What are the emerging trends and best practices in brand purpose and social impact measurement?

1 Define your purpose

The first step is to define your brand purpose, or the reason why your business exists beyond making profits. Your purpose should reflect your core values, your vision, and your impact goals. It should also be authentic, relevant, and distinctive, so that it resonates with your target audience and differentiates you from your competitors. Your purpose should guide your decisions, actions, and communications across your organization.

2 Choose your causes

The next step is to choose the social and environmental causes that you want to support and that align with your purpose. You can use frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or the B Corp Impact Assessment to identify the most relevant and urgent issues for your industry and context. You can also conduct research and engage with your stakeholders to understand their needs, expectations, and preferences. You should prioritize the causes that have the most potential to create positive change and value for your brand and society.

3 Design your programs

Once you have chosen your causes, you need to design your programs or initiatives that will deliver your impact. You can use different approaches, such as cause marketing, corporate philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, or shared value creation, depending on your resources, capabilities, and objectives. You should also consider how you will collaborate with other partners, such as NGOs, governments, or communities, to leverage their expertise, networks, and credibility. You should design your programs with clear goals, strategies, and indicators that will help you measure your performance and outcomes.

4 Communicate your impact

The fourth step is to communicate your impact to your internal and external stakeholders, such as employees, customers, investors, media, or regulators. You should use storytelling techniques, such as narratives, visuals, testimonials, or case studies, to showcase your achievements, challenges, and learnings. You should also use data and evidence, such as reports, dashboards, or ratings, to demonstrate your accountability, transparency, and credibility. You should communicate your impact regularly, consistently, and authentically, using the channels and platforms that suit your audience and message.

5 Evaluate your results

The final step is to evaluate your results and use the feedback and insights to improve your programs and communication. You should use a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or experiments, to collect and analyze data on your inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts. You should also use frameworks and tools, such as the Theory of Change, the Logic Model, or the Social Return on Investment (SROI), to assess and communicate the value and effectiveness of your programs. You should use the evaluation results to refine your purpose, causes, programs, and communication, and to celebrate and share your successes and learnings.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?