Best Digital Branding Agencies in the UK (2024)

What is a digital branding agency?

Based on today’s level of development of the digital space, it is no longer enough to simply create bright packaging and write a memorable slogan in order to attract the attention of a potential audience and bring the brand to the top positions in the rating. Today, if companies don’t want to miss the boat, they need expert help from a digital branding company involved in digital technologies, since the lion’s share of clients comes from social networks, websites and other media platforms.

If previously branding could only include outdoor advertising, printing and other physical media, today’s agencies are building a strategy taking into account online competition, which radically changes approaches and tools. According to statistics, the digital advertising market has reached $ 681.39 billion in recent years and, according to analysts, this is not the limit, since the pace of development of the web space, and therefore user interest, is growing steadily.

The range of branding services still includes strategy development, market analysis, and brand identity development, but now considering the platforms on which this brand will position itself, which means it is necessary to supplement the usual set with social media management, SEO promotion, and launching digital advertising. All of these tasks are handled perfectly and quickly by all of the providers listed on our list.

A holistic brand development strategy factors in the new challenges of the digital world, allowing to increase recognition, attract a new audience, improve communication with existing clients, and use virtual opportunities to influence and convey brand values ​​faster and more purposefully.

What does a digital agency for branding do?

Agencies perform quite a lot of different functions, which, at first glance, have a lot in common and therefore are difficult to understand. Lets dive deeper into this and for your convenience, we have received expert advice and will try to bethink in detail each of the areas in which you can get help by contacting a digital branding agency.

1. Brand strategy development. Since the foundation of a successful digital campaign is laid in a well-thought-out and analytically based action plan, this area is rightfully considered the main one and even to some extent mandatory.

The process of developing and building a strategy includes market research, audience segmentation and competitor research, which subsequently allows to formulate a clear and conceptual USP and create a message that will definitely resonate with the target audience and as a result the brand will be on the ball.

2. Visual identity development. We can say that this area is similar to the creation of an authentic visual language of the brand, in which it will speak to its customers (existing and potential). This includes typography, colour schemes, images for various purposes and all this is developed by brand design experts in such a way that this set can then be easily adapted to both a website and an application or emails.
3. Website design and user experience. It is safe to say that today a website is the business card that a client sees when getting to know a company and, according to Google Research statistics, today a user spends a record-breaking amount of time – only 0.05 seconds – to make a favourable impression and make a positive decision.

This means that the site must be so superb thought out that in these moments it not only ensures fast work, positive user experience and a quick path to conversion, but also influences a potential client.

4. Content creation. Although this area intersects with marketing, digital branding is impossible without content, because any blog post or email newsletter conveys the brand’s values, position, mission, and identity, consequently the task of a digital branding firm is to generate content that will attract the target audience, and in integration with SEO tools increase visibility in search engines.
5. Social media management. Without this area, you won’t get far today, since new users often come from these channels, and interaction with the audience is easier to build through direct close contact, which is much easier to ensure through social networks than through a website. Agencies provide services for creating, maintaining, and analysing pages in order to maximise interaction with clients and convey the company’s values.

These are the main and common services provided by branding agencies, but in addition to this, each organisation can also offer extra options, such as SEO optimisation or advertising setup as part of other package services.

How to find a digital branding company?

Our list of the best providers offering digital branding services will certainly help you navigate among the many similar firms. But we also received recommendations from our experts, who gave some advice on selecting digital branding agencies. Minding the described aspects, you will be able to make an easy choice and also avoid pitfalls.

So, to make a long story short, when choosing a digital branding agency, pay attention to the following points:

Matching your goals with the agency’s capabilities. Many firms specialise in a certain type of activity, but even if you are considering a company with a comprehensive approach, study the services that the agency offers and compare them with what you want.

While one set of tools is needed to develop an existing brand, completely different approaches are required to launch a new name on the market. Typically, all that glitter isn’t gold and one agency can increase your visibility on social networks, while others are simply SEO gurus, so understanding your goals is key to choosing the final partner.

Evaluate the portfolio. This is quite a common piece of advice, but a dilemma arises: what exactly should be evaluated when looking at this portfolio? What to pay attention to and what to look for? We will answer on the merits.

Firstly, these are the areas in which the work has been completed and if they are close to yours, this is an excellent indicator that the team is familiar with the specifics of the industry. Secondly, this is the quality of the work and here, most likely, everything is clear, because if you do not like what has been done for other clients, there is no guarantee that your order will meet expectations.

Thirdly, compare the general style and vision that the digital agency for branding conveys in the completed cases and your idea, because you must find a true like-minded person who understands the word “beautiful” or “honestly” in the same way as you do, in order to avoid misunderstandings or discrepancies.

Read the reviews. It seems like a trivial piece of advice, but if you use it correctly, then among these words you can find a lot of useful information for yourself. For example, you can evaluate the style of communication with clients, the speed of response to comments, compliance with schedules and financial obligations – all that is rarely written about on agency websites, but can be easily found out from those who have already worked with this team.

Evaluate technological expertise. Since the digital branding industry itself is quite trendy and rapidly changing, then mastering all the latest technologies is simply a must have here so that your site does not look like a dinosaur among robots. You can always check with employees whether they have the necessary tools to meet your request, be it web development or SEO promotion.

Compare budgets. Of course, in such an important matter as branding your product or service, cost will not be the only criterion, but it is still worth paying attention to. And not so much to the final amount, but to the cost formation system and pricing model, since this is what can subsequently cause inconvenience.

In our list, you can see the hourly rates of different providers, as well as their minimum cost per project, which will allow you to narrow your search a little, and in the future, during direct consultations with agency representatives, you will be able to clarify all the financial issues that have arisen.

By the way, we will share one more bonus tip from our experts… If you are not ready to immediately entrust full branding to any provider, start with a small project, the so-called trial. If the style of work, communication and interaction suits you, feel free to decide on comprehensive service!

Cost of projects in digital branding firm

When you want to determine the budget for digital branding, you need to focus not only on the cost of specific work at the selected providers. The pricing model used by this company is also important. In our table below, we will try to tell you about the factors that influence the formation of the price, and below – about those important points that should be examined for the correct distribution of the allocated funds.

As for pricing models, here it is more a matter of convenience of payment for clients. If digital branding companies have adopted a project-based system, then already at the beginning of cooperation it is quite clear what amount should be allocated for digital branding, and such clarity and transparency is present when paying on an hourly basis. Another fairly clear way is to pay for each individual service, unless you need something large-scale, like a comprehensive branding strategy with analytical market research and full service and management.

But you should not rush to choose an agency that forms a price based on value or specific results, if it will be problematic to measure a specific achievement however when ordering one separate service, like setting up advertising, where you can clearly track the benefit brought to the brand, such a model will be very successful.

Looking for digital branding companies?

When selecting an agency to lead your brand to success, it is worth taking advantage of all of our recommendations, but also notice the availability of comprehensive online presence packages that include all the necessary elements to be visible and visitable on the Internet. All the digital branding firms on our list possess the knowledge of how to enable your business to make waves.

We also have a great service to help you navigate the financial side of things so you also have a chance to quickly get your bearings with an approximate budget considering the services that are necessary to promote your brand digitally by using the project calculator on our website.

Be smart and measure twice, cut once to be sure of your choice. Remember, you can always contact our experts, who will be able to guide you through the full-flowing sea of ​​digital branding and answer those questions that have gone beyond those we explained in our article.