- An objective is a result you want to achieve
through your or your team's efforts.
In marketing, an objective should be SMART,
meaning, specific, measurable, attainable,
relevant and time-bound.
Objectives are the starting point for marketing planning.
They help marketers decide how to choose
and prioritize programs and touchpoints.
This helps direct how the budget is allocated
and how team members spend their time.
Objectives focus resources on relevant programs,
and steer resources away from unnecessary programs.
Objectives align internal disciplines
to create a seamless integrated customer experience.
If all internal marketing disciplines
focus on similar objectives,
all marketing communications will be consistent.
For customers, this increases clarity
and decreases confusion,
because messages are aligned across touchpoints.
Writing objectives is the first step
in the planning process.
Why?
Because objectives are based on understanding
what problems you need to solve.
It's like the saying goes,
if you don't know where you're going,
no road will get you there.
Objectives ensure that every aspect of your plan,
including strategies and tactics,
are aligned and focused
to help the company be successful.
Here's a quick framework to make sure your marketing plan
will attain the objectives.
Fill in your objective,
the strategy to attain that objective,
and your tactics.
So your strategy and tactics all focus
on one objective, and nothing else.
This framework can get quite detailed,
but a high-level example, just to make sure you understand,
is to increase sales 5% in the next 12 months,
we will improve our customer service
by increasing our customer service staff
8% in the next six months,
resolving customer complaints within 24 hours,
training customer service staff in conflict resolution.
Define and align objectives across internal disciplines
to set you and your colleagues up for success.