Setting marketing goals

It's hard to improve what you don't measure. Clear marketing goals help you decide what to do, and simple measures tell you whether it's working. This guide explains how to set practical goals and track results without complicated tools.

This guide is general information written in our own words, based on the official sources listed at the end. Laws, regulator guidance and platform rules change, and how they apply depends on your business, so check the official source and get legal or professional advice where you need it. We don't recommend particular agencies, tools or platforms, and we never promise results.

Start with business goals

Marketing goals should support what the business needs: more customers, more repeat customers, higher-value sales, a new product launch or a quieter season filled. Decide what matters most for the next year, then set marketing goals that contribute to it.

Make goals SMART

business.gov.au suggests making marketing goals SMART:

• Specific: clear about what you want.
• Measurable: you can tell whether you achieved it.
• Achievable: realistic for your time and budget.
• Relevant: connected to your business goals.
• Time-bound: with a deadline.

For example, instead of "more online sales", a SMART goal might be "grow monthly online orders from repeat customers by a set amount by the end of the financial year, through a monthly email". Set your own numbers based on your records; we don't publish benchmarks because every business is different.

Choose a few useful measures

Pick measures that link directly to your goals. Common ones include:

• Enquiries and bookings: calls, emails, form submissions and bookings.
• Sales: number and value, and repeat purchases.
• Website visits: especially from search and email.
• Email list growth and engagement: sign-ups, opens and clicks.
• Reviews: the number and content of genuine reviews.

Avoid drowning in numbers. A handful of measures you check regularly is more useful than a dashboard you never open.

Find out where customers come from

The simplest method is to ask: "How did you hear about us?" Add the question to booking forms and train staff to ask it. Online, many tools let you add tracking tags to links in emails and ads so you can see which ones bring visitors. Search Console, a free Google tool covered in Google's SEO Starter Guide, shows how people find your site in search.

Set a baseline

Before you start a new activity, record where you are now: current monthly enquiries, sales or visits. Without a baseline, it's hard to tell whether a change made a difference.

Give activities a fair trial

Some marketing, such as search and email lists, builds over months. Ads can show results faster. Decide in advance how long you'll try something and what result would justify continuing.

Review and adjust

Put regular reviews in your calendar. Monthly, check your key measures and activities. Quarterly, review your marketing plan: what worked, what didn't and what you'll change. Spend more time and money on what works, and stop what doesn't.

Be honest about results

When you use results in marketing, such as "hundreds of happy customers", make sure they're accurate and can be backed up. The ACCC says claims must be based on reasonable grounds.

A simple tracking sheet

You don't need special software. A spreadsheet with one row per month and columns for your key measures, such as enquiries, bookings, sales, website visits from search, new email subscribers and new reviews, is enough for most small businesses. Add a notes column to record what you did that month, so you can link activities to results.

Leading and lagging measures

Some measures, such as sales, show results after the fact. Others, such as enquiries, website visits or email sign-ups, can give an earlier signal of whether an activity is working. Track a mix, so you can adjust before the end of a quarter rather than after it.

When results disappoint

If an activity isn't working, check the basics before giving up: is it reaching your target customers, is the message clear, is there a clear next step, and have you given it a fair trial? Sometimes a small change, such as a clearer offer or a better landing page, makes the difference.

Try the email marketing checker

Our free email marketing checker asks six quick questions about consent, identifying your business, contact details and unsubscribing, based on ACMA's guidance on the Spam Act 2003. It shows what to fix if anything is missing. It runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you answer is sent anywhere.

Where our information comes from

Factual statements in our guides are based on official sources, including the ACCC, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), business.gov.au and Google Search Central. We link to each source at the end of the page and write everything in our own words. We don't publish invented statistics, benchmarks, case studies or testimonials.

Rules and platforms change

Consumer, spam and privacy rules are reviewed from time to time, regulators update their guidance, and digital platforms change their features and policies often. Treat our guides as a starting point, and check the official source, or get legal or professional advice, before making decisions that matter for your business.

Free official help

business.gov.au publishes free guidance and templates on marketing, advertising and online reviews, and can be contacted on 13 28 46. The ACCC, ACMA and OAIC each publish plain-language guidance for businesses on their websites. State small business commissioners and small business development centres also offer information, workshops and, in some cases, low-cost advice.

Marketing on a small budget

You don't need a big budget to market well. Many of the most effective activities for small businesses cost little except time: a clear, helpful website; accurate local listings; genuine reviews; a simple email list built with consent; consistent social media on one platform; and great service that earns word of mouth. Start with these, measure results and invest more where you see returns.

Working with agencies and freelancers

If you hire help, be clear about your goals and budget, ask for examples of similar work, agree what will be delivered and how results will be reported, and make sure you keep ownership of your website, accounts and customer data. Be wary of anyone promising guaranteed results. Remember that you remain responsible for what is published on your behalf.

Accessibility helps everyone

Making your marketing accessible helps more people use it. Use clear headings and plain language, add descriptive alt text to images, make sure text contrasts well with backgrounds, caption videos, and check that your website and emails work well on phones and with screen readers. Accessible marketing is usually clearer marketing for everyone.

Consistency builds recognition

Use the same business name, logo, colours and tone across your website, listings, social media, emails, signage and printed material. Consistency makes your business easier to recognise and remember, and helps customers trust that they've found the right business. A simple one-page style guide can help anyone who creates content for you.

Look after existing customers

It's often easier to win more business from existing customers than to find new ones. Thank customers, follow up after a sale, ask for feedback, and give them reasons to come back, such as useful updates or offers for regulars. Happy customers also tend to recommend you to others, which is some of the most valuable marketing there is.

A quick checklist

If you remember only a few things from our guides, make them these: know who your customers are; set goals you can measure; be helpful rather than salesy; make every claim accurate and provable; get consent before emailing or texting; never fake or manipulate reviews; disclose paid partnerships; and review what's working regularly.

Key points

• Link marketing goals to what the business needs.
• Make goals specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound.
• Track a few measures tied to your goals, and record a baseline.
• Ask customers how they found you.
• Review regularly and invest in what works.