How to Set Realistic Marketing Goals

The key to a successful inbound marketing campaign is the process of evaluation, planning, implementation and then another round of evaluation. But sometimes we get caught up in quick fixes for our website or exciting product launches. Oftentimes this leads to a scattered list of to-dos instead of a comprehensive inbound campaign blueprint.

One integral part of creating a campaign is choosing measurable, productive and realistic marketing goals. Good goals require more thought than a simple brainstorm, so keep reading to learn more about how to set productive marketing goals.

Get in touch with your brand’s identity.

Every campaign should begin by evaluating and understanding a brand’s perception both inside the workplace and in the public eye. Ignoring this step can lead to your internal culture disbelieving the trajectory of your brand or cause a mockery of your image to the public.

After some market research, Dominos Pizza realized their product was known for being cheap and poor quality back in 2009. So they set a campaign in place with improving brand perception as their goal. When their ads apologized for their bad quality and introduced a new formula with only the best ingredients, the public stood up and took notice to the tune of a 200 percent increase in sales.

Brainstorm all your possibilities.

Don’t choose the first thing that comes to mind. Take the time to come up with 10, 50, 100 goals with no boundaries. Think of everything your company has to offer. There should be a goal for each one of those things on your list. Don’t worry about the quality of the goal at this point. The key is to get your creative juices flowing.

Put contending goals through the reality check.

After you’ve taken the time to list any and every goal you can think of, start putting your favorite ones to the test. Are they the best fit for your business right now? Some goals may put a smile to your face but ultimately distract from what your business is trying to accomplish.

Here are 5 questions to ask of every goal before implementing it:

Is this actually achievable?
Do the numbers, dollars, timeframe seem practical?
How will this set us apart?
What will we be giving up if we pursue this?
How will we know when we’re finished?

Prioritize.

Now that you have a short list of goals you’d like to pursue, take the time to list them most to least important. Prioritizing your goals gives you an understanding at a glance of how much time you should be devoting to each of them and which goal should win out if you have to choose.

It seems simple enough to evaluate, brainstorm, check and prioritize our goals, but pressure can detract from using the best process to choose goals. Take the time to really consider what’s most important for business, and the rest will fall into place.