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]

This is great! Awesome work putting together your SMART goals! I hope you hit them!

[LibbyH7]

I think you can do it.

[Chris-S]

[RebeccaW7558]

Let's do this!

[Nick_S]

Hi @RebeccaW7558,

As a fellow artist, though more of an aspiring one, your goals definitely resonate with me. So, I'm rootin' for your success!

Also, as a new parent, finding time for my art can be difficult. So the fact you're targeting women that are most likely mothers and the demands on them, but also find time for their art, is great. I feel like encouraging "micro" activities that they can squeeze in-between all their other tasks might feel achievable and propel them to keep coming back.

Maybe setting it up as an automated email series ahead of time so you know they'll get it when you want them to get it.

Next week we'll be talking about crafting a great email, so I think that'll align with your goals, as well.

[Abigail_S]

Great goals with a clear audience in mind! Are you going to set up links to your artwork on the Instagram posts that you're planning? I'm so curious and intrigued now. Also curious if you have all of your social posts planned out in advance! Let me know in the comments. 

[JenniferS7]

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @JenniferS7, 

Thanks for filling out the worksheet! You're off to a great start, and I would like to see you refine this information a bit. What you've included is a bit broad. Try to get some specific number attached to the things you want to measure, and consider shortening your time frame. All of the items you listed in the data you will use to measure success are fine things to measure, but I wouldn't wait 2 years to do it. Think about what specific number you want to reach, and then consider a time frame of three months to measure and then adjust as needed!

[MaryJaneC]

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @MaryJaneC,

How many emails or phone calls would you like to receive by May 2025? Adding that number will help you to see if you are on track or not. Keep it up!

[CrystalE16]

Okay here is my first attempt at creating SMART goals. I hope I am able to achieve it in the upcoming days. 

[Chris-S]

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @CrystalE16,

Thanks for submitting your worksheet! I love seeing cursive still in use! I can't quite make out what you are trying to increase by 3% by October 4, so please let me know what you are working toward, so I can better help review your sheet.

Thank you!

[user43497]

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @user43497, Unfortunately, some of your text got cut off. Would it be possible to share it again so I can read all that you put together?

[user38119]

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @user38119,

Thanks for filling this out! This all makes sense, but one thing you may want to clarify is what doubling your followers technically means. Is this your total count? Your followers on each platform?  Making that more precise and recording the specific numbers you want to hit (and where you are starting from) will make this a tighter SMART goal. Keep it up!

[Mark-Klaxon]

Would love feedback on our goal setting at Klaxon AI. Thanks in advance!

[LibbyH7]

You have an interesting business. We have a newsletter but have never made it into a podcast. I didn't know you could do this. I think it would be good to educate people on the benefits of a podcast.

[Mark-Klaxon]

Thanks Libby. We think so too and the campaign is exactly that, to educate on the benefits of podcasts - greater engagement and response than other media, fastest growing media in the world, etc - and to introduce people to how easy it is to repurpose newsletters and blogs to podcasts to share with their subscribers and followers who can listen on their way to work, walking the dog, making breakfast, etc. Would love to see your newsletter!

[TraceyLeeDavis]

Hi @Mark-Klaxon,

This is excellent! Clear and concise. This is a great SMART goal! Good luck with this cool concept!