Brand lift studies: what measuring awareness costs

Key takeaways

A brand lift study measures whether people who saw your ads remember or think better of your brand. Platform studies are usually free to run but need significant ad spend; check the platform's current eligibility. Agency time to set up and report is typically 4 to 8 hours, an indicative £300–£800. Smaller firms can use simpler signals.

• Platform studies: free but need large spend.
• Agency set-up and report: £300–£800, indicative.
• Smaller firms: track branded search and direct enquiries.
• Awareness pays back over months, not days.

What is a brand lift study?

A brand lift study compares people who saw your ads with a similar group who did not, using short polls about recall, awareness or intent. The difference between the groups is the lift. It shows whether awareness spending is changing minds, not just reaching screens.

• Social media agency pricing in the UK
• Social media brand awareness campaigns: what they cost

What does a brand lift study cost?

Platform studies are normally included with qualifying campaigns, but thresholds are set by the platform and change, so check eligibility. Agency time to design questions, set up and interpret results is 4 to 8 hours, about £300–£800. Independent surveys cost more.

• Platform study: free with qualifying spend.
• Agency time: £300–£800.
• Independent survey panel: priced separately.
• Simple proxies: branded search, direct traffic.

• Social media reporting costs: what a monthly report is worth

What can smaller businesses measure instead?

Track searches for your brand name, direct website visits, how-did-you-hear answers on enquiry forms and mentions in sales calls. If these rise during and after awareness activity, it is working. Research on long and short-term effects shows brand building pays back over time.

When is a study not worth it?

When spend is too small to qualify or to produce a measurable difference, or when the campaign is designed for direct sales. In those cases, enquiry and sales data tell you more.

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: awareness campaigns are judged on clicks and stopped as failures. Adding a how-did-you-hear question and tracking branded searches usually shows effects the click data missed.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses

Awareness measurement checklist

• Check platform study eligibility.
• Track branded search every month.
• Ask every enquiry how they heard of you.
• Compare periods with and without activity.
• Judge awareness over months.

• Does paying an agency lower your ad costs?
• Free social media audits: what agencies get from them

Next step

Add a how-did-you-hear question to your enquiry form today. It is the cheapest awareness measure there is.