Shopping for a Branding Consultant

What is a Branding Consultant and why on earth would I need one?  Oh honey, let's talk.  In the past, only big business has been concerned about branding.  They utilize entire marketing teams to focus on their branding to ensure their name is chosen before the competitor.  Pepsi versus Coke, chances are you have a giant opinion on which is better.  A branding consultant of sorts probably assisted in that opinion yours without you knowing it.  In this age of mass entrepreneurship, branding is more prevalent to establish market advantage and is also likely why you hear the title Branding Consultant more often.

Here's what they do:

1. Getting Started.  A Consultant often offers some form of initial consultation to assess the potential relationship and opportunities.  This might be called a Discovery Call or some version of that.  This may or may not be free and could range from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
2. Strategy. This may be wrapped into the initial meeting and may or may not include a full written version of the conversation with either details of the call, suggestions, a plan of action, a checklist, and/or so on.
3. Projects. This is where things might change up a bit depending on your branding consultant and your agreements.  Your consultant may work together with you on projects such as:
   1. Pulling together and implementing your Logo and the Image of your company.
   2. Establishing the Vision and Voice of your Company and ensuring your Website and all other Channels speak a unified language.  
   3. Planning and/or Managing your Online Presence.
   4. Heading Marketing Campaigns
   5. Establishing Sales Funnels
   6. etc.
4. ​ Accountability.  Think of a personal trainer or a coach.  Your Branding Consultant may offer services acting as as your accountability partner for your Business and your Branding.  This may be a program of a set number of weeks, a purchase of a set number of sessions, or an ongoing subscription to services.
   

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This is why you need one:

1. You're too close to it.  Be honest with yourself.  You are not able to realistically assess how others see you, your company, and your brand.  You may or may not be overwhelmingly passionate about what you want to say to the world, but you need an expert eye to assess if you are being effective.
2. Trust.  After your brand is formed, living it takes practice, guidance, and consistency to build trust.  It's just like a person's personality and building relationships.  Building solid relationships takes work.  We often seek help. And, if you start lying or trying to be someone else, your old friends may start talking to you less and go find a new friend.
3. Expertise.  You can attempt to write your own contracts, do your own taxes, and build your own website to save money or just because you can, but it doesn't usually turn out as good as when someone else with the expertise does it for you.  The right Branding Consultant will have the eye, knows the market research strategies, has experience, and will effectively make a difference in your business.

​Advice on selecting the right Branding Consultant for you:

1. Chemistry.  It's kind of like admitting looks matters when you are looking for a mate, but it's ok.  Admit it.  You have to like the person to have a relationship with them.  You're sharing your baby with this person, and possibly some confidential information about your business.  You will want to go through this process with someone you like.  A great consultant will be honest and deny business with someone they do not feel they fit with or can be valuable to.
2. Research.  Do it.  Realistically, like many other design careers, a Branding Consultant may not have a huge portfolio, but still may do a better job then someone with 10 years of experience.  The fact is, some are naturally talented in the field.  Take a look at what your consultant has for a portfolio or clientele.  Take a look at their business and brand.  If you're impressed by them, it is likely they can do that for you.  Or, their branding consultant can.   

Feeling like you might want to try it out?  You can set up a Free 30-minute Initial Consultation with J. Fre Consulting HERE!

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