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!

[Abigail_S]

@JimP925 Love that you want to grow your sales and foster the relationships! I hope you acquire 5 new businesses in the next few months! Also, be sure to check out week 2 and week 3 of this challenge to help make these goals an even greater reality! 

[user6679143]

[Chris-S]

Hi @user6679143 

Thanks for sharing your SMART goals. It’s awesome to see how you’re focusing on getting your team members involved. Here are some helpful tips to make your goals even better:

It might be helpful to explain what exactly counts as "actively reading." Are you talking about how many people open the emails or click on the links? Knowing this would make it easier to understand your goal and keep track of it.

Using newsletter feedback as a measure of performance is great, but consider establishing specific measures to assess reader engagement. For example, strive for a particular open or click-through rate, in addition to the overall number of readers. This approach could provide a more accurate indication of success.

Your dedication to communication and engagement is praiseworthy! By further developing these objectives, you can establish a strong structure to ensure your team members are informed and equipped for success. 

[PatriciaS710]

[Chris-S]

Hey there @PatriciaS710 

I just checked out your SMART goals, and you’re on the right track! Here are some thoughts to make your plan even better:

Your plan to reach buyers is off to a good start, but maybe we could make it even better. What exactly do you want them to do when they hear about the market? Do you want them to check out a website, sign up for a newsletter, or something else? 

You mentioned keeping tabs on how buyers engage and give feedback, which is great! If you can, set some specific goals—like trying to get a certain amount of clicks or responses. It'll give you something to work towards and make it easier to see how well you're doing.

Overall, it sounds like you’ve got a solid plan in place! Just fine-tune a few details, and you’ll be all set. Can’t wait to see how this all plays out for you!

Cheers and looking forward to seeing you participate in week 4 of the challenge.

[DavidFischerSolutionsForGrowth]

@Patricia kudos for putting effort into trying to raise your real estate business's profile by staying in touch with your email list and using SMS and social. We'd love to provide specific advice on your channels, so if you'd like, post the links to a couple of emails you sent, text screenshots and social media posts so we review them. Thanks!

[user16441]

[Chris-S]

Hey @user16441 

Hey, I checked out your SMART goals and it looks like you're doing great! Here are some tips that could make them even better:

Focusing on improving the click rate of links is a commendable objective. To reach a 5% click rate, it may be advantageous to specify the specific links you are targeting. Are they links for newsletters, promotional deals, or other content?

Aiming for a 5% click rate is a commendable goal, but it is important to think about the methods you will employ to reach it. Will you focus on improving your email content, subject lines, or targeting? Providing specific details can bring your objective within reach.

Overall, you’re off to a good start with your goals. A few tweaks here and there, and you’ll be ready to roll!

[SherylJ731]

Playing catchup ...

 

[Chris-S]

Thanks for posting, @SherylJ731 

I just took a peek at your SMART goals, and you're doing great.

Your goal to increase newsletter subscriptions by 100 is clear, which is fantastic! Could you provide more details on how you plan to attract those new subscribers? Will you be using specific promotions or content themes that might appeal to medical staff? It's great that your newsletter provides exclusive details on specials! Be sure to emphasize this aspect in your marketing strategies. Customers are drawn to exclusive offers, so make sure to showcase that in your messaging.

Great job on setting these goals! With just a few adjustments, you will be well on your way. Excited to hear about your progress!

[user712504]

[Abigail_S]

Awesome @user712504! What's your current open rate? It would be great to see the contrast and look at the gap you are trying to close. Do you also have different design ideas in mind for capturing more attendees? Are you sending newsletters to remind your contacts? Just a few things to consider! Be sure to check out the rest of the challenges and we can't wait to see what you do in the next 6 months. Keep us posted!  

[PatriciaP871]

[DavidFischerSolutionsForGrowth]

@PatriciaP871 kudos for putting effort into trying to raise your donor revenue by staying in touch with your email list. We'd love to provide specific advice on your emails, so if you'd like, post the links to a couple of emails you sent so we review them. Thanks!

[AmberS21]

 

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @AmberS21,

This is a great start! One thing to consider when making goals like this is to set a specific number to target: Increase Fullscript orders by X%, Grow community to 100 members, etc. Attaching a specific number to a goal will allow you to measure it to see if you hit your goal in three months. 

[AnyaM7]

[Abigail_S]

Love this @AnyaM7! These are great goals and social media is such a beast in today's marketing experience. How do you plan on getting more followers and subscribers through these platforms? Are you going to adjust your content calendar in terms of when and how much you're posting? Are you going to have more interactive content? Are you going to drive your audience to all of your platforms some how? Just some items to consider! Keep up the great work and join us for the rest of the challenges.  

[Scheeff]

[Abigail_S]

Awesome goal @Scheeff! Social media is all the frenzy- especially in today's marketing world. I love that you want to increase your followers, but what plans do you have in order to accomplish this? Are you going to post more frequently? Are you going to create more video content? Is your content going to be published across all of your platforms? These are just things to consider! Keep up the great work and join us in the rest of the challenges!  

[LaineA]

 Enjoyed the content! It helped me create specific measurable goals. Like how succinct the video was too. Quick and effective!