IKM

IKM, which also goes by Be Known, is a B2B branding and marketing agency in Herndon, Virginia. It works with ambitious business-to-business companies on brand strategy, creative, websites and event marketing, from startup launches to repositioning established industry names.

The agency describes its approach as favoring intuition over iteration and meaning over mechanics. Its work sits at the intersection of branding, marketing and strategy, with strategy, writing, design and development handled by one team. Engagements range from naming and identity through to campaigns, sales material and live events, so a client can move from positioning to execution without switching vendors.

• Branding: brand positioning, messaging, voice, personas, journey mapping, brand architecture, company and product naming, narrative design, identity systems, visual systems and guidelines
• Marketing: campaign strategy, demand generation, content marketing, sales enablement, advertising, emails, landing pages and presentations
• Strategy: go-to-market strategy, market research, competitive insights, content strategy and messaging alignment
• Events: event enablement and event production built around the brand story
• Websites and print: website design and build, product sheets, case studies and printed sales material

The portfolio on the agency's site names Appian, Caseware, Hammerjacks, the Linux Foundation, Powerfleet, ProcureSight, Resonate, SmartWithIt, SpiderOak and Virid, and client logos also include AHAM and RedJack. Examples described by clients include branded websites built for three Linux Foundation projects, branding and event marketing for the launch of Velocity Transactions that the client credits with producing over 100 prospects, and a redesign of Powerfleet's product sheets, case studies and print sales material. SpiderOak's testimonial credits IKM with building alignment across differing internal perspectives.

The team named on the site includes Ian Kaine MacGregor as partner and creative director, Lynn MacGregor as founder for operations, Kevin Harrington as creative lead, Gretchen Pastorek as technical lead and Christina Oliviero as project management lead. According to its website, IKM was named top branding agency in Virginia by Clutch, won a Best of Clutch 2025 award for digital marketing, and is a Canva Certified Agency Partner, WP Engine Agency Partner and Wix Partner.