Brand & Communications

Brand & Communications involves developing and maintaining a brand’s image, reputation, and value to attract customers and ensure long-term success.

Performance Management

Performance management is about celebrating what’s working, learning from what isn’t, and building a brand team that’s always getting sharper. Give Brand & Communications clear targets, honest feedback loops, and a path to continually raise the bar on impact and creativity.

Combine monthly data reviews with quarterly strategy retros—highlight what’s moving the needle, dig into the stories behind the numbers, and set bold yet realistic KPI targets for the next cycle.

Focus Areas and Top KPIs

Focus Area	Top KPIs
Brand Awareness & Reach	- Brand Awareness - Branded Search Volume - Brand Mentions - Unique Visitors - Brand Awareness Lift
Audience Engagement	- Social Shares - Content Engagement - Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns - Likes, Shares, Comments - Engagement Rate
Brand Perception & Sentiment	- Brand Sentiment - Sentiment Analysis - Brand Recall Score in ICP Surveys - Post-Video Brand Recall Lift - Aided Brand Recall (Survey-Based)
Advocacy & Influence	- Referral Program Participation Rate - Influencer and Advocate Mentions - Referral Engagement Rate - Share Rate Among ICPs - Referral Prompt Acceptance Rate
Pipeline & Business Impact	- Branded Search Volume - Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns - Referral Program Participation Rate - Unique Visitors - Social Engagement from Target Accounts

Frameworks for Metric Selection

Smart metric selection is your secret weapon—choose KPIs that reflect both brand ambition and day-to-day reality. Ensure every chosen metric is actionable, relevant, and tightly aligned to the unique objectives of Brand & Communications.

Brand Health & Impact Framework

Start by mapping your metrics to brand awareness, perception, and engagement. Use a mix of leading and lagging indicators to get a full-circle view.

Key Stages / Examples

• Awareness: Branded Search Volume, Brand Mentions
• Engagement: Social Shares, Content Engagement
• Perception: Brand Sentiment, Brand Recall Score in ICP Surveys
• Advocacy: Referral Program Participation Rate, Influencer and Advocate Mentions

Audience Funnel Alignment

Choose metrics that track the journey from first exposure (top of funnel) to advocacy (bottom of funnel), ensuring Brand directly supports pipeline momentum.

Key Stages / Examples

• Top: Brand Awareness, Unique Visitors
• Middle: Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns, Social Engagement from Target Accounts
• Bottom: Referral Program Participation Rate, Branded Search Volume

Reporting Cadence and Structure

Cadence and clarity keep everyone aligned and ensure data doesn't just live in a dashboard—it drives action, conversation, and improvement. Provide Brand & Communications with a rhythm and structure for sharing insights, celebrating wins, and fueling ongoing learning.

Cadence Overview

• Level: Department and Cross-functional Leadership
• Frequency: Monthly (deep-dive), Weekly (pulse/highlights)
• Audience: Brand & Communications team, GTM leadership, Executive stakeholders

Examples

• Monthly Brand Health Report with KPI trends and campaign insights
• Weekly snapshot: Social Shares, Brand Mentions, and Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns
• Quarterly cross-functional review: Brand Awareness Lift, Branded Search Volume, Influencer and Advocate Mentions

Standard Report Structure

• Executive Summary
• KPI Dashboard & Trends
• Campaign Analysis
• Audience Insights
• Competitive & Industry Benchmarks
• Action Items & Recommendations

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Don’t let your data story get muddled—avoid these traps and keep Brand’s metrics meaningful, motivating, and actionable. Help Brand & Communications sidestep classic measurement mistakes that dilute impact or erode trust.

Frequent Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them:

Issue	Solution
Chasing vanity metrics with no link to business outcomes	Prioritize metrics that reflect true brand health and funnel movement, not just big numbers.
Measuring too many things, or not refreshing focus as strategy evolves	Regularly review your KPI set and prune or swap out metrics that no longer drive action.
Failing to connect brand data to GTM and revenue teams	Build cross-functional reporting and make Brand’s wins (and lessons) visible to Sales, Product, and Leadership.
Ignoring sentiment or perception data in favor of just traffic or engagement	Balance quantitative reach/engagement with sentiment and recall metrics to capture the full brand picture.

How to build a Data-Aware Culture

A data-aware Brand & Communications team is curious, collaborative, and always learning—where insights drive the story, not just decorate the slide. Lay the groundwork for a culture where data fuels creativity, sharpens strategy, and makes every brand moment count.

Foundational Elements

• Clear, shared definitions for every KPI
• Open access to dashboards and reporting tools
• Strong feedback loops between data and creative execution
• Visible leadership support for data-driven experimentation

Team Practices

• Kick off every campaign with KPIs and hypotheses, not just ideas
• Hold regular show-and-tell sessions where team members share what they’ve learned from recent data
• Celebrate not just big wins but smart course-corrections based on what the numbers reveal
• Encourage cross-team learning, especially with Product, Sales, and Customer Success

Maturity Stages

Stage	Description
Foundational	Metrics are tracked for major campaigns, but reporting is ad hoc and siloed. Data literacy varies across the team.
Emerging	KPIs are established and reported regularly. Teams begin using insights to shape creative decisions and allocate resources.
Established	Brand, Comms, and GTM teams collaborate around shared dashboards and insights. Data-informed retrospectives shape future planning.
Advanced	Data is ingrained in daily decision-making and storytelling. Predictive insights and rapid testing drive both brand strategy and creative execution.

