How to Set Smart Digital Marketing Goals That Work

The thought of developing ideas, creating goals, and executing plans can be intimidating. Many companies simply do not know where to start. Others may feel that time or resources are rarer than Big Foot sightings. However, with the amount of business that transpires on the World Wide Web every single minute of every single day, digital marketing goals are a critical element of any successful business plan and can’t be overlooked.

But don’t worry. Ironistic is here to make this specific type of planning make a lot more sense. The very first step is understanding what a marketing goal is and how that goal can help href=”https://www.ironistic.com/what-we-do/digital-strategy-services/”> build effective digital marketing strategies.

A digital marketing goal isn’t just a vague wish upon a star. It’s a measurable and specific objective that helps you reach your broader business goals. Whether you’re chasing quality leads,  boosting brand awareness, cultivating customer loyalty, or generating support for a good cause , marketing goals are the targets you hope to hit.

Now we’ve compiled some suggestions and examples to start you off on your journey toward a successful online marketing strategy – so keep reading!

What Does Organizational Success Look Like for You?

What do you want your business to achieve this month – next quarter – in a year? Common objectives include lead generation, increasing sales or donations, getting more email signups or memberships, or booking more events.

These, of course, are all great missions; however, our director of account services, Andrea Macino, says it best to “set measurable online marketing goals that can show the success or failures of marketing efforts through data collected.”

Like peanut butter and jelly, business objectives and marketing goals are better together. Tying them together will show that your company understands what you want to accomplish and how you will do it. So, while increasing sales, signups, and bookings are great success targets, let’s supercharge your efforts by adding more specific and measurable marketing goals into the equation.

Digital Marketing Goals Require Data Research

As you know, data is so crucial in the digital marketing world. 

How are people getting to your website? Directly? Search engines? Social media? Email marketing? Check your site’s analytics to see how your users are arriving and plan accordingly.

Who is your audience? By narrowing in on your target audience’s demographics, you will be able to select the platforms that particular demographic uses the most – and avoid the platforms that will not render any conversions.

Last but not least, what business goals are you aiming to meet?

• Are you promoting a service or product on Google Ads?
• Hoping to promote a new brand or upcoming event on Facebook?
• Showing how fun your company is in a new hiring message by recording a TikTok?

Depending on the digital marketing goals you are trying to achieve, you can narrow down which online advertising platform will best promote your content.

Partner with Ironistic to get a clear digital strategy with defined goals that we will focus on to achieve your online goals by making an IMPACT on your audience through proven digital strategy services!

Keep Big AND Local Digital Marketing Goals in Mind

Where does your target audience “live” on the internet, and where are they making buying decisions? For example, your audience may love to hang out on Facebook, but they might be more focused on the business decision when they are on LinkedIn.

Based on our experience, almost everyone lives on Google, so Google Ads should almost certainly be part of your campaign. In addition, according to industry data, nine out of ten online users run internet searches via Google…enough said.

Through research and testing, we can also find more specific outlets for advertising your products and services, even down to specific sites. We advertise our RUN! GEEK! RUN! 5K on social media, but we also have advertisements in the Alexandria Times because that’s where this local event takes place every year.

Digital Marketing Goals Examples

• Business Objective: Drive more online sales
  • Digital Marketing Goal: Increase online revenue by __%
• Business Objective: Rank higher in Google search results
  • Digital Marketing Goal: Increase Google organic visits by __%
• Business Objective: Book more events
  • Digital Marketing Goal: Increase online event bookings by __%
• Business Objective: Get more newsletter subscribers
  • Digital Marketing Goal: Reach __ newsletter signups through the website
• Business Objective: Get more leads
  • Digital Marketing Goal: Increase form submission and/or phone calls by __%.
• Business Objective: Gain a wider reach on social media
  • Digital Marketing Goals:
    • Reach __ Facebook followers.
    • Reach __ Facebook post impressions.
    • Reach __ post interactions (likes, shares, comments).
    • Reach __ Twitter followers.
    • Reach __ Retweets.
    • Reach __ LinkedIn page followers…You get my point.

Being able to analyze digital marketing metrics and judge the effectiveness of your strategy is key to achieving the results that you want.

How We Like to Measure Digital Marketing Goals

At Ironistic, we typically set measurable digital marketing goals for our clients for a year at a time. The majority are to increase ____ by ____%.

You might say, “But, my business has been tracking data for years.” Comparing year-over-year data is preferred because it allows you to account for seasonal changes and base your goals on trends from years past. However, since there is no easy way to measure year-over-year data, and social media users can follow or unfollow your business page, we typically would set a goal to hit a certain number by a specific date.

For example, your company may currently have 730 Facebook followers, and your goal is to reach 1500 followers. If that’s your goal, then your marketing strategy should focus on efforts to raise brand awareness and attract more users to ‘like’ your page.

You might say, “My business is brand new and has no historical data.” Fret not. Every company has to start somewhere.

We would take any data and information you do have and combine it with a hefty dose of industry insights in order to set digital marketing goals. These goals would be realistic for your specific business and take into consideration your industry and placement.

Based on your digital marketing objectives, Ironistic can then create custom dashboards in Google Analytics and pull data from other relevant software. This helps us track all goals on a monthly and year-to-date basis for our monthly marketing reports. 

These reports give the client and us a clear picture of the status throughout the year. If we see that some digital marketing goals are not performing as hoped, we can make necessary adjustments within the overall strategy. 

Final Insights Into Setting Goals and Preparing Digital Marketing Strategies

Your company’s value is intrinsically connected to your results. More and more these results depend on your online performance. To make your marketing efforts meaningful, your business objectives must align with your digital marketing goals.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to roll up your sleeves, have a good old brainstorming session, examine your overarching business objectives, and work on setting some measurable goals for your digital marketing strategy. 

And, hey, if all this online marketing mumbo-jumbo feels like you’re trying to decipher hieroglyphics or if you simply lack the time to give your digital plans the attention your business deserves, feel free to reach out to Ironistic. We have a team of digital strategists and specialists just waiting to help.

Oh, and one more thing, check out our Ultimate List of Conversion Rate Optimization Tips as well!