Branding ROI in companies is consistently high, but one of the hardest things to measure.

Unlike short-term linear metrics like clicks and conversions, the value of intangible assets like your brand don’t fit neatly into a spreadsheet.

Because of that, branding is best understood through its outcomes, not isolated metrics:

Internal results of branding include team alignment, stronger culture, and faster decision-making.

External results of branding include increased trust, premium pricing, shorter sales cycles, and stronger customer loyalty.

To make those results less abstract, below are documented business impacts of effective branding.

Brand Strategy ROI

If people love a brand story, 15% will buy immediately and 55% are more likely to buy in the future

• Headstream

Businesses with well-defined brand strategies can expect revenue growth of 10–20%

• Harvard Business Review

77% of consumers buy from brands that share the same values as they do

• Havas Group

Understanding and tailoring to your audience can increase marketing effectiveness by up to 60%

• Nielsen

Brand Identity ROI

Using a signature color can increase brand recognition by up to 80%

• Reboot

Consistent brand presentation across all platforms increases revenue by up to 23%

• Marq

• Brand:
  The sum of people’s feelings about you, based on all previous direct or indirect interactions they’ve had with you.
• Branding:
  The process of influencing a brand, started by brand designers and continued by founders.
• Brand story:
  A reason for your business to exist beyond making money (purpose), communicated to people.
• Strategy:
  The thinking behind why your business exists, what it stands for and how it competes.
• Identity:
  The execution of how your business looks and communicates across all touchpoints.
• Touchpoints:
  All online and offline places where people interact with you (website, content, print, word-of-mouth, customer support…).
• Brand audit:
  The process of assessing strengths and weaknesses of an existing brand.
• Brand refresh:
  The process of updating the visual and verbal identity of an existing brand.
• Rebrand:
  The process of changing the strategy and identity of an existing brand.
• Brand equity:
  The commercial value derived from perception of your brand.

Strategy dictionary

• Purpose:
  A reason for your business to exist beyond making money.
• Mission:
  A statement that outlines how exactly you fulfill your purpose.
• Vision:
  The long-term future you aim to create.
• Positioning:
  A decision about how you want to be perceived in relation to competition in your market.
• Value proposition:
  The unique value you offer to help your customers.
• Brand values:
  The principles that guide your decisions.
• Brand personality:
  Human characteristics associated with your brand.
• Brand architecture:
  A defined hierarchy of your products or services.

Identity dictionary

• Visual identity:
  The execution of how your business looks through design.
• Verbal identity:
  The execution of how your business communicates through words.
• Mood board:
  A collection of visual materials intended to convey a specific feeling.
• Symbol:
  A graphic mark without words that represents you.
• Wordmark:
  A logo made out of only words.
• Lettermark:
  A logo made out of only initials.
• Logo:
  A symbol, a word, or a combination of both that represents you.
• Typography:
  The appearance of letters.
• Typeface:
  A collection of characters with a common design style (Helvetica).
• Font:
  A file that implements a specific typeface variant (Helvetica Bold).
• Visual identity guidelines:
  A document that defines and explains how you look visually.
• Style guide:
  A document that defines and explains how you communicate.
• Tagline:
  A short memorable sentence you use to remind people of you.
• Tone of voice:
  The emotional style you use in communication.
• Messaging:
  Key ideas your brand communicates.

This branding dictionary is constantly updated and simplified. If you have a suggestion or a better definition, please send it to me.