Ready Set Send Challenge Week 1: Goal Setting

[TraceyLeeDavis]

How Goal Setting Can Transform Your Marketing

Get ready to level up your marketing game with Constant Contact's Ready, Set, Send Challenge! This week, we're kicking things off with the cornerstone of successful marketing: goal setting. Having clear, well-defined objectives is the foundation for success. By setting focused and achievable goals, you'll stay on track, make informed decisions, and measure your progress effectively.

I am Tracey Lee Davis, founder of ZingPop Social Media. I help small business owners become online marketing rock stars by discovering and acting on their goals. So, whether you're looking to boost sales, build brand awareness, or nurture customer relationships, this week I will help you discover how goal setting can transform your marketing efforts. If you’re not measuring, you’re not marketing, so let's discover the power of well-defined goals by watching the video, following our tips for goal setting, and then filling in our goal-setting worksheet. 

Tips for Goal Setting

Well-defined goals help guide your decision-making and keep you on track. You will use these goals in the following weeks to guide how you design your emails, how you manage your contacts or grow your subscribers, and how you create engaging campaigns.

Your goals, as an email marketer, will vary based on your business needs  Maybe you want to communicate with your contacts, but many new customers that come to Constant Contact have the goal of creating a brand presence. Because that’s a really big goal, it can feel daunting, and they may give up before they start. And setting those big goals isn’t SMART goal setting. 

SMART Goal Setting

The goals of an email marketer will vary based on a business’ needs.  The goal could be as simple as wanting to communicate with contacts, or as complex as starting a new business. If a goal is too broad, however, it can feel daunting and impossible. And setting those big goals isn’t SMART goal setting.

Hold on, I’m not yelling, at you, I promise. SMART goal setting is an acronym that will help you break down your big goals into those smaller, more well-defined objectives I talked about with Dave in the above video. SMART goals are:

• Specific: What are you trying to achieve?
• Measurable: What data will you collect to measure your success?
• Achievable: Is your goal possible?
• Relevant: Does your event goal align with your broader marketing goals?
• Time-bound: What’s your timeline to achieve your goal?

So what does it mean to have a SMART goal? Let’s put it into perspective. 

Examples of SMART Goal Setting 

Maybe you send a regular newsletter letting your association members know about upcoming events. In this case, your Specific, Measurable, and Achievable goal might look like more opens on your regular newsletter in the next month (Time-bound), which could translate to more people at your events (Relevant). 

If you’re selling goods on an Etsy store, your goal could be to sell more products, which you can easily Measure. However, the goal still needs to be translated into an Achievable goal, such as selling more products in the next two weeks by targeting repeat customers or selling more products in the next three days with a limited-time offer.

What if your goal is to significantly build your brand presence? You have to start somewhere, and growing your subscriber list is a solid beginning. The next question is “how?” You could launch a campaign on your social media that directs users to a sign-up landing page, or use a QR code in your store that leads to an online opt-in form. If you already have a list, ensure your emails align with your brand. Additionally, consider creating an email content calendar that complements your social media strategy.

You can see how breaking your big goal into a few SMART goals can give you the focus you need, help you stay on track, and measure your progress effectively. 

Your assignment:

• Complete the Creating Goals and Measuring Success worksheet to create your SMART goals. This should take 15 minutes or less.
• Reply below with a screenshot of your worksheet.
  • What influenced you to choose this goal?
  • If you had marketing goals set at the beginning of this year, have you seen any successes so far?

How you’ll earn your badge: 

Reply below with your assignment, and you’ll receive the Week 1 badge and it will be proudly displayed on your Community profile! Keep an eye out in your inbox for a larger image to share on your own social channels once Week 1 is finished.

Extra credit: Want to learn more about goal setting? Watch our webinar: Decoding Online Marketing Success: Your Guide to Planning, Reviewing, and Executing

Resources:

• Handout: Foundations for Online Marketing Success worksheet
• Blog: SMART Goals
• Community link: Q&A: Decoding Online Marketing Success: Your Guide to Planning, Reviewing, and Executing

TL;DR

Transform your marketing by setting SMART goals. This week, learn how to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives to guide your campaigns. Watch the video, follow the tips, and fill out the goal-setting worksheet to kickstart your progress.

