Step One: Strategic Goals Alignment

The first step in beginning any marketing program at Mambo is our Strategic Goals Alignment exercise.  We do this as a kickoff exercise with our clients so that we can ensure we capture the top-down executive strategy and bake that in to any digital and social strategy we then develop.  An additional benefit of initially aligning strategic goals with leadership and your team is to make sure you’re all on the same page from the start.  This simple but crucial step has become a cornerstone of our success with clients big and small.

What is a Strategic Goal?

A strategic goal is BIG, and conveys an ultimate outcome the organization desires.  Every subsequent activity or marketing investment must support a strategic goal.  Strategic goals should be limited to about 4-6 and ideally contain a measureable metric (so you determine if you’re successful!). They answer the big question: What are we trying to do in our organization?

Here are some sample strategic goals:

1. Increase website traffic by 20%
2. Effectively integrate Social Media marketing into our existing marketing mix
3. Increase on-site conversion by 10%
4. Identify who our brand advocates are and why they remain loyal

Sometimes it hard to think big! A strategic goal is not increasing Twitter followers or press mentions. A strategic goal is increasing reach or leveraging PR to attract leads.

In their e-book HOW TO REPORT INBOUND ROI, Hubspot reinforces this point, and encourage marketers to “…show how specific efforts tie back to goals identified in your sales process.”

We’ve found it helpful to specify, secondarily, exact messaging or initiatives for each pillar or goal.  These make the goal tangible for all involved in working toward repeatable results. For example:

GOAL: Increase on-site conversion by 10%

– Add additional calls to action on website including newsletter sign up and free demo

Finally, the document guides the team or decision-making when questions of activities arise later. Strategic goals alignment is not just the first step in Mambo’s approach, it is a good practice.