Don’t set goals, set objectives to realize the results that your business needs over the next year, such as increased leads and sales, brand awareness and a great return on investment through your inbound marketing plan.
Shift your mentality from knee jerk reaction, poorly thought-out online marketing strategies, to a more proactive, result orientated inbound marketing plan. You do this by setting objectives.
The word goal, primary meaning is, “the result or achievement toward which effort is directed; aim; end.” (dictionary.com)
Taking this into account having a goal or an end in mind isn’t just enough. How are you going to get there? What path will you have to take?
Embrace objectives to guide your business to meet the plan results aimed for head on. Objective means, “something that one’s efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish; purpose; goal; target” (dictionary.com)
Objectives encompass goals – achieving results your business needs
After establishing the needs for your business, such as you need to generate more leads to increase sales to keep the doors open, how do you apply them to inbound marketing objectives that will help you achieve the objective’s goal?
The planning could be as simple as this:
| Need | Objective | Plan |
| More high quality leads for sales team | Generate leads through website that are more sales ready through a compelling offer and a lead (conversion) form | Place quality content that buyers are looking for on a landing page that is optimized for search engines and easy to share on social media |
See how this quick exercise shows the shift in mentality from setting a goal to setting an actionable objective? You could equate the need with a goal, but if you don’t go beyond the need and put it in a plan, no matter how simple it might be, you won’t achieve the results your goal tells you to.
Meet those objectives set in your inbound marketing plan
You don’t have to be a genius to set objectives. There isn’t any rocket science involved, but a results orientated outlook is required. Along with a different outlook, working with an inbound marketing expert, and the information and marketing metrics that can be gathered from your website will set the tone and be a perfect guide to following the inbound marketing pathway to hit the target.