What are marketing objectives?
Marketing objectives are comprised of measurable goals set forth by a company. These objectives ensure that every action taken by each member and department are fulfilling the overall goals of the company. On a larger scale companies utilize S.M.A.R.T. goals to assist their objectives. S.M.A.R.T stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time. When completing actions towards the goal, its important to make sure they align with the goal.
Specific – What is it that I am trying to achieve, what do I need?
Measurable – What KPIs can be used to measure my results?
Attainable – How does this help to reach the overall goal?
Relevant – Does this support the strategy?
Time– What is the deadline? Is this the right time to be working on this piece?
For example, a company wishing to grow their social media following to increase their reach would determine how much they want to grow.
Specific- Grow following by 1,000 new followers to increase awareness
Measurable – Aside from the obvious KPI of follower count, they may also want to take into consideration the number of views on videos and stories, as well as their insights of accounts reached and content interactions. This gives a general idea that the growth they are seeing is also followers who are engaged with the content produced.
Attainable – Is 1,000 new followers too bold of a goal, does it need to be scaled down?
Relevant – Is growing the social reach important for the business right now? Does the content provided align with the consumers wants and needs?
Time – Growing 1,000 followers takes time. Setting a goal of a week is unrealistic, what time frame aligns with the work being put in?
By following S.M.A.R.T goals to determine the marketing objects of a campaign a company can ensure they are growing in a positive manner. This not only saves a company time, but money as well.
Of course, with actions come legal and ethical considerations a company must consider when achieving their desired goals. Following the example above, some companies might just opt to purchase followers, or join in on follower loops to reach their number in the desired time frame. Unfortunately, those actions are not the most ethical. They often deliver as far as results, but they do not create a thriving social community that is vital to the engagement success of the company’s social channels. So, in the long run, that time, money and energy spent to purchase or entice follows does not benefit the company at all. This falsification can also damage the company’s credibility with its genuine followers. This makes the company seem like they are willing to cut corners. Acting in an ethical genuine matter will benefit the company in the long run.
Millennial Marketer 