Attaining marketing goals is an integral component of any company’s strategic plan; according to CoSchedule, goal-setting marketers are 376% more likely to experience success than those who do not set goals. The Amazing fact about goal based marketing.
Goals can range from meeting an annual sales target to increasing brand recognition for a company. To make sure that your team’s objectives are SMART, follow these guidelines:
SMART Goals
The SMART goals framework offers an effective method for setting marketing objectives. This framework ensures that marketing goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound to help individuals focus their activities and develop an action plan to reach those objectives.
Step one of setting SMART goals is identifying what they seek to accomplish by setting numbers, percentage changes, or milestones as targets.
Step Two of goal setting involves breaking it into smaller objectives that lead to the larger aim. Measurable objectives will allow progress to be tracked easily, and realistic goals should align with longer-term business objectives and be easily achievable – using project management software like Wrike to track individual team member time spent on tasks can assist this.
Measurable Goals
Setting measurable objectives for both business and marketing goals is paramount. Measurable goals, such as return on investment or sales figures, should be quantifiable, or qualitative factors, like employee satisfaction rates.
Example marketing goals may include increasing brand recognition by building backlinks that support SEO rankings and overall online presence. Using a marketing dashboard or tool, this measurable objective can be tracked and assessed to see how effectively it performs.
Measurability ensures that an objective is both achievable and realistic, which increases its likelihood of success. For instance, a marketing team could set their goal as increasing email traffic by 5% per month over one year for an overall 35% increase, making the goal measurable and attainable – helping avoid procrastination and burnout!
Timely Goals
Personal goal setting typically centers on metrics that matter to us: saving for retirement, reading books this year, or finding ways to lose weight. At an organizational level, however, marketing goal-setting must reflect outcomes that matter for business success.
Goals should always have clear deadlines attached, helping teams stay focused and motivating them towards reaching them quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, tools like shared calendars or Gantt charts allow for effective monitoring and tracking.
Timelines in SMART goals also enable teams to evaluate whether the goal is realistic and can be completed within an acceptable timeline, thus protecting stakeholders from becoming over-extended or frustrated by unrealistic expectations.
Attainable Goals
The SMART goal-setting framework enables marketers to set achievable, time-bound goals that can be pursued over a set period. When goals are specific, measurable, attainable, and timely, marketers can take immediate steps and evaluate results without becoming lost in the details of execution.
Achievable doesn’t mean “easy.” To be considered viable, goals should be challenging enough to motivate team members without becoming so daunting as to discourage or prevent them from trying. Furthermore, goals must align with overall business objectives. For instance, if a company wanted to expand client acquisition through revenue marketing objectives rather than brand marketing goals like increasing blog traffic or Google answer box rankings, revenue marketing goals may be more effective in helping increase client acquisition.
Goal-based marketing requires commitment and dedication if it’s to be effective; without either, goals may as quickly turn into empty promises made at New Year. To keep your plans on track, follow the SMART framework when setting goals, engaging your team members on what works well together and where improvements could be made.
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