5 Factors To Consider When Hiring A Branding Expert For Your Business

Published on: 30 October 2021 Last Updated on: 18 January 2025

In the last few years, more and more businesses are realizing the importance of branding. As against sales and marketing, businesses know that branding is essential for the long-term vision, sustainability, and growth of an organization.

While many businesses have made the mistake of equating branding with marketing, there is growing awareness that the two are separate in form and function. This is leading many businesses to invest in strategic branding experts that can help them.

In this resource article, we are going to look at five factors that businesses should consider before hiring branding experts, consultants, or strategists. If you are a business owner looking to invest in a long-term branding exercise, this article will guide you in the right direction.

How can a Branding Expert help a Business: What you need to know

Before we get to the list of factors that should be considered, it would be better if we discuss how a branding expert can help a business in the first place.

Business owners are in agreement that branding is important. What they do not know is how they should proceed. Many have the mistaken assumption that branding is only logo designing, social media presence, and marketing!

While this is not entirely false, the above constitutes just about 5% of what branding is all about.

In reality, a branding expert can help a business optimize three main focus areas about the brand-

Tangible Visual Properties- photoshoots, imagery, social media presence, logo designs, color schemas, fonts, website, blog section, and videos.
Tangible Textual Content- brand motto, values, culture, mission statement, blog articles, slogans or taglines, social media copy, and content.
Intangible Brand Promise- credibility, culture, personality, trust, levels and positioning, perception, experiences, customer service, and support.

As you can see from what we have mentioned above, this is a fairly exhaustive list of topics. An experienced and credible branding expert will help you address all the above goals and objectives.

List of 5 Factors to Consider when Hiring a Branding Expert for your Business

1. Creativity-

While technical specializations are an important aspect of the digital age, you want the branding expert/consultant/agency to be creative. Some of the leading brand strategists like Bennet Schwartz have several years of experience as Creative Director. Creativity is an essential factor you should look at as branding is all about good storytelling that captures audiences.

2. Experience-

Being great at branding requires years of experience. This is not something you can get up and get good at. It requires sophistication, expertise, and years of executing marketing and social media strategies. Great branding experts that lead organizations are often Creative Directors with a graphic design or copywriting background. You need to look for at least five years.

3. Past Client Credentials-

If you are lucky enough to get a branding expert that has worked with a business in your niche, you are on the right path. Even if you do not get one, the key is to look at past client portfolios. Ask the agency or expert to take you through the kind of work they did. Focus on both the creative as well as the technical ROIs. Do not hire someone before establishing credentials.

4. Timelines and ROIs on the Project-

Small trick- if the branding expert says that they will get you the moon and stars within six months, they are lying. You should bail immediately. Experts will tell you that branding is a long-term gain where you need to invest for at least two or three years to start seeing results. It is best to get a definite answer in this regard as it will help guide your business expectations.

5. Prices, Payment Structures, and Affordability-

This ultimately depends on what you are asking the branding agency to do. If you want the whole suite of what we mentioned in the earlier sections, you are looking at sizable costs. However, you can always break it up into stages and ensure incremental payments. Make sure to discuss the same with the agency so that there are no problems later on the payment front.

The Final Word

Branding differs from business to business. It is a completely individualized experience that comes with a customized strategy. In other words, what worked for one brand might not necessarily work for someone else. This is something that separates great branding experts from the ones who are just in the market to make some money. If you have any questions, you would like us to address, please let us know in the comments below.

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How to Choose Insurance When Launching Your HHA Business

