If you’ve heard about marketing goals, but you’re not sure what they are, why you need them, or even how to set marketing goals for your business, you’ve come to the right place.
Think of setting marketing goals in the same way you think of choosing a major in college or a destination for a trip: You need to know your major before you can choose the right classes; you need to know your destination before you can decide the best route.
In business, you need to know your endpoint (or points) before you can start planning how to get there. Without marketing goals, you’re drifting aimlessly.
Marketing goals set a specific outcome for every aspect of your marketing, from day-to-day operations to the larger content strategy at play.
Why do you need marketing goals?
Marketing goals set a specific measurement for achievement and help to keep the marketing team aligned with the larger goals of the business.
Goals allow you to develop laser focus for marketing your business so you can avoid chasing shiny objects and roadside distractions on your path to success. There are so many platforms and pieces to the marketing puzzle – website, blog, podcast, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook … and the list goes on.
While every single one of these platforms and marketing pieces is a great way to expand and increase sales, pursuing all of these at once can be overwhelming.
When you have specific marketing goals, you can simplify your strategy, streamline your efforts, and reduce wasted time and resources. Instead of trying to do “all the things,” you can focus your energy on just the pieces you need to move your business forward.
According to original CoSchedule research, “Marketers who set goals are 376% more likely to report success than those who don’t. And 70% of those successful, goal-setting marketers achieve them.” – Nathan Ellering.
What Makes a “Good” Marketing Goal?
Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals. These are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
S – specific – be specific about what you want to achieve. Increasing sales is broad – will increasing sales by $1 be enough to say you met this goal? What about $100? What specific product line or service do you want to increase sales on?
M – measurable – it may seem obvious but… set goals you can actually measure. Setting measurable goals serves two purposes: First, it ensures your goals are specific. Second, setting measurable goals gives you a baseline not only for knowing you’ve met your goal, but for measuring growth and impact over time.
A – attainable – set goals that are realistic and attainable. What barriers and challenges will you face as you work towards the goal? Do you have access to any resources necessary for accomplishing the goal? Being realistic about obstacles and resources can prevent you from setting unrealistic goals.
R – relevant – Set marketing goals that align with the larger vision and mission of the business. In other words, ensure the work you’re doing is relevant to all stakeholders – both the business stakeholders and its target audience.
T – time-bound – put a timeline on this goal. Avoid falling into the “someday” trap of making plans for a “tomorrow” that never comes – When exactly will you accomplish this goal? Set a date and mark it on your calendar or put a reminder in your phone.
Sentence Framing for Goals
The marketing team will [specific goal] + [specific measurement – number and metric] + in the next [number of days, weeks, or months] by [actionable steps to implement] in order to [relevance to the larger vision for the business]
- The marketing team will increase Instagram following from 1,200 followers to 1,500 followers in the next two weeks by doubling weekly posts and using maximum hashtags in each post in order to increase brand awareness and loyalty
- The marketing team will increase the company email list from 100 subscribers to 200 subscribers in the next 30 days by creating a lead magnet in order to increase product awareness.
- The marketing team will increase leads from 10 warm leads to 50 warm leads in the next 45 days by recording a webinar in order to increase company sales.
Conclusion
Marketing goals are a crucial component of any marketing strategy and a driving force behind any successful business. Marketing goals that are specific, attainable, and relevant to the company goals increase productivity and sales while reducing wasted time and resources. Keep S.M.A.R.T in mind as you create goals for your marketing team in order to ensure you create the most effective goals for your business and team.
For more information or to have Star Fox Media help you develop your own marketing goals, schedule a free consultation with us to see how we can help your business grow. Email us at info@starfox.media or give us a call at 760-385-3117. Or fill out our contact form for more information.
