Implementing Objectives
By following these steps, you create a cycle: set goals → track → adjust, which keeps your marketing strategy agile and goal-oriented.
Step 1: Start with Business Goals and Strategy
Begin by understanding your company’s high-level goals and how marketing is expected to contribute. This ensures you set objectives that are relevant.For example, if your company’s goal is market expansion, your marketing objective might be to generate awareness in a new target market or to support sales with more leads in that segment.
Never set marketing goals in a vacuum — they must ladder up to what the business needs.
Step 2: Define Clear Marketing Objectives
Draft your marketing objectives, making sure they follow the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). For each goal, ask yourself:- Is it crystal clear what we need to accomplish?
- Can we measure it?
- What’s the target and deadline?
Refine the wording until each objective is specific and outcome-focused (e.g., ‘Increase webinar-generated leads by 25% in six months’). This step turns broad ambitions into clearly defined targets.
Step 3: Identify KPIs for Each Objective
For every objective, list 1–3 key performance indicators that will be used to measure progress. Determine the current baseline for each KPI and set a target value (this target might already be embedded if you wrote the goal in SMART format).For instance, if the objective is lead generation, KPIs might be ‘number of new leads per month’ and ‘lead conversion rate’. If the goal is brand awareness, a KPI could be ‘organic traffic’ with a target of increasing it from X to Y.
Ensure the KPI data is accessible – you should be able to track it regularly (via analytics, CRM, etc…). Remember that KPIs quantify your objectives and show whether you’re on track, so choose metrics that closely reflect success for that goal.
Step 4: (Optional) Structure Goals into OKRs
If you have multiple objectives or a team to coordinate, consider using the OKR framework to organise them. This means for each broad Objective, attach the key results (from Step 3) as sub-goals. For example, your marketing department might have 3 Objectives for the quarter (each aligning to business goals), and under each objective, 2–4 key results (your KPIs with targets). Write them out in an OKR worksheet format for clarity – e.g.,Objective 1: [Outcome you want, aligned with business goal]
- KR 1: [Metric + target]
- KR 2: [Metric + target]
Objective 2: … (and so on)
This step isn’t mandatory if you prefer to manage individual goals, but it’s useful for keeping complex plans organised.
OKRs especially help when multiple team members are contributing; you can assign owners to each key result and even cascade KRs down to individual team members as their personal objectives. Ensure everyone understands how their piece (their KR or sub-objective) contributes to the bigger objective.
Step 5: Document and Communicate the Objectives
Write down your finalised objectives and KPIs in a place that’s visible to the team (e.g., a shared document, an internal wiki, or a dashboard). Documentation solidifies commitment – one study found you become more likely to achieve goals by writing them down regularly.1Share these goals with all relevant stakeholders: your marketing team, sales team, and leadership. Explain the why behind each objective so everyone is on the same page. When teams know the targets and reasoning, they can align their efforts more effectively and stay accountable
Set up a brief meeting or report to walk through the objectives and ensure clarity.
tipEncourage questions and input — team buy-in can surface ideas to refine goals or highlight potential challenges early.
Step 6: Implement Initiatives and Track Progress
Execute your marketing plan to reach the objectives, and monitor the KPIs on a regular basis (weekly, monthly, etc…). Use a live dashboard or spreadsheet to track each KPI against the target.For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic 15% monthly, track monthly traffic and calculate the increase each month to see if it’s on course. Many teams use marketing analytics tools or simple Excel/Google Sheets dashboards for this.
The key is to have real-time visibility into performance so you can react quickly.
Step 7: Review and Iterate
Set aside regular check-ins (e.g., monthly reviews or quarterly OKR reviews) to evaluate progress on each objective. If a KPI is falling short of its target, analyse why and adjust your tactics. For instance, if lead volume is below goal, you might increase content output or adjust your campaign targeting. OKRs are meant to be discussed – it’s okay if you don’t hit 100% on stretch targets, but you should learn from the results. Solicit feedback from the team on what’s working or not. The review process ensures that goals remain relevant and that you address any obstacles. If the business strategy changes, be ready to realign your marketing objectives accordingly.
