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Welcome to the The Marketing Source e-newsletter! Our goal is to provide
you with real-world marketing tips.If you have any ideas for articles,
please send them along.
Set Your Sights a Little Higher: Ramp Up Your Strategic Goal Setting
Remember when 2007 was still bright and
shiny and
you were full of optimism about how much you would
get done this year? What was on your to-do list
(besides losing 5 pounds)?
If you're like many small business or nonprofit
marketers, your list is largely untouched. And you may
even have items left over from 2006 that still
aren't complete. Problem is there are not enough
hours in the day to get it all done. It's not that you
weren't busy - thousands of tasks cross your desk
each and every day - but it may not have left you much
time for some bigger-picture thinking. Don't let your
unfinished business cause you to throw up your
hands and throw out your hopes for 2008. Instead, as
we rocket toward December 31, use our tips for
zeroing in on realistic goals that will have you
celebrating your success at the end of the coming
year.
Evaluate Your Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities
and Threats (SWOT)
Step back and think. Where do you want to be at the
end of 2008 - and even into 2009? We recommend to
our clients that they schedule a day, or part of a day,
out of the office. Often that time away, without the
telephone or other distractions, enables big-picture,
out of the box thinking. And don't get hung up on the
numbers here. Instead, consider your strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Hint: we have
a handy worksheet on our website!)
Once you
complete your SWOT, step back. How does it look?
And where are the opportunities that could transfer
into new tangible goals? This is the time to think big
and get excited about what you are doing and where
you could be.
Make it real
After you've done that, start making those goals as
specific as possible - and measurable. That means
putting some numbers to your marketing dreams.
Wishy-washy goals, such as "raise general
awareness of our brand," don't work. Instead, stop
and ask why you need awareness? Is it that you need
an increase in sales or usage of your services? If the
answer is yes, then what kind of increase do you
need? Putting numbers to your plan allows you to
follow up periodically and evaluate your progress. It
also allows you to justify all those marketing dollars in
your budget the next time you have to meet with your
organization's CFO.
Déjà vu all over again
What about those goals perpetually on your to-do list?
Is there a reason they never get accomplished?
Sometimes goals that are not defined, too big or too
hard to measure never become reality. We
recommend re-evaluating those goals. Make sure
they are clearly defined and able to be measured. Set
a time table to evaluate your results. Breaking the goal
into smaller pieces allows you to gain self confidence
as opposed to merely adding to your pile of to-do's.
Are they relevant?
Pull out your organization's strategic plan. Each
organization goal should be supported by your
communication goals. Make sure when brainstorming
about all the interesting projects you could
accomplish next year that your goals are aligned with
your organization. For example, if the organization
plans a massive expansion into three new regions
next year, that goal has serious implications for your
department. How will you support the organization
expansion with advertising, pr, direct mail, sales
support, collateral material, the website, and more?
Write it down and set a timetable
Coming up with the goals is one thing, putting them
on paper is something else. Writing down your
organization's strategic marketing goals makes them
real and makes you and your team accountable. And
while you are writing them down, set the clock. Who is
responsible for each and every tactic and when do you
want to have the goals accomplished? When will you
present a progress report? What are the strategies
that will help you on your way?
Bottom line: you'll never achieve vague goals.
Make them concrete so that your strategic marketing
plan is your organization's "GPS" system! Need a
format for
your planning process? Log onto for our strategic plan outline.
Need more
help? We
can help
you establish goals and a strategic marketing plan
that works.
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