1. What you’ll learn
Goals: definition and reasons they're critical for your content marketing strategy
Be SMART about it
Examples are everything
Forget Lewis Carroll because when it comes to having a successful business, not any road will get you there. Without having clarity on what you want, you fall down a rabbit hole, and not even freaking Alex Honnold can help you climb out of it.
Content marketing is not just stunning pictures and words. It’s strategic thinking. You need goals for that.
As a business owner diving into the world of content marketing, you might be eager to create visually appealing photos, captivating videos or engaging blog posts to make your brand visible and reach potential customers.
But before you embark on this content marketing strategy journey, ask yourself: What do I want to achieve?
2. What is a goal?
Step 2 of our content marketing strategy blueprint: A goal is the desired result you envision and commit to achieving.
Now, what is it that you want?
Brand awareness?
Engagement?
Website traffic?
Boost sales?
Goals 1-3 are steps toward the main goal you have as a business owner: making sales. Wanting to make a sale is not a profane ritual, it's not witchcraft, it doesn’t make you a bad person; it’s what you do for a living. If you don’t sell your product or service, you have a very expensive hobby.
You just need to sell without annoying the hell out of people. We already established that the point of content marketing is making sales through high-quality content that attracts your ideal customers.
Building brand awareness is one of the main objectives of content marketing because it brings visibility, awareness and eventually, brand loyalty.
2.1. Why setting clear goals matters
As content marketing expert Joe Pulizzi says, let your goals dictate the decisions you make around your content.
By defining your goals, you gain direction and purpose in your social media endeavours. It helps you make informed decisions on what content to create, which platforms to prioritise, and how to engage with your audience effectively.
Goals allow you to measure your progress, track key performance indicators, and adapt your strategy as needed. They also give you the motivation to keep moving forward.
3. SMART goals: your roadmap to success
How to ensure your goals are clear and actionable?
Make them SMART—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Without all these ingredients, you might be setting a goal, but not effectively creating a plan for success.
Specific: You want to "increase website traffic". Be more specific and identify the source of traffic you want to boost. Is it organic search, social media referrals, or email marketing?
Measurable: Your goals should be quantifiable. You want to "get more leads," but "generating 100 new leads per month" is something you can measure.
Achievable: “Aim high, fly higher.” “Dream big and aim high.” Leave those phrases to calendar quotes. Make sure your goals are attainable with the resources at your disposal. Setting unattainable goals can lead to frustration.
Relevant: Ensure your goals align with your overall business objectives. Examples: If you're a startup, focus on brand awareness; if you're established, aim for conversion.
Time-bound: Set a deadline for achieving your goals. This adds a sense of urgency and helps you track progress effectively.
The thing works. Based on a study, 76% of participants who did three things—wrote down their goals, made a list of actions related to those goals, and shared their weekly progress with a friend—actually achieved what they set out to do.
3.1. We all love examples
a) Driving traffic
Specific: Increase organic search traffic to your blog articles by optimising for relevant long-tail keywords.
Measurable: Aim for a 20% increase in organic traffic within the next six months.
Achievable: You have a team of content creators and an SEO expert on board, making this goal realistic.
Relevant: Growing your organic traffic aligns with your long-term goal of expanding your online presence.
Time-bound: Achieve this goal within six months.
b) Converting visitors into leads
Specific: Create a smashing lead magnet (an ebook or a webinar) to collect email addresses from website visitors.
Measurable: Aim to gather 500 email addresses from your lead magnet within three months.
Achievable: You have a well-defined target audience and a compelling lead magnet.
Relevant: Building an email list is crucial for nurturing leads and moving them down the sales funnel.
Time-bound: Achieve this goal within three months.
c) Turning leads into customers
Specific: Create a sales funnel with personalised email marketing campaigns targeting leads who've interacted with your content.
Measurable: Aim to convert 10% of your leads into paying customers within six months.
Achievable: Your product has a proven track record, and your email marketing strategy is sharp as a needle.
Relevant: Increasing sales revenue is a fundamental business objective.
Time-bound: Achieve this goal within six months.
Welcome to Wonderland.
5. In a nutshell
A goal is the desired result you envision and commit to achieving.
Goals give you direction, help you measure your progress and adjust your strategy along the way, and motivate you to keep moving forward.
Use the good ol’ SMART method: Goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Several goals (brand awareness or increasing website traffic) are steps toward your main goal as a business owner: selling your product or service.
Wrapping up this chapter.
Stay curious, keep sharing.
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