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!

[Chris-S]

Thanks for sharing @SheridanM 

Your marketing goals are super clear and focused on both current and future patients. But maybe it'd be cool to explain what exactly you'll do to attract those future patients. Having some specific plans can make the goal easier to tackle.

Looks like you can totally reach these goals with the rates you have now. But you might wanna think about if a 48% open rate is doable based on your past numbers and how others in the industry are doing. A year seems like a good amount of time. Maybe check in every few months to see how things are going and make any changes if necessary. That way, you can make sure we hit our goal for the year.

By working on these things, you can make a stronger plan to reach your SMART goals and make your marketing better.

[DebraM576]

[Caitlin_M]

Hi @DebraM576. Do you have a full-screen version of the goal sheet? This way, we can see everything you've put on it. 

[DebraM576]

I couldn't get the full screen I am sorry. 

[DebraM576]

I can try again. if you want. 

[MarieEstelle]

[Abigail_S]

These are AMAZING goals! I'm speechless. Keep working hard and let me know how the event goes! You have a clear goals in mind and know exactly how you are going to get there. I admire your drive and work ethic! 

[LynnChamp]

[Abigail_S]

Great goals! It might also help attach a number to this goal by setting an expectation such as: how many sign ups are your looking to receive? Is it a small or big event? What are you identifying as "quality clients"? Keeping these items in mind may help you hone in on your goals a bit more! Let me know how the event goes! 

[user161057]

[Chris-S]

 @user161057

Hey there! The goals you mentioned are great and will definitely help you succeed. But, I have some suggestions for making them even better. Check it out! Your goal to boost your brand, stay on people’s minds, and get new gigs is on point with your  objectives. Measuring "campaign responses" is a solid way to track progress. And aiming for "end of 2024" gives you a clear timeline to hit that goal.

Opportunity for Improvement: including more specific key performance indicators (KPIs) such as the number of new clients acquired or the percentage increase in repeat clients would give a better measure of success.

Nice work over all and I look forward to seeing you in week 2 of the Ready, Set, Send challenge

[LeahW28]

[DavidFischerSolutionsForGrowth]

LeahW28 - What you write in your form is spot on in terms of goals. Getting a 6% click rate in commendable (most are 1-2%). What plans do you have to create such a high level on engagement? As an agency that specializes in Constant Contact email marketing, we find that videos are particularly helpful to increase click rates as it's a video is irresistible. And in terms of actual sales, have you given thought to what you'll do to drive interest in tractor farmers? Incentives, show room events, free swag, raffles...there is so much that can be done.
Take a peek at our email work.

I'd love to explore this further with you. Don't hesitate to reach out, Leah.

[JancelleR]

[Nick_S]

Thank you for sharing this, @JancelleR!

I definitely think social media and digital advertising will be a big help in spreading more awareness of your brand. And you can direct them to a landing page to sign up for your email communications, converting them into a dedicated follower!

If you haven't yet, there is still time to participate in the other weeks of the challenge!

[ScottR0223]

[Nick_S]

Hi @ScottR0223!

As I said to another user, I can see social media being a big help with attracting new users. If you aren't already, you can share your emails to your social media pages or boost them further with paid ads that can target users with similar demographics as your current followers.

If you haven't yet, there is still time to participate in the other weeks of the challenge!

[StephaniaR5]

Put this together with a client (local irrigation district) in mind. 

[Abigail_S]

Awesome goals @StephaniaR5! I love that you are going to be tracking your open rate, click rate, and website views and visits. Have you thought to use a call to action in your email? You can learn all about that in week 2 and submit your email for feedback! A call to action button can direct customers to exactly where you want them to go. I also love that you have a clear vision of engaging stakeholders and building your credibility. Keep us posted if your website gets more visits month over month! We love to hear about your successes. 

[MariaM5]

[Abigail_S]

Thanks for contributing @MariaM5!  In keeping with the SMART goal outline, can you track a measurable sign up metric? How many sign ups would you like to have within that timeframe? I think this will also help the goal you have be more achievable and you'll have a benchmark to refer to! If you're creating emails for sign ups, be sure to check out week 2 of the challenge and submit your email!