How to Define and Measure Marketing Objectives: A Start-to-Finish Guide

At the core of any great marketing plan is a list of strategic and clear marketing objectives.

Marketing objectives are a brand’s defined goals. They outline the intentions of the marketing team,
provide clear direction for team members to follow, and offer information for executives to review and
support.

Marketing objectives are a pivotal part of a marketing strategy. Without defined goals, a brand will
struggle with achieving its plans because it won’t be clear on what it wants to do. A straightforward plan
is required to know what you hope to do and how you plan on doing it.

So if you’re developing a marketing strategy that has a vision but lacks a concrete list of marketing
objectives – use this guide to improve and upgrade your plans.

You will be far more likely to reach your goals when they are defined, outlined, and compiled into a clear
list of measurable marketing objectives.

We also created a marketing objectives checklist to make the process even easier. Download the
checklist now and follow along to create plan for executing on your marketing objectives.

How to Choose Marketing Objectives

The first step in creating a useful list of marketing objectives is reviewing the options you have for your
strategy.

While there are many goals you can outline in your marketing plans, some of the most frequently used
marketing objectives examples include the following goals. Consider the stage and position of your
brand, and select two or three marketing objectives to focus on.

Example Marketing Objectives

Promote New Products or Services

If your upcoming plans include launching new offerings, your marketing objectives should include
promoting those new products and services.

Grow Digital Presence

If your brand doesn’t have a large footprint online, your marketing plans may be to start search engine
optimization (SEO) and grow your visibility in search engine rankings as well as social media platforms.

Lead Generation

If your pipeline isn’t full, you may want to focus on lead generation tactics that grow your email list and
fill your client relationship management (CRM) system with qualified prospects.

Target New Customers

You may choose this goal if you already have a loyal client base but would like to expand out and reach
new audiences, customers, and clients.

Retain Existing Customers

Rather than focus on new customer acquisition, you may want to focus on keeping the existing
customers you already have.

Build Brand Awareness

If your brand is new or only known to a small audience, one of the marketing objectives to focus on
could be expanding your reach and getting more people to learn about your brand.

Develop Brand Loyalty

If audiences already know your brand, you may want to focus on building not just awareness, but a
deeper brand affinity and loyalty.

Increase Sales and/or Revenue

If you are selling products or services, you may want to focus on selling more of those offerings. This is
one of the marketing objectives that will increase revenue and the amount of money coming into your
business.

Increase Profit

This marketing objective is different from increasing sales and revenue, because you may increase your
profit through means other than selling more. This objective may include cutting expenses and
overhead, selling more items that have higher margins, or other changes that increase profit (which may
not necessarily increase revenue).

Expand Into a New Market

If your brand is already well-known or successful in a specific industry or geographic area, you may want
to expand out into a new target market, vertical, or location.

Grow Market Share

Instead of growing into a new area, you may want to expand your footprint in your current market. This
objective helps you get more available customers in your industry or geographic location.

Build Industry Authority

Another way to grow your visibility in an industry is to become an expert in the field. You can focus on
establishing your brand as an authority in your vertical.

It may be tempting to look at this list and want to choose five, 10, or even all of the marketing strategies.
But it’s important to note you should keep your list of marketing objectives relatively short. Take time to
focus on two to three objectives at a time, and then create plans to revisit and refocus on other goals at
a later time.

How to Define Clear Marketing Objectives

Once you know which marketing objectives you want to focus on, it’s time to drill down into the details
of those goals.

It’s not enough to just outline the marketing goals you want to accomplish. You also need to validate
your plans and make sure they are practical, useful, and reasonable. You must check to see if your
objectives are SMART.

SMART marketing objectives are:

Specific: The goals are clearly defined and outlined so the whole team understands the objective and
why it’s important.

Measurable: The goals have key performance indicators (KPI) and benchmarks that allow you to
measure your success.

Achievable: The goals are within the ability of your company and team. While you want to set a high bar,
you also need to remember to set goals within your means, so you don’t set your team up for failure.