Do you constantly find yourself wondering why your team can’t get on the same page? What about numbers that aren’t aligning with your projected growth? Do your customers seem to all be gravitating toward your competitors without even giving you a second glance? Or maybe you just have a sense that your business could be growing more, doing better, than it is?
By now, many of you are probably well versed in SMART goals. (If you don’t know yet about their importance, just check out our other previous blog here.) We have worked with enough clients to know that goal setting is a keystone of any good marketing strategy. And when our clients are experiencing common business pains or feeling just plain stuck, it is important to come right back to those goals and use them to get some clarity.
Setting clear and measurable goals takes the guesswork out of strategy
Have you ever had the experience of everything falling into place? Do you remember the feeling of expansion, like there were endless possibilities? That is what good goals can do. They have the potential to create a framework that allows everything to fall into place and a strategy to naturally unfold. But getting there requires some elbow grease.
This is where many of our clients get cold feet. Either they don’t know where to start or they feel like they will miss out on other opportunities if they get too focused on their goal setting strategies. But, we are here to tell you that FOMO will slow you down and focusing is where it’s at. To help clients get into the groove of goal setting, we recommend doing the following:
Research
Good research is a key component of anything you will do in business, whether that is defining your target market or setting goals for your company. What do we mean by “good research?” Engage in data collection by looking at your metrics. Truly get a handle on the sales and business you have done, where you have lagged behind versus where you have grown by leaps and bounds, what engagement you are getting from your target audience, etc. Keep track of your numbers and make sure you are starting your goal setting journey with an honest picture of where you are right now.
You can also use this time to buff up your knowledge about your target market. Learn more about what content they have liked and what they haven’t. What marketing campaigns got a real response and which ones bombed? Has your target audience changed or shifted at all? Heck, you can even research what your competitors are (or aren’t) doing!
Know where you want to go
You are the business owner, the one in charge and the one steering the ship for your team and yourself. It is important that you have a clear picture of where you want to go. What would you like to see from your business this quarter? This year? In the next 5 years? Are these visions achievable? The key is to get out of your safe zone and stretch your desire just enough that your goals will be attainable, but still challenge you and your team. You are the one holding the compass and directing everyone toward a shared destination.
Get clear about how you will get there
Once you know what you want, you will need to start carving out a path. As a business owner, you are already smart and savvy. You know these roads. You have already travelled them by establishing your business in the first place. But, sometimes marketing can be sticky. There could be a lot of different and winding roads that seem to lead to the same destination. When you have difficulty getting clear about which path will be best, outsourcing to professionals is a great option.
We love helping clients who know what they want but are feeling a bit stuck on how to get there. It is really where our team members shine. It also means we get to collaborate more with our clients. When they are clear about what they want, we can hold their vision in mind as we go to work finding the best path toward growth and marketing strategy.
Measure it
It’s on the front page of our website. You already know we are constantly touting the benefits of measurable results. But it isn’t just because we like to make sure people are being thorough. It is because the magic comes in the measuring. Learning from mistakes (or celebrating wins) all happens when you are able to check in with yourself and the health of your business. Your target market is already telling you everything you need to know. You just need to continuously LISTEN by measuring the outcomes of your marketing strategies. If something isn’t working, and you know it because you pay attention to your metrics, you get to pivot! You get to change course and do something even more on point! You get to choose growth over complacency.
If the thought of goal setting STILL sets your brain on fire or has you wanting to crawl under your desk, you are not alone (and it doesn’t mean that you are not a great business owner). It just means you might need some guidance. Outsource it to people to consider it their zone of genius. (That would be us.)
