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How to connect your marketing goals to your business goals (and stop wasting time on the wrong stuff). Connecting marketing goals to business goals is something many business owners struggle with, often without realising it.
I see a pattern with business owners all the time. They are very clear on what they want for their business, but when they sit down to plan their marketing, everything suddenly turns into tasks.
Post more. Be more visible. Try a new platform. Make more content.
Those are not goals. They are things you do. And they only work when you know what you are trying to achieve in the first place.
Your marketing goals sit inside the bigger picture of your business.
If you have already looked at how marketing is more than promotion and actually touches everything in your business, and you understand who your ideal clients actually are, setting your marketing goals becomes much easier.
Instead of guessing or following what everyone else is doing, your marketing goals start to feel clearer because you know what will matter to the people you want to attract and what will support the business you want to build.
Why marketing goals go off track
Most of the time, marketing goals drift because they start from a place of guilt. You know that feeling. The feeling you get when you think you should be posting more or emailing more or updating your website. So you turn the thing you feel guilty about into a goal.
But that is not a goal. That is a task.
A marketing goal is what marketing needs to achieve so the business can reach its goals.
If your business goal is to increase revenue, your marketing goal might be to attract more ideal client enquiries. The measurement is the number and quality of enquiries. The actions are the things you do to make that happen.
If your business goal is to grow stability, your marketing goal might be to increase client retention. The measurement is how many clients return. The actions might be a better onboarding experience, clearer communication, and more helpful content.
If your business goal is to attract higher value clients, your marketing goal might be to shift your positioning so those clients see themselves in your message. The measurement is the quality of enquiries. The actions might be updating your website, refining your services, and improving physical evidence like reviews.
This is the difference.
Business goals tell you what you want.
Marketing goals tell you what marketing needs to make happen.
Measurements tell you how it is going.
Actions are the things you do to help you achieve your goals.
This is why connecting marketing goals to business goals matters so much.
Why separating goals and actions matters
When you mix up goals and actions, marketing becomes a to do list. And when marketing becomes a to do list, you lose the strategy.
And that means you:
- end up posting for the sake of posting
- update your website without knowing why
- try a new tool, simply because someone recommended it
And then nothing feels connected and you end up frustrated because the effort is high and the results are inconsistent.
When you separate goals and actions, your marketing suddenly becomes clearer. You know why you are doing each thing and what that thing is meant to achieve.
How to align your marketing goals with your business goals
I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. Start with strategy. In other words, start with the big picture.
What do you want for your business this year? Not vague things like grow the business. Actual goals.
Examples include:
- increase revenue
- attract more ideal clients
- increase profitability
- reduce overwhelm
- create stability
- grow a specific service
- improve consistency
Once you know your business goal (or goals), ask what marketing needs to achieve to support it. And that becomes your marketing goal.
Here are a few examples.
Business goal: increase revenue
Marketing goal: attract more ideal client enquiries
Measurement: number and quality of enquiries
Actions: strengthen your messaging, improve your website flow, write content that answers real questions
Business goal: attract better clients
Marketing goal: improve enquiry quality
Measurement: percentage of enquiries that match ideal client criteria
Actions: refine your positioning, update service descriptions, collect reviews that demonstrate value
Business goal: build stability
Marketing goal: increase retention and repeat business
Measurement: number of returning clients over time
Actions: refine client experience, create a follow up plan, build helpful education based communication
When you work out your goals and associated actions, and understand how they link to your business goals, then your marketing has purpose instead of pressure.
How the seven Ps fit in
This is exactly why marketing cannot only be Promotion. The seven Ps give you the structure to decide which areas support your goals and which areas need work.
For example:
If you have a revenue goal, you might need to refine your product or pricing before you touch your content.
If you have a retention goal, you might need to improve your process and client experience long before you look at social media.
If your goal is better clients, your physical evidence and messaging might matter more than your posting schedule.
This is the work that makes your marketing actually click.
How to get started
If you want to align your marketing with your business goals, here is where I recommend beginning.
- Be clear about your business goals. If you do not know what you want, nothing else will make sense.
- Know your ideal clients. Your marketing goals must support attracting or retaining them.
- Set a marketing goal that supports the business goal. Remember, this is the outcome marketing needs to achieve.
- Choose actions that support the marketing goal. Actions only matter when they support the goal.
- Decide how you will measure progress. This tells you whether your actions are working or need adjusting.
Why this matters
Marketing feels hard when everything feels urgent. But, when your goals are aligned, it becomes much calmer. You know what to do, what to ignore, and what actually moves the business forward.
When you understand how marketing fits across your whole business and you are clear about who your ideal clients are, setting your marketing goals starts to feel a lot more straightforward.
Everything lines up more easily because you are not working from guesswork anymore. You are building goals that support the direction you want the business to go and the people you want to work with.
When you focus on connecting marketing goals to business goals, your marketing becomes clearer and supports the business you are actually trying to build.
When you are ready for marketing that actually supports your business
This is what I help business owners do every day. If you want your marketing to feel clearer and more aligned with what your business actually needs, get in touch and let’s build a strategy that makes sense for you, your ideal clients, and your goals.
Common questions about connecting your marketing and business goals
1. What does connecting marketing goals to business goals actually mean?
It means your marketing goals support what your business is trying to achieve. Instead of focusing on tasks like posting more often, you set marketing goals that help move the business toward outcomes such as attracting more ideal clients, improving retention, or increasing revenue.
2. How do I know if my marketing goals are aligned with my business goals?
Look at your business goals first. Then check whether your marketing goals directly support them. If your business goal is to attract better clients, but your marketing goal is to gain more followers, they are not aligned. Your marketing goals should help you reach the results your business needs.
3. What should I do if my current marketing goals are task based?
Shift them. Start by identifying your business goals, then set marketing goals that support those. Once the marketing goals are clear, you can choose the right actions and measurements. This helps you focus on what matters instead of getting stuck in busy work.
