It's hard to know how much brand strategy services will cost you and what you'll actually receive at the end of the project. We get it. The internet has made the world a big place, with digital marketing booming in recent years. There's a multitude of agencies out there promising "authentic" and "game-changing" branding services for you. Finding an agency that can deliver on its promises can be confusing — especially when one agency says they can do it for $5,000 and another for $50,000.
The fact is, there’s not a lot of transparency surrounding brand strategy services and pricing, so it can feel like a gamble. But, years in this industry have taught us a thing or two, and we’re happy to share with you.
This article will touch on three different brackets for branding services cost:
If you’re a startup, a small business owner, or someone looking to take your side hustle to the next level, you might not have a robust marketing budget. You still need a logo and some basic messaging to go to market. For under 10k, you will be able to comfortably source both a visual designer and a copywriter to help you get your brand off the ground.
For this logo design cost, you can expect a professional-looking logo to use on your assets. And, with a professional copywriter, you can afford basic messaging guidelines for your brand — or a set of web copy or social copy. In this bracket, you will not receive brand guidelines or brand strategy analysis.
You can buy a template, try to design your own, or get a logo off of sites like Fiverr or Upwork for as little as $20 — but we wouldn’t recommend it. Don’t go with the most cost-effective option if you can help it. Your visual design and messaging will be the face of your business, crafting who you are in the hearts and minds of your audience. Spending a little in the beginning can hold you over until your profits increase enough to justify a larger brand budget.
When you're in this bracket, we recommend finding a freelancer to help you with your project. You'll want to look at their portfolio and see if they have put thought into the story behind the logo. If you're also looking for copywriting services, check their portfolio for writing samples and feel free to ask them about the strategy behind their work.
It makes more sense to spend your budget on a freelancer rather than an agency. Your money will go further because you won't have to pay agency fees, and you'll be able to afford a specialized freelancer — someone who knows their way around your industry. Agencies make financial sense when you need a multi-disciplinary team or your project requires strategy behind it.
Branding services for under 10k:
Medium to enterprise-level businesses should not be using Fiverr or Upwork for brand work. At this level, your competitors are much more strategic, and you’ll need to invest more to remain relevant with your audience and stand out in the marketplace.
When your brand budget is between $10k - 20k, you’ll need the beginning or at least pieces of a brand book. Your brand book helps you to align your organization internally and project a cohesive, consistent brand externally. It shows your audience and your employees who your brand is and why they should care.
Often, clients come to us with parts of their brand completed. You may already have your vision and mission written out, but not your values. Or, you have your brand guidelines — which are essentially the external communication of your brand, like your visual assets (for example, your logo) — but not your brand foundation — which involves your brand strategy.
For the budget laid out here, we can help you begin to fill in the gaps of your brand book.
Within this bracket, we have an option at Major Tom that costs roughly $17k. This gives you the basics of your brand foundation and the basics of your visual identity. We perform an initial discovery session with you and then our own research and analysis of your competitors.
For all of our brand strategy services, we fit our deliverables to your organization's needs and adjust the scope as necessary. Typically, clients in this category will receive some of the following deliverables:
When you’re spending $20 - 40k on your branding services, you can engage with an agency that is well-versed in the following three things:
An agency that can execute the above trifecta should know digital strategy, marketing and communications strategy, and design strategy — and how to weave all three of these together for your brand. They will give you a brand book that effectively communicates who you are and holds anyone who works from it to the same standard. This book will show you where to position yourself in the marketplace and how to execute that positioning with messaging and design to increase profit.
In this bracket, you’ll be able to engage with an agency or firm that will host an in-depth brand strategy process, facilitated by a senior brand strategist or creative director. You can expect to have a visual designer and a copywriter on your team to help with execution. Your deliverables should include both a brand foundation and a brand guide, making up your brand book.
At Major Tom, we work with you to understand what is missing from your branding materials and what your organizational goals are. How much the branding services for this will be are often based on your organizational needs and goals.
It can be difficult to know what you’re actually going to get with the differing brand strategy services costs. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to branding — it largely depends on your goals for how much money you want to spend or if there are any specific needs that need addressing. If you’re still unsure, give us a call. We can help.
The more I learn, the less I know, and the more I want to learn.
