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Struggling to find affordable Creative agency services?

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It can be a challenge to find creative agency services that deliver excellent results, but don’t break the bank.

If you’re a small business, you’ll know that it can all feel a bit ‘chicken and egg’. You’re keen to grow and increase your brand presence. But you don’t necessarily have the funds to invest in large scale marketing initiatives.

Many marketing agencies will try to dazzle you with trendy buzzwords and shiny technology. But they might not offer you a solid return on your investment.

So it’s worth shopping around for an experienced creative agency that really understands your business and your goals.

 

“If you’re struggling to make a decision about an agency, consider whether they mirror your ethos as a business, and your personal values.

Commitment, communication, honesty, professionalism and experience are all key ingredients to a good agency client relationship.“

– Stu Lowe, Director at Brand Nest

What are Creative agency services?

Creative agency services can help you reach your audience, wherever they are.

Services can include;

• video production
• website design and development
• logos, merchandise and branded designs
• social media management
• brand guidelines and re-brands

 

Types of creative agencies

There are thousands of agencies out there who will all promise to do wonders for your business.

So, how do you decide which one is right for you?

More often than not, the decision will come down to your goals, the size of your business, and your budget.

Huge, global organisations often choose to work with large creative agencies. They’ll have entire teams dedicated to a single client account.

Usually, they’ll work across multiple marketing plans and channels simultaneously, and have many layers of management, account directors and skilled specialists – but this comes at a price!

Small to medium sized businesses tend to favour smaller, independent creative agencies.

Smaller agencies can offer the same level of experience, expertise and results as their larger counterparts. But at a fraction of the price.

Define your success

Success means different things to different people;

• If you’re a small business starting out, success may simply mean making enough sales to help you pay the bills. You’re focused on keeping the business moving so you can break even.
• If you’re a more established and financially stable business, your goal will likely be about growth, market share and brand exposure.
• For some companies, the biggest focus is on purpose over profit – the impact you make on people and the world around you.

It’s important to work out what success means to you, before you invest in any creative agency services. This will give you a better chance of achieving your goals.

And it’ll also help you identify the right type of agency for you – one that understands your goals and shares your ethos, values and vision.

Tailored to you

Bespoke creative agency services need not mean expensive.

It just means that the agency will suggest the right creative medium for your goal, audience and budget. Sometimes this includes using templates and off-the-shelf products.

The important bit is that they take the time to understand what you hope to achieve. And then, they can suggest the best way to get there.

An example of this is your business website. There are some fantastic template website providers like WordPress, which could be perfect for your business. They’re affordable and quick to set up. A great agency can help you get your look and feel right, set you up with a WordPress template, and support you with a domain and hosting.

If your budget stretches further and you need niche elements on your website, they might suggest building you a bespoke website from scratch. This will cost more but give you a lot more dynamism and tech wizardry.

What matters is that your chosen creative agency gives you options in a clear and transparent way. Then YOU can make an informed decision about what you need.

Piece by piece

The best way to know if a creative agency is right for you is to test them out!

Give them a small project to work on and see how they approach it, and what results they deliver.

This will hopefully give you confidence that they can offer the right creative agency services for your business.

And, if not, at least you haven’t invested your entire marketing budget in them!

Be wary of agencies that try to tie you into lengthy contracts, or those that encourage you to do everything at once.

At Brand Nest, for example, we actively encourage our clients to break up their marketing plans into small, incremental chunks. We might suggest they focus on their branding and logo first, before we re-design their website. Once that’s complete, we can create videos for their website and social channels. Finally, we can support them with branded merchandise and any other marketing materials they need.

We find this piecemeal approach works well as it keeps projects manageable for clients, and spreads their spend across a longer timeframe.

Part of the team

At Brand Nest we like to work as an extension of each client’s team.

We embed ourselves in their culture and ways of working for a few reasons;

• helps us mirror their tone of voice in any marketing materials we create
• saves time as we understand the business and can refer to it with direct experience
• is vital for good communication and transparency, which guarantees a good end result

This is one of the benefits of being a small, independent agency. We work closely and directly with each client, so they get dedicated, 1:1 attention.

There’s no outsourcing to various sales people and account managers.

Chatting to clients on Slack, setting up regular calls and meeting face to face when possible are all ways we keep the communication strong.

Get in touch

“Hi there, I’m Stuart Lowe – the Creative Director and Founder of Brand Nest. After spending more than twenty years as a creative leader and designer at global brands in fintech, cybersecurity and the automotive industry, I’ve done a bit of everything – from launching award-winning brands through to managing complete logo and website redesigns. Based in West Sussex, I’m passionate about blending the creative and the commercial to build engaging brands that attract new customers and increase revenue growth. I now want to bring all of that experience to local businesses to help them realise their commercial potential.”

Contact us to find out how Brand Nest can help you achieve your marketing goals.