Which of the following is not an example of a promotional goal?
You know you need to align your marketing and sales goals to drive the growth you (and your bosses) are looking for – here's how you do it. Show
9 marketing objectives examples
As marketers, there will never be a shortage of things to work on — strategy, content, video, social media, sales alignment, the list is long and growing. Prioritizing work that will actually make an impact on the business is key. That’s why having objectives is important. The problem is, marketing objectives are often too siloed, losing sight of the greater goals of the organization — sales, revenue, and growth. Most successful small businesses we work with have marketing objectives that tie directly back to revenue and sales (thanks to the development of a revenue team). Revenue is the lifeblood of every business, and when sales and marketing work together to drive it, the results can be incredible. This also helps small to medium-sized businesses (SMB) achieve results in the leanest way possible because your marketing objectives are closely aligned with the organization’s monetary goals instead of being treated as a separate animal altogether. With all that in mind, and after working with hundreds of companies over the past 10 years, we’ve found the following to be some of the best marketing objectives examples that align digital strategy with the rest of the organization’s goals. In this article, we will share:
Use this list to help you determine how to measure your success with the right objectives and KPIs. Join the IMPACT coaches for a deep dive on a new topic every month in our free virtual event series. Marketing objectives vs. KPIs – and why your sales and marketing goals should alignSome say objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs) are the same things. Others disagree. We're the latter at IMPACT. Here is how we define objectives and KPIs:
In other words, objectives are what you're trying to achieve, a KPI is a number you track to often measure objectives. From company and sales objectives to marketing objectivesWe coach our clients to begin by aligning sales and marketing teams, especially when it comes to defining marketing objectives and KPIs. The best way to do this is by forming what we call a revenue team. A revenue team is made up of the key players in your sales and marketing units. Even though different members might focus on specific parts of the process, the team will come together and plan to work toward a common goal: driving revenue. If sales and marketing are not aligned and working toward the same goals, a number of problems ensue, including marketing campaigns that fall flat with potential customers. One of IMPACT’s digital sales and marketing coaches, Zach Basner, gives us his take:
Whether you’re a large or small business, here are ten marketing objective examples (plus one bonus objective) that keep this all and mind and can inspire yours. Examples of marketing objectives1. Increase lead qualityThis objective is about increasing the probability that the sales team closes a higher percentage of deals. The more quality leads you can attract as a marketing team, the happier your sales team will be. Your KPIs for this objective should be focused on initiatives that define what a “quality lead” is or indicators of whether your efforts are working along the way. Examples of related KPIs:
2. Shorten the sales cycleIt’s not just up to the sales team to be more efficient or effective with their conversations, marketing can help shorten the sales cycle too. Because modern prospects get so much information before talking with sales, it’s marketing’s job to deliver consistent messaging, branding, and relevant materials to help them progress toward making a purchase. KPIs for this objective can be focused on enablement materials. (Note: The They Ask, You Answer framework is a great starting point for creating sales enablement materials that empower the sales team and shorten the sales cycle, which includes wielding the power of assignment selling.) Examples of related KPIs:
3. Reduce the percentage of lost deals/salesThough sales can certainly impact this objective, marketing can have a significant influence as well. Marketing sets the tone for prospects coming to sales. And if marketing is not qualifying properly, or setting the right expectations, it will be nearly impossible for a salesperson to change course and still close the deal. For e-commerce companies, KPIs may be metrics or initiatives around reducing cart abandonment rates. For non-e-commerce, on the other hand, marketing can assist by updating website content or other materials that prospects see before talking with sales. Examples of related KPIs:
4. Increase customer lifetime valueFocusing on increasing the average amount that each customer spends with you can provide more value to your existing customer base and be an easy way to impact sales with less effort because the relationship is already built. KPIs for this objective can be based on the activities you’ll need to accomplish to re-engage customers with new products or new deals. Examples of related KPIs:
5. Improve awareness and demand around new products or servicesIf your organization is ready to launch, or has recently launched, a new product or service, aligning focus around promotion will be essential. KPIs could pertain to social media or the number of requests or opportunities that sales have in the pipeline related to new products. Examples of related KPIs:
6. Increase positive product reviewsAny brand, whether you’re B2B or B2C, can benefit from product or service reviews. Depending on your industry, you may have a particular platform where reviews have special importance, but no matter what, they’re important. This objective will certainly direct more business — the more positive reviews, the more likely others will find you through review sites. Examples of related KPIs:
7. Launch product or service in a new marketBeyond “make more money for the company,” you can get more specific with your objectives, like launching a product in a new market. Examples of related KPIs:
8. Increase profitabilityMarketing can play a huge role in increasing the profitability of the company. After defining what products or services are most profitable, marketing can put more effort into promoting those items, effectively driving more leads to the profit center. Examples of related KPIs:
9. Increase brand authorityWith increased brand authority comes additional opportunities to engage audiences, and this, in turn, makes it easier to compete against other companies. Of course, your product or services can make your brand the best of its kind in the space, but what beyond that can you do to delight customers? Marketing plays a huge role in educating prospects, and this is your opportunity to put your stake in the ground. Examples of related KPIs:
10. Develop an engaged audienceNow, this is an objective many smaller organizations think they can get away with ignoring, but for your long-term company health, it is essential. You want to grow the size of your engaged audience. Even if they are not ready to buy from you now, they are the ones who will be most likely to turn to you when they are ready to buy or even to recommend you. If you’re doing objectives 1-9 exceptionally well, tracking this objective is even easier. Related KPIs should look at email metrics or social engagement to know if you’re on track to nurturing an engaged audience. Using these metrics allows you to measure without paying for market research. Examples of related KPIs:
Think beyond trafficNow that we’ve gone through these objectives, you’re probably thinking — what about traffic?Traffic is certainly something you should be tracking, but it is something that is more useful to marketing than the company as a whole. Traffic should be monitored as an indicator of the objective’s success. For example, traffic can be an indicator of increased brand awareness, which leads to other successes. Traffic alone will not mean a lot to upper management or a board of directors. If the focus of the conversation is not on revenue or revenue-driven objectives, then you’re not putting your energy into the right focus area. At the end of the day, if you grew traffic but sales plummeted, no one would be celebrating marketing. If marketing’s primary role is to assist the sales team, then make sure your marketing objectives align with your sales objectives, and with those of the organization. Want to learn more about working towards your marketing objectives? Check out our free course, "Investing in Incredible Digital Sales and Marketing Results." |