I tweeted sometime last week that I thought part of the problem folks face with social media measurement and determining performance against metrics like ROI is that they don’t know how to create measurable objectives in the first place.
So let’s do a (bit of a long) drilldown of what measurable objectives look like, and all the parts around them.
Goals vs. Objectives
First, a quick definition clarification. Goals are your general intentions, the big picture aims. Your objectives are the outcomes that represent achievement of that goal. Things you can actually observe. In order to be classified as an objective, something has to be measurable. You need a way of defining whether or not you have completed them successfully.
Strategies are the action plans you’ll execute to reach the objective. Tactics are the pieces and parts of the strategy. So that’s the hierarchy:
Goal >> Objectives >> Strategies >> Tactics.
If you’ve actually written a clear objective, it’s measurable by definition. (So the term measurable objective is actually rather redundant). We good on that? Okay.
An Imaginary Scenario
Let’s say we’re a widget company of some generic stripe, and we’re going to write down some social media goals and objectives. They might look like this.
GOAL: To increase our company’s US brand footprint through participation in social media.
So, that’s the general end game you want to achieve. It’s big picture, and there can be any number of components that go into achieving that goal. Honestly, this is where a lot of people get stuck. They haven’t sat down and done the hard work to think about what it is they want to achieve and why.
A good way to write goals that have impact is to ask whether or not the goal you’re setting will somehow drive to goals that are up a level or two from your area of responsibility. So if your company has a vision that includes growth into, say, an international market, your marketing goals should be written with that at least partially in mind. If you’re in a specific marketing channel, like online or digital, your goals will want to reflect the overarching goals of the entire marketing or communications area.
That takes us to objectives.
OBJECTIVES:
- Increase our blog subscribers by 15% in 6 months
- Produce 12 episodes (one per month) of Widget.TV and achieve live viewership of 75 for each episode
- Grow our LinkedIn Group to 250 members (a 25% increase) by the end of the year
- Establish a Facebook Fan Page with 500 fans within 6 months
All of these items follow the SMART methodology, which means they’re Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timed. But the key is that they outline what you want to do, how you’ll quantify it, and what your deadline is.
Note that for each of these, it becomes immediately apparent what you have to track. You need mechanisms to measure blog subscribers, evidence of produced TV episodes, membership tracking for your LinkedIn Group, and ways to tell how many fans you have on Facebook. And for the ones that have growth implied, like the first one, you need a baseline measurement so you know where you’re starting from, and can tell when you’ve achieved that 15% growth number.
If you say you want to measure something but you don’t have a process in place to do that or aren’t yet, go no further. If measuring success is something you’re serious about, you have to solve the measurement mechanism problem first. If you want to increase customer retention but don’t know how you’re defining or calculating that metric now, that’s the place to start.
STRATEGIES:
Once you have the objectives written, you develop a strategy or set of strategies for each one. It’s like the roadmap for how you’ll get there. So let’s take the first one, increase blog subscribers by 15% in 6 months. Your strategies might include:
- Designate a blogging team to contribute posts to the blog
- Develop an editorial calendar to post three times weekly, and rotate assignments
- Create a list of other relevant blogs in our industry and share with the team
- Require each blog team member to leave 3 comments per week on other industry blogs
- Improve blog subscription options on our main blog page and website
These are all the elements you’ll need to put in place to make the objective happen. Then, it’s time for the nitty gritty.
TACTICS:
Tactics are the actual down and dirty execution steps you’ll need to take to support the strategy. It’s the detail work, really. So, for the first strategy above:
Designate a blogging team to contribute posts to the blog.
Your tactics might include sending out an email asking folks if they want to write for the blog, setting a meeting with your manager to select the contributors, setting up their profiles on the blog platform, and holding a training session for folks on the blogging admin tool. It’s all the actual execution steps you’ll need to take at the most fundamental level in order to make each strategy come together.
Measurement and ROI
Note something important: ROI is one metric. Boy have we really warped this one in social media discussions.
Not everything you do has a return in itself that’s measurable in terms of dollars (which the root of the ROI equation). So if you’re looking for, say, the ROI on your blog, you’d have to figure out how it contributes directly to your revenue stream in order to measure true ROI. That would require mapping your blog traffic or subscribers to your lead pipeline and conversions in terms of dollars, and tracking how much you’ve invested in time and capital toward the effort.
Measuring success, however, can be different than ROI. You can have successful outcomes that are not measurable in terms of dollars. Qualitative ones like awareness and reach, and quantitative ones like website traffic, media placements, or even things like Net Promoter Scores.
This is why you’re far more likely to be able to accurately and effectively calculate the ROI of your marketing or customer service efforts as a whole, but why it’s going to be much more tricky at a granular level, say, the ROI of your Facebook page alone. All of the successful outcomes, collectively, impact the likelihood of sales growth.
But WHAT Do I Measure?
Sorry, no shortcut answer here. What you measure is entirely dependent on all the bits above, most especially your goal.
If your goal is better customer service, you measure things that indicate customer satisfaction like reviews, sentiment, positive comments/feedback, decreased “incident” reports from the call center. If your goal is brand awareness, you measure things like website traffic, share of conversation, media placements, volume of online chatter, or even standard market survey results.
