Why Your Return On Investment Is Not Always Black And White

When quoting a branding job, one of the things I often get asked is “what will be my return on investment?” While I understand the business owner frame of mind when asking questions like this, there needs to be a shift in thinking. You see there is no way to estimate what your return on investment will be because not only is branding an investment for the entire course of your business but there is also a level of responsibility on the business owner to get the most out of the branding.

Think of branding as the cover of a book. It is the visuals, the thing that draws people in. But if the contents of that book aren’t great then the book has failed and no-one will even care about the fancy cover. Business is the same. You can have the best branding but it is all the little things that go on behind it that make a great brand. This is where owners need to take responsibility for the success of the branding. I can only give you the visuals and the template, you need to implement it and ensure everything else is up to the same standard. 

Let’s take marketing for example. Branding has a big part to play in the marketing of a business however how, where and when it is marketed ultimately determines the success of that marketing. Therefore to give an estimated return on that marketing based purely on the branding is impossible because there are other elements at play that affect the outcome. Looking at it on a bigger scale, the same can be said for the overall business.

So don’t think of branding as an expense that you need to see a financial return on as soon as possible. You need to see branding as an opportunity for growth and like any opportunity, it takes hard work to make it come to fruition.