refresh, we can develop a customised package that aligns with your goals.
We’re happy to provide a detailed quote in line with your business and brand ambitions: one that outlines both costs and the value you can expect to receive for your investment.
Effective branding and brand development are critical for business success. By understanding and implementing the right strategies, businesses can create a strong market presence, build customer loyalty, and drive growth. For more information or to discuss your branding needs, contact us for a consultation.
Let’s get it On: let’s solve your challenges together
Use our dedicated contact form and project builder to help us understand more about your business, the challenges you want to overcome or the opportunities you want to seize.
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