Start with the evidence
Define brand using your actual business name, accepted abbreviations and genuinely identifying terms. Keep ambiguous names in an uncertain group rather than forcing a classification. Use the same reporting period and outcome definitions for both groups. A branded query may reflect previous marketing, a referral, repeat business or an immediate navigation need.
A worked example
Fictional report: brand activity costs $100 and has ten observed inquiries; nonbrand activity costs $900 and has twenty. The blended cost is $1,000 divided by thirty, or $33.33 per inquiry. The separate figures are $10 and $45. Neither number tells you how many inquiries were suitable, how many paid, or whether brand advertising caused work that otherwise would not have happened.
Choose the next action
Review the two groups using suitable inquiries, completed jobs and collection evidence. Check search-term visibility and ambiguous naming before moving budgets. If you compare an experiment, describe competing explanations such as seasonality, repeat customers or changed coverage. Do not conclude branded advertising always wastes money or always provides incremental value from this descriptive split.
Check whether it worked
Retain the classification rule and version so next month’s comparison means the same thing. Recheck newly appearing brand variants and generic words shared with competitors. Present raw counts alongside rates and leave unattributed outcomes unresolved. If nonbrand brings suitable calls that do not book, investigate handling and capacity before declaring demand quality poor.
Put it to work
A record you can use
- Brand classification rule
- Ambiguous queries
- Brand and nonbrand costs
- Suitable, completed and collected outcomes
- Comparison limits and next action
Plain text. No email required. Store completed records in your approved business systems.
Next useful step
Need help applying this to your marketing? A strategy call starts with your business and the evidence you have.
Talk through your next step →For a general editorial question, email Chris. Please leave out customer details. Questions are private, and no response time is promised.