Measuring the impact of human brand building can’t be approached in the same way as money spent on marketing campaigns versus the revenue those campaigns generate because brand value is inherently intangible, making it difficult to quantify. Unlike tangible assets, brand perception and loyalty are based on consumer emotions and experiences, which are not easy to evaluate.

Brand Impact: Why It's Hard to Measure

Many factors influence brand perception, including word-of-mouth. Measuring the impact of each factor to calculate brand equity is complex, especially when you pair this with a long-term impact that is not yet visible. For example, a marketing campaign might boost brand awareness today, but the actual effect on sales and customer loyalty might not be seen for months or even years; the challenges of measuring the impact of human-brand strategy become more apparent. And then there's subjective perception to consider!

Brand value can vary significantly among different consumer segments, and what one group perceives as a strong brand might not resonate with another in the same industry, adding another layer of complexity to measurement. So how do you disentangle the effect of a personal brand from all the other value-add activities your company is engaged in?

Effective Measurement: Finding the Right Tools

While there are tools and methods to measure brand value, such as surveys, social media analytics, and media mix modeling, they often come with limitations. Surveys can be expensive and slow, and analytics may not capture the complete picture of brand perception, so when it comes to human brands and leaders in organisations, most companies resort to vanity metrics.

Metrics like page views, social media likes, and shares get used to gauge brand impact, but they don't necessarily translate to brand loyalty or sales, and they can be skewed or misleading if not interpreted correctly.

Leadership Brands @ Work: The ROI Challenge

Building a collective of strong leadership brands within an organisation can increase customer loyalty, drive client wins, and establish a market edge. Despite these challenges, it's essential to continue investing in brand-building efforts and finding ways to measure their impact.

Measuring the ROI of a leadership brand strategy involves both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Here are some key methods to consider:

Quantitative Metrics:

Numbers and Data

• Website: Track the number of visitors to your leadership content, such as blog posts, reports and videos
• Social Media Engagement: Measure likes, shares, comments, and followers on platforms where leadership content is shared
• Lead Gen: Keep a tally of the number of leads generated from leadership content, such as webinar registrations or whitepaper downloads
• Conversion Rate: Track the % of leads that convert, whether they're new customers or new projects through existing clients
• Revenue Influenced: Attribute specific sales and revenue to leadership branding efforts by tracking lead sources and using UTM parameters in content URLs

Qualitative Indicators: Observations and Insights

• Media Mentions: Monitor the number of times your leaders are mentioned in news articles, industry publications, or podcasts
• Inbound Invitations: Track the number of requests for your leaders to speak at conferences, webinars, or other events
• Client Feedback: Collect and analyse feedback from clients or prospects about your leadership content
• Reputation and Brand Perception: Surveys and sentiment analysis can gauge how your target audience's perception has shifted. Think customer feedback, peer reviews, and industry acknowledgments
• Industry Influence: Measure the size and prestige of the events leaders are invited to speak at, participation in panels, and acknowledgments in industry publications
• Networking and Relationships: New partnerships, collaborations, or relationships attributable to enhanced visibility and reputation
• Talent Attraction: An increase in applications or enquiries from top talent interested in joining your organisation

Business Outcomes: Results and Achievements

A leadership brand represents the reputation and identity of a company's leaders. And leadership brand strategy programmes deliver mutually beneficial results. So, tracking leadership brand ROI can help businesses prove the value of their marketing investments and adjust their strategies to have the most impact.

• Customer Acquisition: Measure any new clients and project sales that are connected to leadership branding efforts
• Customer Retention: Assess the impact of leadership branding on customer loyalty and repeat business
• Employee Engagement: Evaluate how leadership branding influences employee morale, engagement, and retention

Use these 6 Steps to Calculate ROI:

1. Define Objectives: Establish clear goals for your leadership brand strategy
2. Identify Key Metrics: Determine which quantitative and qualitative metrics to track
3. Collect Data: Gather data on the identified metrics
4. Calculate Investment: Sum up all costs associated with the leadership branding efforts
5. Measure Results: Compare pre- and post-strategy performance
6. Calculate ROI: To calculate the ROI, you can use the following formula:

Image: ROI = Net Profit from Leadership Branding / Total Investment in Leadership Branding X100

By systematically tracking these metrics and analysing the data, you can effectively measure the ROI of your leadership brand strategy and make informed decisions to optimise your efforts.

Leadership Brands: Results Are Greater Than ROI Challenges

Yes, measuring leadership brand perception and impact can be complex but bringing people to the forefront of company markets and industries increases loyalty, sales and market position so it's worth figuring it out.

Brandable & Co Leadership Brand programmes sit neatly between Employee Advocacy and ABM so if your organisation is overlooking your people-brand strategy, drop us an email: contactus@brandableandco.com and we'll set up a conversation with our founder, Sallee Poinsette-Nash

For more insights and articles follow us on LinkedIn