Setting marketing goals can be both an exciting and daunting task. Where do you start? To make this question easier to answer, I have detailed some examples of marketing goals as part of this blog.
But first, let’s get some of the basics right.
What are marketing goals?
Put simply, a marketing goal is an objective that you set to achieve over a certain time period.
At Echelon Marketing, we like to set short-term and long-term goals. Short-terms goals may be for a 6-12 month period, and long-terms goals may be for a 3-5 year period. Obviously these time frames are informed by what you would like to achieve from your marketing!
Marketing vs sales vs business goals?
We often get asked… what is the difference between marketing, sales and business goals? Well, there is very likely going to be a crossover between all of these areas.
What is most important to remember here is that your marketing goals should always align with your overall business strategy/plan. There is no point putting time and effort into a marketing campaign if the results of your campaign don’t assist you in achieving the overall vision, mission and strategic objectives of your organisation.
So to answer the first question here… If your overall vision, mission and strategic objectives of your business relate to business growth, it is likely your marketing goals will centre around sales.
Why set marketing goals?
How long have you got?! In short, here are my top three reasons why you should set marketing goals.
- It gives you clarity and direction on your next steps for your business marketing.
- It keeps you accountable to your marketing actions.
- It gives you an opportunity to celebrate your achievements.
Marketing goal examples
When setting marketing goals, one of the key elements you must remember is that they need to be SMART goals. With this in mind, here are some marketing goals examples to start you rolling;
- Increase sales by X amount at X (insert date).
- Build brand awareness through X campaign by X (insert date).
- Grow market share by X amount at X (insert date).
- Launch new products/services by X (insert date).
- Reach X new target market by achieving X sales by X (insert date).
The big questions… How do we make sure we can achieve marketing goals?
This is the big question, and one we find most businesses find difficult to answer. To be able to achieve your marketing goals the first step is likely understanding your strengths, and then seeking help in the areas where you know you just don’t have the answer. It could be the difference between your business flourishing and failing… I know which position I’d rather!
