The arts of branding have been around since the economic boom in the 1500s. As a result, branding consultants are an integral part of any company's marketing strategy. They use their knowledge and expertise to make sure that all aspects of a customer or client experience meet your desired brand identity.
Branding consultants come from many backgrounds but most often they have some type of design background like graphic design, illustration, or art history. A degree is not required for this career path though it does help quite a bit when looking for employment opportunities; sometimes even at high-level positions such as creative director or head designer for an advertising agency.
If you happen to be new in the branding space, first understanding what branding is and why is it important is crucial.
Branding consultants aren't artists, so they can't design logos. However, branding consultants are more than just designers; branding consultant jobs require the creative skill to bring a company's identity to life through branding and marketing campaigns.
Branding consultants need to be able to clearly articulate their client's vision and plan how it will meet that mission statement. This is accomplished through the use of print materials like pamphlets or brochures but also more cutting-edge promotional material like video, websites, or blogs.
A branding expert has a lot of skills in general but a few that are integral to their success include
Most branding consultants start out either in the design or business fields. A bachelor's degree is not always required but it does help immensely when looking for branding consultant jobs, especially after graduation.
Many companies seek those with both a design degree as well an MBA in branding or marketing; a combination that helps you understand how branding works directly with sales strategies and overall company goals. If you want to be a professional branding expert, earning an MBA is very important because of how integral this field is to any company's success. This particular master's program may also lead to more advanced positions such as brand manager or chief branding officer.
A branding consultant salary starts out around $50,000 but can grow up to $120,000 after 10 years of experience in the field. With this type of pay comes a lot of extra money as well; over time branding consultants may also earn commissions and incentives for reaching sales goals or bringing in new clients.
This is the average salary shown by Glassdoor worldwide
While entry-level salaries are quite low compared to other professional careers, brand experts can expect to see their income soar with promotions which give employees ample opportunity for financial growth in the future. The best place to start researching branding consultant jobs is on Indeed.com where all branding and marketing positions are listed by employer name as well as employee rating and salary information.
There is a branding expert for every possible career field. The strategic branding consultant job that best fits one individual may not be the same as another. Most branding consultants start out in smaller marketing firms where they learn branding strategies from more experienced designers or business professionals. Important skills to have when becoming a branding consultant include:-
You've reached freelance branding consultant status, you can offer your services to companies looking for branding help. It's a great first step that allows you to become familiar with branding and branding consultant skills and start building your own clientele.
Type 1
A branding consultant helps with branding by consulting on the projected image of a company or an individual. They are also responsible for managing brand recognition, presenting the brand to their client in a way that is favorable, and communicating how the clients’ existing assets can be used to strengthen their branding.
Type 2
A strategic branding consultant assists with global branding where they manage the strategic positioning of the firm and its products. This includes public relations and external communications. They also help in determining how to make adjustments to positioning to maintain distinctiveness and competitiveness, but at the same time have an impact on financial performance over the short, medium or long term.
Type 3
Branding tactics are when branding experts, or branding agencies, help with the branding of a product by providing creative branding strategies such as naming and logo design. They also provide branding expertise in areas like packaging, print media advertisements, websites, and even social networks
The best way to find branding consultant job listings is to register at websites like Glassdoor or LinkedIn where other branding pros will post projects in need of branding work as well as freelance designer jobs in general.
These sites also come equipped with rating systems so you can see how reliable the person posting the project is before committing your time and efforts to their business; this is an important part of freelancing which gives everyone involved more peace of mind.
Yes, branding consultant salaries will keep getting larger as branding professionals gain more experience in their field and rise through the ranks with better companies or ones that pay a higher hourly rate or compensate employees based on commission rates instead of base salaries. Your branding talent will also grow along with your professional career so don't be surprised when you begin to make more money as a branding consultant after just one year than you did your first year working as an entry-level employee at a marketing firm.
Other branding jobs that allow for financial growth include becoming brand management specialists or chief branding officers; both of these positions are high-stress but come with a high salary and raise potential.
The average branding consultant salary in the United States is $100,696 a year but branding salaries can be much more (or less) depending on where you live and what branding jobs you're applying to or applying for promotion into. The hardest part about branding salaries is that it's difficult to predict how much branding work will pay in your field or niche; if there aren't many branding jobs available then it's unlikely branding consultants are making very much money, but if you create an entire branding strategy for a new company from scratch then expect a nice paycheck as well as some serious career advancement down the road.
Your best bet when trying to figure out how much branding consultant has made so far this month is to compare branding consultant salary with branding manager salaries and see how much branding work is in your field; branding job listings are easy to find if you look hard enough.
Branding is an important part of branding consultant jobs and can be challenging to master. It's a good idea to have branding skills before you go out on your own as a branding consultant, but the beauty of freelancing is that if you don't know how branding works, it won't matter because there are plenty of other design-related positions available for those who want them.
The best way to learn about branding and branding consulting skills is by studying all aspects of marketing from SEO fundamentals to content creation techniques like blogging or creating videos. Hope this has given you a proper insight into how to be a brand consultant.