Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” Too many people end up somewhere else with their marketing because they don’t have concrete goals for their marketing campaigns.
But you already know your goal – increase sales. Isn’t that enough?
No. You need to be more specific. Are you are looking for immediate cash flow or to gain long term customers? Do you want new customers or new businesses from previous customers? Do you have a specific product or service you are promoting or is this a campaign promoting your entire business?
After answering these questions, also consider a concrete number of sales or the total sales volume you want. And include a time frame – by what date will you achieve this goal?
Aiming for the Right Target
Your goals will determine the type of marketing campaign you embark on. If you are looking for new sales from existing customers, your campaign will look very different from one aimed at attracting new customers.
Marketing to previous customers may include letters or phone calls reminding them of follow-up actions they should take, letting them know about new services or even just a friendly reminder that you still exist. Attracting new clients may include advertising, sales letters, or cold calling.
Without setting a specific goal, your marketing campaign might end up talking about the wrong things or targeting the wrong people.
Motivation
Many people hate marketing. They feel uncomfortable, hate to blow their own horns, or feel it is taking time away from money-making activities. And we all know avoiding something we hate is all too easy. But if you have clear, written goals for your marketing campaign, they can act as motivation to keep you going.
If you have set a goal for generating $5,000 in new business it will be much easier to find the time to do the marketing than if you just have a vague notion that you will increase your sales. And if you’ve written down why you want the $5,000 and what you’ll do with it, you will find it even more motivating.
Know if You Succeeded
Engaging in a marketing campaign can be costly (in time or money) so this is not something you want to do by the seat of your pants. You need to know that not only will you recoup the direct costs of the campaign but earn additional income as well.
Different marketing techniques work better for some types of businesses than others. You need a way to gauge whether this marketing strategy is working for you. Setting a clear goal that includes a sales total or number of new customers will allow you to gauge whether this campaign was worth your time and money. Next time you’ll have a better idea of whether this type of marketing strategy should be repeated.
Final Steps
Before you begin your next marketing campaign, remember to answer these questions:
- Who are you targeting?
- What are you promoting?
- How much of an increase are you aiming for?
- Why do you want this increase in sales?
- What will it mean to you, your business and your life if you achieve it?
- By what date will you achieve it?
Answering these questions will help make sure you don’t end up somewhere else.
Andrea J. Stenberg
