How to Set Marketing Goals and Measure Success

November 11, 2021

Failure to set marketing goals is a common pitfall we see many businesses fall into.

Whilst many have ambitious plans and big ideas, failure to set goals can leave your marketing campaigns without a sense of direction. 

A creative and well thought out marketing strategy or campaign is hugely important to your business’s success, but without goals in place, they can lack any real purpose. There’s no point putting time, effort and money behind marketing if you don’t know whether your efforts were even successful at the end of it.

If this is ringing a bell, don’t worry – we’re about to explain how to set marketing goals and measure the success of your marketing activities. 

How to set marketing goals

In order to set appropriate marketing goals, you first need to be familiar with your business’s wider objectives. You can then ensure your marketing and business goals align. The best way to ensure that your team knows exactly what they are working towards is to use SMART goals. 

What are smart goals and objectives?

The SMART method refers to a set of criteria that acts as a guide when setting goals and objectives. It’s an acronym that stands for the following:

Specific 

A common error is setting goals that are too vague. If you want to generate more leads or sales, then how many? If you want to rank in first position on Google, then for which keyword? Making your goals more specific allows for better planning and makes it a lot easier to measure success.

Measurable

Goals should be measurable in order to define what makes your marketing campaign successful. Decide which evidence or metrics will prove you’re making progress – you can adjust these later if necessary. 

Attainable

Of course we all want our marketing efforts to be as successful as they can be, but it’s important to ensure that your goals are achievable. Short timeframes or unrealistic expectations will not give your marketing efforts a fair chance to yield results.

Relevant

Your goals should align with your values and long term business goals.

Time-based

An end date should be set so you can plan your time effectively, but ensure your deadline is reasonable for the amount of work involved. 

Setting up goals in Google Analytics

We’re all familiar with Google Analytics by now, but many marketers or business owners don’t utilise the goals feature. Creating goals in Google Analytics makes it easier to track and measure success, and keep all of your data in one place. 

1. Once you’ve logged into Google Analytics, head to the admin section and then your desired view.
2. Click Goals
3. Click on the +NEW GOAL button to create a new goal. You have three options when it comes to doing this: using a goal template, creating custom goals or creating Smart Goals. Some of these options may only be available if your account meets certain requirements.

Goal value

Google Analytics allows you to assign a monetary value to a goal. This gives you a way to compare conversions, and measure changes or improvements to your website. All goals types except Smart Goals let you assign this during the setup process. However – there are certain things to consider when setting up an Event goal or a goal that involves Ecommerce Tracking. 

When setting up a goal related to Ecommerce Tracking, such as transactions or purchases, leave the Goal value blank. The actual value of the transaction appears in the Revenue metric and will come from the Ecommerce Tracking code in your shopping cart. 

Which goals are available in Google Analytics?

There are a number of different goal types available. Each type is used for a different kind of action that you can measure. If using a template, the best fit will be suggested for you. When it comes to custom goals, you will need to choose the goal type that best fits the action you want to track. See the goal types available below. 

Destination goal details

Destination goals will treat a page or screen view as a conversion. Simply enter the page URL into the Destination field, then specify the match type. 

You’ll also find a funnel option in this section. The funnel refers to the path users take to reach the destination page, i.e. the page you want to track. You can specify the pages or screens a user must visit prior to reaching the final destination goal by entering each as a step in the funnel. 

Duration goal details

Duration goals measure user engagement by treating minimum session duration as a conversion. You can set the minimum session time that qualifies as a goal conversion – any session that lasts longer than the duration set will generate a conversion. 

Event goal details

This type of goal treats website or app user interactions as conversions. You need to set up at least one event or use Event goals. You can use the Event conditions to configure event components. 

Pages/Screens per session goal details

The number of pages or screens viewed per session can also be treated as a goal. Therefore users who view more than the specified number of pages/screens will generate a conversion. 

Need a hand with your digital marketing or ecommerce strategy? Not sure how to effectively track your goals and measure success? Venture Stream offers a range of services, such as reporting and analytics support, whether you want one-to-one training or an experienced digital agency to manage this aspect of your business for you. Get in touch if you fancy a chat – we’d be more than happy to help.