While it’s exciting to see your company’s social media metrics rise and gain exposure in national magazines, it’s important to assess what these achievements truly mean in terms of meeting your marketing goals.
Recognition can sometimes be deceiving, serving as mere vanity metrics without driving conversions. Take a moment to align your marketing goals with your business objectives to improve your bottom line.
Bridging the Gap Between the Marketing Team and Leadership
New and small businesses sometimes hit some growing pains when the gap widens between leadership and the marketing team. Although marketing teams and corporate decision-makers are on the same page about wanting to grow the business, they often have wildly different views of what this means and how to get there.
Adding a new person or position to the marketing team can help correct this imbalance. Appointing a chief marketing department officer can improve communication between the two layers of your company, which makes it possible to begin fully understanding what needs to be done to generate a big win.
Create Subgoals That Add More Clarity to the Plan
Business goals often take a generic form, such as stating that you hope to generate more leads this year or generate more revenue. Subgoals take these primary goals and break them down into actionable, measurable steps that the rest of your team can follow and track.
For instance, your strategic planner may define the goal of generating more leads by looking at last year’s count and determining what your company should view as an improvement this year. With concrete numbers in hand, everyone can then start planning what to do to make it happen. Plus, you’ll have an easy way to know when your company hits the target.
Separate Goals From Strategies In the Planning Process
Differentiating goals from strategies is another common pitfall to avoid during the planning process. Clearly outline both components within your marketing plan. Once you establish your goals, you can then focus on developing intricate strategies to support them. Consider tactics such as lead generation to expand your email list and capture more leads, or increasing social media interactions to enhance brand awareness.
Proper planning facilitates the full execution of your marketing plan, propelling your business closer to its goals. After setting the plan in motion, it’s crucial to monitor each strategy’s effectiveness, identifying the ones that yield success and those that require adjustments. Embrace the concept of a constantly evolving marketing plan, enabling your team to swiftly adapt to changes that affect your company’s ability to achieve every business goal.
