After more than 8 years of entrepreneurship, last fall I started the exercise of writing out my goals every 90-days. Before that my goals were “loose” as I had a very steady business and things were status quo month over month.
Nothing like some instability to snap you into reality and get you thinking about what you really want. The process of getting super clear on my goals means that everyday, every week and every month I’m checking in. Decisions are made against a plan, with a bit of wiggle room for things that happen along the way.
By now you are probably thinking, okay lady, this is hardly earth shattering. Do you know how many people talk about goal setting? (For the record, a lot. In the entrepreneurial world it’s unavoidable.)
The whole process of setting goals meant I got really clear about what mattered and didn’t to my business, especially in my marketing. List size, follower count and all that jazz don’t mean jack if you aren’t making bank.
[Tweet “List size, follower count and all that jazz don’t mean jack if you aren’t making bank. @magspatterson explains “]
Gold Star, Vanity and Money Goals Get Mixed Up
In my mind, those types of “goals” are external ones – they are focused on vanity and things that may not even matter to your bottom line. Yes, they are a contributing factor, but they should not be your only marketing goals. There’s a reason marketing is so closely aligned with sales in the corporate environment, it’s because marketing drives sales.
Maybe it’s crass for me to say it, but I’m assuming you are in business to make money. So all this “gold star” or “vanity” type marketing has to stop.
Vanity Goals: These include list size, follower count, likes, tweets, as seen on logos, podcast downloads or anything else has a number and makes you feel like a big shot.
Gold Star Goals: Completing any task including a blog post, newsletter or anything you are doing but aren’t entirely sure if it is working for your business, but hey, gold star for you. Cross it off the list and get back to your busy work.
Are all these goals wrong? Definitely not. In fact, they are extremely valid, but if you only focus on these goals, you are missing the point entirely.
Marketing Goals = Money Goals
Anyone who has ever worked with me, knows that I’m the first to say that marketing is an art, not a science. Especially when we get into the unmeasurable – things like awareness and authority.
That shouldn’t be an excuse for not taking a strategic and somewhat ruthless approach to your marketing. So instead of tasks, get really clear on what the goals for your marketing truly are.
Take some time and consider things such as:
- What is my goal for this activity?
- How does it help me further my money goals?
- Is this working for my business?
- What purpose does it serve?
- Do I even like doing this?
Start prioritizing and be brutal. You only have so many hours in the day to spend on marketing so really hone in on which ones have the most impact on your actual business and money goals. What things are you doing for a longer-term build and do they need to be slowed down or changed up? Clarity breeds confidence which goes a long way to drive your success.
[Tweet “Do you have $ driven marketing goals or ones that are driven by wanting a gold star? – new post from @magspatterson “]
Not Sure Where to Start?
One of the first things I usually assess with my clients is their marketing busy work, in particular content creation. Blogs should be helping you reach a business goal, and hopefully one that helps generate revenue.
Taking a big step back and looking at everything with a critical eye isn’t easy, but it will work. That’s where Content Camp can help! The next session starts June 16th – and we’d love to have you there.
Content Camp is a four week program designed to help you tame your content and be less stressed.