Your Assignment: Complete the worksheet and comment below with a screenshot! Once done, earn your Week 1 badge.

Not yet a Constant Contact customer but want to start crushing those goals? Start a free trial. 

We’re excited to see your responses and develop your marketing strategy together!

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @RachaelK54,

Awesome! How many registrants do you want to increase by? 10% overall, 8 people per class? Try to come up with a specific number so you can measure your results on November 6!

[L22244]

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @L22244,
This is a great start. It would be helpful to get a specific number that you can measure. What exactly does increased sales mean? Growth of X%? Hitting $X. Attaching a specific number to your goal will enable you to measure if you hit it our not! Good luck! 

[Registrar]

https://assets.ctfassets.net/t21gix3kzulv/1DDRTYYbpetbJXdlTtEfZH/b244323c91adfb7b95f57857208f2fb8/CT... 

[Caitlin_M]

Hi @Registrar ! Do you have a copy of your completed goal worksheet? I'm seeing a blank one.

[user7341452]

[Abigail_S]

Great goals! I love that you have a measurable goal here with a clear direction. A few questions to keep in mind as you dive in: What are you going to use to measure the traction to your website? Are you only planning on posting more on social media? How do you plan on gaining more followers?  How often will you be posting? What social media platforms do you think perform best for your business? Let me know in the comments and let's brainstorm! 

[user593086]

 I put out an employee newsletter every two weeks. I am looking to increase my open and click rates. 

I welcome any ideas or suggestions from other internal comms 

[Mark-Klaxon]

Have you considered turning your newsletters into podcasts to reach your staff who can then listen while commuting, making breakfast, sitting at their desk etc? Easy to do.

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @user59306, 

What is the target that you want to hit with your Open Rate and CTR? Assigning a specific number to your goal will allow you to measure it to see if you made it or not! Great start to the challenge. Good luck with the rest!

[VanessaJ171]

Thank you for the information and resources. Also, I signed up to get the Essential Email Marketing Checklist and it has not be emailed. Could you please add it here. 

[Abigail_S]

Love that you're trying to build a community! It's so important to remember that we have communities all around us whether it be online or finding groups with similar interests. I love how you know the importance of coming together as a community and how it can truly help you and the industry your in grow. I'd love to know the sorts of campus events you are considering! 

[user58493]

[Abigail_S]

I love how you have a clear understanding of how your goals are going to impact your broader company goals. I think this aspect is huge in goal setting! Looks like you have a quick turnaround for your goal so good luck and I can't wait to see if you achieve it! Keep us posted! 

[Caitlin_M]

Hi @user58493 Thanks for sharing your goal with us! I'd recommend revisiting the data you will use to measure success. Do you have a set number of leads or sales you want to hit? The goal would read something like "Acquire five leads/increase sales by 10% by October 31st using social channels." If you have an existing client base, tap into them as well by offering referrals.

I hope to see you back next week for Week 2 where you'll start designing emails.

[Omar0579]

Here are our SMART goals: 

[Caitlin_M]

Hi @Omar0579. It's great that you want to include email as part of your goal! The true goal here is to "close three new deals".

At trade shows, make it easy for them to receive information if they are interested in hearing more from you. Use a sign-up landing page to collect their name, email, and phone number. Even a piece of paper where they write down their info will work but make sure to add them to your contact list very soon after the event. You'll want to have a welcome email ready to go so it will send as soon as they are added. I don't know exactly what your industry is, but at minimum, tell them thank you for joining, include your contact information, links to your website/social channels, and what services you offer. Follow up a few days later to speak more about what you can do for them or offer a free consultation.

Good luck!

[ThomasR95]

[Caitlin_M]

Hi @ThomasR95. I like how you have an education-based goal. Taxes can be confusing and overwhelming for some (speaking from experience!) and any assistance or resources you can provide will make them very happy. Even if a financial result isn't the main goal here, having a relationship with your clients can help with retention when they are ready to use your services.

[MWPS60]

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @MWPS60,

This is a great start! How many new subscribers and followers do you want to gain by the end of the year? Add that specific number to your goal so you can measure your results against it!