Why Data Aware Culture Matter

Bringing data into every brand and communications decision means every message lands smarter, every campaign gets sharper, and your team moves from guessing to knowing. Empower the Brand & Communications team to make strategic, creative, and reputation-impacting decisions rooted in insight instead of instinct.

Relevant Topics:

• Data spotlights what truly resonates with your audience—so you can amplify what works and adjust what doesn't.
• Clear metrics give your team the confidence to experiment, iterate, and justify bold moves to stakeholders.
• A data-aware culture shrinks the gap between brand perception and reality, helping you own your narrative and spot risk early.
• Data-driven storytelling aligns Brand with broader GTM and product goals, ensuring communications drive measurable business value.

Other Related KPIs

Metric	Description
Aided Brand Recall (Survey-Based)	Aided Brand Recall measures the percentage of respondents who recognize your brand when prompted with a list of competitors. It helps assess brand awareness and marketing effectiveness.
Brand Awareness	Brand Awareness is the measure of how familiar your target audience is with your brand, products, and services. It gauges the extent to which consumers recognize, recall, and engage with your brand.
Brand Awareness Lift	Brand Awareness Lift measures the percentage increase in the number of people who are aware of your brand before and after a specific campaign or time period. It helps assess the impact of marketing efforts on brand visibility.
Brand Mentions	Brand Mentions measures the number of times your brand name is referenced across public or private channels (e.g., social media, forums, press, communities) within a specific timeframe. It helps gauge brand visibility and word-of-mouth momentum.
Brand Recall Score in ICP Surveys	Brand Recall Score in ICP Surveys measures the percentage of ideal customer profile (ICP) respondents who remember your brand, either unaided or aided. It helps assess brand strength and category awareness among target buyers.
Branded Search Volume	Branded Search Volume measures the number of search queries containing your company or product name over a defined period. It helps assess brand awareness and intent-to-engage from both new and returning audiences.
Branded Search Volume Growth	Branded Search Volume Growth measures the percentage increase or decrease in branded search queries over a set period. It helps track brand momentum and marketing effectiveness over time.
Cost per Aware ICP Account	Cost Per Aware ICP Account measures the average cost to generate awareness from an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) account. It helps evaluate the efficiency of brand and demand activities focused on your most valuable target accounts.
Cost Per Aware Visitor	Cost Per Aware Visitor (CPAV) measures the cost to bring a visitor to your site or product who demonstrates brand awareness, such as through branded search or direct traffic. It helps evaluate brand-driven demand efficiency.
Customer Loyalty	Customer Loyalty is a measure of a customer’s likelihood to repeatedly engage with and purchase from a brand over time, often driven by positive experiences, satisfaction, and perceived value. Loyal customers show a strong preference for a brand, even when alternatives are available.
Direct Traffic Growth	Direct Traffic Growth measures the percentage increase in website visits that originate from users entering the URL directly. It helps assess brand awareness, recall, and loyalty.
Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns	Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns measures the percentage of users exposed to an awareness campaign who then take a meaningful action. It helps assess whether top-of-funnel messaging and creative drive attention and interest.
Engagement-to-Awareness Cost Efficiency	Engagement-to-Awareness Cost Efficiency measures the cost required to generate one meaningful engagement per awareness campaign impression. It helps assess how efficiently top-of-funnel investments convert into audience interaction.
First-time Visitors to Product Page	First-time Visitors to Product Page measures the number of unique users who visit your product page for the first time in a given period. It helps track new interest and early funnel awareness.
Influencer and Advocate Mentions	Influencer and Advocate Mentions measures the number of times your brand, product, or content is mentioned organically by influencers, advocates, or industry voices across digital platforms. It helps gauge brand reach and community buzz.
Organic Content Shares	Organic Content Shares measures the number of times your content is shared across social platforms, email, or dark social—without paid promotion. It helps track virality and audience resonance.
Post-Video Brand Recall Lift	Post-Video Brand Recall Lift measures the increase in brand recall among viewers after watching a specific video campaign, compared to a control or pre-exposure baseline. It helps quantify the brand impact of video content.
Sales Call Brand Mention Rate	Sales Call Brand Mention Rate measures the percentage of sales calls where prospects mention your brand, product, or company unprompted. It helps assess brand recall and the influence of pre-funnel exposure.
Sentiment Analysis (Sales + Social)	Sentiment Analysis (Sales + Social) measures the tone (positive, neutral, negative) of feedback and conversations related to your brand across sales call transcripts and social media platforms. It helps track brand perception, objection patterns, and positioning effectiveness.
Share of Voice vs. Competitors (By Channel)	Share of Voice (SOV) vs. Competitors (By Channel) measures your brand’s visibility as a percentage of total market conversations, mentions, or impressions compared to key competitors — segmented by specific marketing or communication channels.
Share Rate Among ICPs	Share Rate Among ICPs measures the percentage of Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) users who share your content, product, or referral links. It helps quantify advocacy and resonance within your most strategically important audience.
Social Engagement from Target Accounts	Social Engagement from Target Accounts measures the number or percentage of social interactions (likes, shares, comments, follows, mentions) that come from accounts on your target account list. It helps assess brand awareness, content resonance, and early-stage intent within your ICP.
Social Shares	Social Shares measures the total number of times your content, product pages, or brand assets are shared across social media platforms. It helps quantify reach, resonance, and advocacy behavior.