If you have decided to make a career in the home healthcare aide industry or set up a home healthcare aide agency, you already have a fair idea of how to set up your business. You know what kind of qualifications you need, or you must seek in your employees, and know what inherent qualities, such as compassion and patience, are needed to succeed in this field. However, many HHA agencies start out without a comprehensive insurance plan covering them, and this can prove to be a dangerous lapse. Take a look at some facts that were outlined in a report by NERA Economic Consulting, commissioned by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. In the year 2008, small businesses in America paid up a total of over $105 billion towards tort liability. Small businesses absorbed about $35.6 billion of tort costs and paid from their funds, not through insurance. Medical malpractice costs plus other tort liability cost for small businesses amount to over $133.4 billion. The fact is that no small business owner wants to think about being dragged into a lawsuit when they are just about to embark on the business, but this is not something that can be ignored. The potential costs are simply too high, and they can push your fledgling business to the brink of ruin. Remember that letting a claim go unchallenged is not a very good option for you either, since your inaction may be taken as an admission of guilt by potential/future clients. This could impair your future business drastically. Given the disastrous consequences that a lawsuit against your agency can have, it makes business sense for you to get insurance cover in place as one of your top priority items when you set up your HHA agency. This also true if you are setting up a non-medical HHA agency. In fact, take a look at this step by step guide to setting up such an HHA agency, and you will see insurance coverage listed here as one of the critical tasks to do. Can liability insurance cover you effectively? The answer is a resounding YES! A savvy business owner knows that insurance is a simple, effective way to protect the business financially. Legal issues tend to run up bills that can be huge, even if you can prove your innocence and do NOT have to pay damages. There are costs associated with fighting your lawsuit, remember, and without the right insurance in place, it is your business that absorbs all these costs. To prevent this, you need to opt for the right kind of insurance plans to cover all your bases. Take a look at what you need: General liability insurance explained: This is broader base insurance that is often referred to as business liability insurance. For example, if your aide accidentally damages some medical equipment that is at the patient’s place when they are operating it, this insurance may kick in to cover any costs arising from legal claims made against you for property damage or bodily injuries resulting from your services or operations. Malpractice liability explained: This insurance coverage kicks in when a claim is made against services you or your aide have provided. There may be patients or family members of patients alleging that you/ your aide were negligent in duties or there was a failure to perform services as claimed or that you gave wrong advice that led to some detriment to the patient. In any such situations where you are accused of a lapse in medical care that has led to some harm to the patient, your malpractice liability insurance helps cover the risk. Wrap: Knowing how your insurance plan protects your business helps you tackle legal claims with confidence, challenging allegations that are falsely made against you. Talk to your insurer and understand the many benefits that your insurance plan provides because this may be your lifesaver in a challenging situation with a client. Read Also: Finding The Right Hospital Your Simple Guide To GAP Insurance

What are the best business opportunities for 2019?

Information and communication technologies have favoured the creation of profitable businesses. It is now possible to manage a profitable business from your computer and in the comfort of your sofa. Creating an online business has become an excellent way to achieve financial independence by freeing yourself from the geographical constraints, schedules and the goodwill of a boss. There are many businesses for Sale and investment opportunities as on the year 2019. Among which there are 5 profitable business ideas to get you started. 5 profitable business ideas to finally get you started: Now that you've validated your business opportunities, let's tackle these business ideas that you can implement today to finally get started. This list is not exhaustive and it is up to you to make an informed choice according to your skills and your passions. 1. E-commerce: An e-commerce store is a profitable business idea that has made many fortunes. Here you get a lot of investment opportunities. It has become even more accessible with the creation of new SAAS software that can quickly create online stores without touching a line of code. With a merchant site, a company truly enters the world of e-commerce. An online store is mainly intended to sell products on the internet. It can also find information about the company as a showcase site. The payment of orders is made directly online, via a secure payment offered by major banks or with online payment processors such as PayPal. Thanks to the online shop administration interface (CMS), the company can control orders, manage and maintain inventory, add or delete products. When a user places an order and it is validated, the company is informed by e-mail details of the order in progress. The customer receives an e-mail confirming the order on the merchant site. All that remains is to send the goods and update the status of the order on the administration platform. However note that the frequency of updating the site, the supply of the site (news), the management of the promotion and the reduction campaigns will be necessary to build customer loyalty. In an e-commerce store, one get opportunities Businesses for Sale. 2. Affiliate Marketing: Another profitable business idea is affiliation. It has developed with the sale of information products on the internet. In its simplest form, affiliation involves selling the products of others. You can join an affiliate program and your role will be to promote products (physical or electronic) or services through your website. Affiliate marketing usually consists of 4 distinct elements: The publisher (affiliate), the advertiser (merchant), the consumer and the network. The advertiser, also known as the merchant or retailer name, is an individual or business that sells a product or service. The advertiser partners with publishers to promote its products and services. The publisher, also known as a marketer or affiliate, is a person who promotes products or services. It partners with the advertiser to promote the products or services of the advertiser. The publisher uses ads, links, and creates marketing campaigns to find buyers of the advertiser's products or services. Thus, for each product sold, the advertiser gives a commission to the publisher. The consumer: you already know him it's you, it's me. The consumer is the one who uses a product or service to meet a need. The network: also known as a program or platform, acts as an intermediary between the advertiser and the publisher. The network makes it easy for the publisher to find and participate in a marketing affiliate program. Its role is also to reach a larger number of advertisers and publishers. Some programs have a membership fee while others take a portion of the advertiser's profits when a sale is validated. The marketing affiliation in a few words: As an associate marketer, your site will showcase products and/or services from other companies. When one of your site visitors buys one of these products, you receive a commission percentage on the sale. No stock, no logistics and no direct contact with consumers. Your commission is almost a pure profit. Affiliation is the ultimate profitable business idea when you're new to the internet. 3. Accounting and Tax Returns: Accounting and taxation are somewhat complex technical areas. As an accountant, your role is to provide the necessary insights, to make the declarations, to do the accounting for your customers and to spare them all the pitfalls, in particular as regards the tax and accounting obligations, the problems of taxes on their companies. With a degree in accounting, you can work for your own account. All you need is a website and good marketing knowledge to sell your services. Your clientele will consist of individuals, SMEs, small businesses and perhaps some large companies. 4. Virtual Assistance: The job of Virtual Assistant comes from the United States and dates back to the 1990s. It's a way to use your skills to make it a profitable business. Today with new technologies, everyone could get started in virtual assistance. The tasks to be performed depending on your specialty. For example, if you have a good ability to search, summarize data and write, then you can apply for the position of a virtual assistant (the). Both individuals and companies pay for the services of a virtual assistant. To exercise this activity, all you need to get started is a website! The virtual assistant allows her employer to save time in the same way as a classical assistant. The only difference is that in your, you free yourself from geographical constraints. 5. Delivery of beauty boxes: You are passionate about cosmetics; this profitable business is what you need. The girl loves to try new beauty products. However, women cannot buy all the latest products in their standard size. With the delivery service of monthly beauty boxes, you can meet this wide demand. The concept is to collect samples from beauty brands that have just been released to make them discover your subscribers. Everyone wins: brands make their products known, women who discover new products, and you who sell the subscriptions to these boxes monthly. Read Also: 8 Key SEO Strategies For E-Commerce Websites How To Choose The Best Affiliate Programs To Promote On Your WordPress Blog

