DIY Branding vs. Hiring a Professional: When Does It Make Sense?
Starting a new business includes endless and barbaric to-do lists. It can be difficult for founders to prioritize tasks on these lists because it’s often challenging to determine what takes priority in a ceaseless litany of projects where every item seems equally fundamental. What’s more important, for example, securing insurance for your business or furnishing the office with necessary equipment? Is it more important to hire an accountant or lock down a logo? The endless punch lists that arise when building a new business include questions surrounding branding. At a time when money is flying out the door, earmarking funds for branding can feel like a stretch, especially when free design tools offer an easy stopgap.
Sometimes, it’s useful to DIY your branding when launching a business—to save money and to leave space for the business to expand before locking in a forever-brand. But there are also moments when hiring a professional can save time, money and frustration that may arise later in the life of the small business. So, how do you know which approach makes sense for your business?
When DIY Branding Makes Sense
DIY branding isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be a smart starting point for a new business that is still figuring out its identity. When your business exists theoretically—when it’s still a delicious and untested idea in your head—it’s easy to think through systems and survival, and it’s quite clear, at this point, to see how the profits will cover all the operating costs. But the real world has a way of testing small business owners by throwing you expensive curveballs that may not have been featured in the startup plans. We’ve seen business owners thwarted by faulty HVAC systems, landlords that disappear and then reappear months later with lawyers in tow, overseas shipments that become delayed by months. It’s impossible to foresee all the fires you’ll need to put out as a business owner, and sometimes key funds earmarked for important startup costs (like branding!) get redirected into the HVAC repair fund. Sometimes it’s wise to battle test the brand in the world for a few years before understanding exactly what your final, polished look will be. Here are a few cases where DIY branding makes sense:
1. You’re in the early stages of your business.
Many brands pivot after the first five to ten years in business. In the early years, you may be in the process of determining who the target audience is for your product or service and how you can better speak to those populations. Niching down is fundamental for a small business, but it can be tough to niche at the beginning, when founders feel that their products and services are for everyone. These businesses might need a few years to sharpen their identity, so a DIY brand at the beginning is a smart decision.
2. Your budget is limited.
Small businesses are often strapped for cash—especially for owners who are bootstrapping their ventures and walking a perilous line between debt and survival. For founders who are building out a space, this includes hiring architects and contractors and designers, and these payments need to be made months before the business opens its doors, let alone becomes profitable. Product inventory can be another colossal upfront expense. Startup costs can be hard to cover, so it DIYing a brand at the beginning may save a bit of money.
3. You or someone you know has a flair for design.
Many of our clients have lots of supportive friends and family members. And there is always someone on that roster who fancies himself a designer. Maybe he is—maybe he has a degree in graphic design, or he is a deliriously good typographer. Maybe he is a color theorist who paints murals by night and works in advertising by day. It is tempting and freeing to outsource elements of branding to supportive friends and family. To varying degrees, this can be a useful stopgap until the brand truly takes off.
When It’s Time to Hire a Professional
As your business grows, the role of your brand changes. You’re no longer just trying to look credible. You start selling products and services to people outside of your friends and family group. As you grow, you start competing with other small businesses in your industry, and you determine ways that your product or service is distinct from the others. You wish you had a shorthand to communicate your value and attract the right customers. That’s where professional branding can make a significant difference. Here are some indications that it might be time to level up:
1. Your business has outgrown its original brand
Once you dial into your audience and your business starts to take off, you may see that a DIY brand starts to look less professional than other businesses in your industry that are at a similar price point. The quality of your product or service alone will not necessarily attract new business. Having a brand that looks professional and appeals to a certain segment of the population becomes as important as the product itself.
2. You’re struggling to make everything look consistent
Small business owners don’t always have marketing teams or virtual assistants who can assist as the brand grows and becomes activated in the world. Social media platforms should have a cohesive brand voice and palette, and brandmarks should be consistent across all platforms. Maintaining this type of brand alignment can become a full time job in itself, and if small businesses don’t have someone looking out for this, the misalignment can creep in fast.
3. You want to stand out from competitors
As your business grows, and you niche down, you find out exactly who your competitors are. As a result, it’s natural to want to stand out from them, to help spotlight what makes your business distinct and to emphasize why clients should work with you over any other business. This might require a deeper dive into thinking through your brand values, what you excel at, how you aim to accomplish your overall purpose and who, exactly, you’re speaking to. A branding studio can help you work through these questions and develop a strong visual representation that aligns with your brand DNA.
4. You’re trying to attract higher-value customers
Once you determine how your products or services are being received, it may be time to move upmarket and target a different demographic. If the demand is there, you might be able to refine your product or service and leap upmarket. But you can’t make that leap if your brand still has an artisanal, DIY feel. People are more likely to pay more for a brand that looks professional.
5. Branding is taking time away from running your business
As a business scales, it may become impossible for you to continue managing the business and building and overseeing the brand. New hires need to be kept up to speed on brand conventions and new brand elements need to be added to keep the brand fresh. There might come a time when what seemed manageable in the early days becomes crushing. Brand misalignment is easily a byproduct of this overwhelm. A branding professional can provide an outside perspective as the brand grows and the DIY model becomes more trouble than it’s worth.
6. You built your brand for you and not your audience.
Over time, it may become clear that when you DIYed your brand, you did so with a specific vision of what appeals to you. However, as your brand grows, you may find that what appeals to you may not appeal to your audience. Sometimes people who are professionals in an industry know too much! They rely on their expertise and forget that ultimately, they are speaking to people who might not be fluent in the language and conventions of their industry. The effect can be alienating for an audience. A branding studio can help create a healthy distance between a founder and the brand itself and help build an identity that speaks to the intended audience.
The Bottom Line
DIY branding can be a perfectly reasonable choice when you’re starting out. It can help you get your business moving without a major upfront investment. But as your business grows, branding becomes less about simply “looking professional” and more about communicating your value, differentiating your business and building recognition. If your current branding feels inconsistent, outdated, forgettable or disconnected from the business you’re building, it may be time to bring in a professional.
Professional branding isn’t about handing your business over to a designer and saying, “Make it look slick.” The best branding process is collaborative. You bring the knowledge of your business and your goals, and a branding professional brings the strategy and creative expertise to turn that knowledge into a brand that works. Your business may not need a professional brand on day one. But when your brand starts holding your business back, that’s usually a good sign that it’s time to stop DIY-ing and start investing strategically.
Need an outside perspective on your brand to see what’s working and what needs a refresh? Check out our Brand Audit, a comprehensive assessment of your existing brand and a tailored plan of action for moving your brand forward. The Brand Audit offers an opportunity to see your brand through the eyes of industry professionals and get a custom roadmap for where to go next.