How to Set Marketing Goals as Part of an Effective Marketing Strategy?

Setting clear, realistic, and measurable goals is the foundation of every successful marketing strategy. So how do you set marketing goals that lead to measurable results?

1. Setting Realistic and Measurable Goals for Your Marketing Strategy

The first step is to set specific and measurable goals. In marketing, the SMART method is often used – goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, if you're focusing on increasing website traffic, a goal could be “increase organic traffic by 20% over the next 6 months.” The goal is clear, specific, and measurable, which is crucial for a successful marketing strategy.

Action Plan: Have your team create a list of three to five key goals for the upcoming marketing campaigns. For each goal, specify the metrics you’ll be tracking, and set up monthly reporting to monitor progress and adjust the strategy as needed. The goal is to have realistic targets that can be evaluated and adjusted in time.

2. How to Set Goals for PPC Campaigns?

PPC campaigns (pay-per-click) have their own specific goals and metrics. The most common goals include increasing website traffic, conversions (purchases, registrations, etc.), or raising brand awareness. Important metrics for PPC campaigns include CTR (Click-Through Rate), PNO (cost-to-revenue ratio), or ROAS (Return on Ad Spend). Read more in our separate article on PPC Campaign Metrics.

Action Plan: When setting goals for PPC campaigns, focus on these key metrics:

• CTR (Click-Through Rate): Set the target click-through percentage you expect. For example, “I want to achieve a CTR of at least 2% for this campaign.”

• ROAS (Return on Ad Spend): Define how much money you should get back for every dollar invested in advertising. For example, if you invest 10,000 CZK in a PPC campaign, the goal could be a ROAS of 500% (i.e., 50,000 CZK in revenue). In the Czech Republic, the PNO metric is commonly used, which is very similar.

• AOV (Average Order Value): Track the average order value for all the segments and target groups you’ve defined in your marketing strategy.

• Impressions: Start by monitoring how much impressions (views) cost for each channel. Then evaluate and optimize. We don't recommend using only channels with the lowest cost, as they often don’t lead to conversion decisions but may serve another effective role. Set a goal for how many times you want your ad to be shown. For example, “I want to reach 100,000 impressions with this PPC campaign.” Impressions are a key metric for increasing brand awareness.

Regularly check the results and adjust campaigns based on the numbers achieved. Ensure that your team focuses not only on achieving a high CTR but also on the overall effectiveness of the campaign in terms of ROAS or impressions.

3. Evaluating Other Types of Campaigns and Optimizing the Marketing Mix

Each type of campaign has its own specific goals and metrics. For content campaigns, the goal may be to increase brand awareness or engagement (user involvement), while for email marketing, it will be the open rate and click-through rate (CTR).

Action Plan: For content campaigns, focus on measuring impressions (how many times the ad was shown) and engagement (number of comments, likes, shares). For email campaigns, track open and click-through rates, with the goal of, for example, increasing the open rate to 25% and the CTR to 3% over the next two months. Set up regular A/B testing to determine what works best – different email subjects, images, or calls-to-action can have a significant impact on the success of your marketing strategy.

Conclusion

At Delicate Crime, we’re happy to help you set and evaluate your marketing goals. Whether it’s PPC campaigns, content strategies, or email marketing, our experts will help you set realistic goals and achieve measurable results.