Understanding How Employee Recognition Can Aid Your Consulting Firm

Throughout the 21st century, there has been a multitude of changes that the world has seen. The large majority of these transformations have come from the rise of the Internet and other web-based technologies. Tech, like smartphones and tablets, as well other entities have allowed society to go through massive changes. The economy is another entity that has been altered immensely by the rise of the Internet and technology. Many new industries have been spawned, and pre-existing fields have adopted these technologies and implemented them into their business models. One industry where technology has greatly modified the field has been consulting. Consultants take a myriad of actions to aid numerous types of companies, and in order to ensure that your consulting firm is running effectively, it is important to recognize the excellent job that your employees perform. Employee recognition is crucial to a successful consulting firm, so it is in your company’s best interest to ensure that your workers know that they are appreciated. Ideas for Consulting Firms to Recognize Employees Whether your employee is a vice president or an entry-level auditor, everyone who works for a consulting agency is an important part of the team. It is crucial to let your employees know that because, in order to motivate your employees, you have to let them know they are imperative to the company’s mission. There are many ideas for recognizing your employees and if you want your company to be successful, it is important that you follow these tips. There are three major keys to meaningful employee recognition. Those include personal recognition, specific recognition, and unexpected recognition. Personal recognition entails personalized thank you notes and verbal thank-yous, specific recognition is when employers tell their employees exactly what they did correctly to warrant recognition, and unexpected recognition is when management acknowledges a job well done when it was least expected. Utilizing all of these types of employee recognitions will allow your consulting firm to have highly motivated employees. Understanding the Benefits of Employee Recognition After learning about how to effectively recognize employees’ efforts, it is crucial to learn about how this will influence your consulting firm. Having highly motivated employees can provide numerous benefits for any business. Employees who are motivated will be less likely to leave your company. Diminishing the amount of turnover is essential to running a successful business, so having employees that feel inspired by their higher-ups’ recognition will certainly benefit your consulting business. Another major benefit is the more comfortable and contented office atmosphere that will be created. When employees feel like their bosses know they have done a great job, they will feel like they matter more to the company, creating a more egalitarian mood throughout the office. Final Thoughts As the consulting industry grows, it will become evident how important it is to have motivated employees. Employee recognition is crucial in any field, but especially in the consulting industry. In such a highly personalized field, employee recognition is incredibly important and will aid your consulting firm to decrease turnover rates and create a better working climate. Read Also: How Power BI Training Can Increase Business Profits? 3 Ways To Boost Employee Engagement In Your Business Victor Mitchell, Serial Entrepreneur On How To Retain Your Top Employees While Growing Your Business

5 Factors To Consider When Hiring A Branding Expert For Your Business

How can a Branding Expert help a Business: What you need to know