Not every metric applies to every company or situation. And don’t try to measure every possible combination of factors. Pick three solid metrics that are relevant to your objectives and worry about those. Measurement is about tracking progress or lack of it. Not analyzing things to death.
See where I’m headed? The goals, if well considered, will guide you right to the kinds of metrics that are applicable. And heck. Create your own metrics. As long as they tangibly illustrate progress toward the goal you’ve set, they’re perfectly valid. Not every metric that’s been used for decades is bulletproof, anyway.
That’s The Crash Course.
The hard part is that I or anyone else can only ever give you the framework. The messy work of considering goals and doing the planning and measurement is yours alone. But that’s why you get paid the big bucks.
So does this help? Will it help someone you know or work with? Can you better articulate what you’re aiming for to your boss? Does it get you thinking a bit about how you can make your efforts – social media or otherwise – a bit more tangible?
Sound off in the comments.
This is a great overview of how social media campaigns should be approached. So many times, clients come in and say “We need social media,” without considering why or how it is relevant to their brand and company goals. I especially loved the part on ROI – it has become such an abused term by agencies and clients alike. Many of the most successfully companies have chosen to focus on driving customers to touch points where they can interact and learn about the brand instead of focusing so heavily on driving short term sales. Thanks for getting my brain going on a Monday morning!
Thanks for being here, Amanda. It’s a topic we’ll need to keep revisiting until it sticks. 🙂
Well written post defining Objectives, Goals and strategies that are linked to a companies Mission. Each business is different and needs to go through the work of creating their own plan and deciding which metrics to measure. Thank you!
.-= Richard Allan Marti Jr´s last blog ..Merry Christmas and Happy New Year =-.
Ah yes! The idea of “going through the work” I think is actually what trips up a lot of companies. They’re asking for a just-add-water framework that doesn’t exist.
This is a great overview of how social media campaigns should be approached. So many times, clients come in and say “We need social media,” without considering why or how it is relevant to their brand and company goals. I especially loved the part on ROI – it has become such an abused term by agencies and clients alike. Many of the most successfully companies have chosen to focus on driving customers to touch points where they can interact and learn about the brand instead of focusing so heavily on driving short term sales. Thanks for getting my brain going on a Monday morning!
Thanks for being here, Amanda. It’s a topic we’ll need to keep revisiting until it sticks. 🙂
Well written post defining Objectives, Goals and strategies that are linked to a companies Mission. Each business is different and needs to go through the work of creating their own plan and deciding which metrics to measure. Thank you!
.-= Richard Allan Marti Jr´s last blog ..Merry Christmas and Happy New Year =-.
Ah yes! The idea of “going through the work” I think is actually what trips up a lot of companies. They’re asking for a just-add-water framework that doesn’t exist.
I like the approach, many companies establish goals and then rush into tactics with out thinking on how they will measure how are they doing with their social media efforts. ROI has became the “King” of metrics and everyone asks for ROI but ROI is not applicable in many small social media efforts because tracking those to actual sales is not very easy or even possible. ROI is for sure helpful, but it’s not a big thing even on finance.. where I prefer ROE because I don’t care how much borrowed money produces =). I see this approach of Goals>>Objectives>>strategies>>>tactics as the must use model for setting up social media efforts correctly. Measuring is for sure one of the most badly done things by companies in my country and having this approach will help a lot.
So it sure does help, Thanks for the post Amber!! Enjoy the Snow =)
.-= Jorge´s last blog ..The douchebag on board! =-.
What’s funny, Jorge, is the difficulty in measurement isn’t unique to social media. The companies that struggle the most with measuring THIS aren’t really doing well with measuring ANYTHING. And that’s not just marketing. That’s the impact of their customer service, product development process, anything. It all comes back to the work needed to illustrate clear goals and map back to them. Some companies struggle with that across the board.
Hey Amber. Thanks for the well written article. I am planning for a website redesign and was looking for some tips on defining clear objectives. Your article very clearly broke down the different components.
I like the approach, many companies establish goals and then rush into tactics with out thinking on how they will measure how are they doing with their social media efforts. ROI has became the “King” of metrics and everyone asks for ROI but ROI is not applicable in many small social media efforts because tracking those to actual sales is not very easy or even possible. ROI is for sure helpful, but it’s not a big thing even on finance.. where I prefer ROE because I don’t care how much borrowed money produces =). I see this approach of Goals>>Objectives>>strategies>>>tactics as the must use model for setting up social media efforts correctly. Measuring is for sure one of the most badly done things by companies in my country and having this approach will help a lot.
So it sure does help, Thanks for the post Amber!! Enjoy the Snow =)
.-= Jorge´s last blog ..The douchebag on board! =-.
What’s funny, Jorge, is the difficulty in measurement isn’t unique to social media. The companies that struggle the most with measuring THIS aren’t really doing well with measuring ANYTHING. And that’s not just marketing. That’s the impact of their customer service, product development process, anything. It all comes back to the work needed to illustrate clear goals and map back to them. Some companies struggle with that across the board.
Perfect! The next thing to do is to wrap some slides around your methodology and set up a worksheet for client to fill out along with the presentation. Your Social Media strategy session done. Thanks Amber!
Well I don’t know about done, but started, maybe. 🙂
love u.
Perfect! The next thing to do is to wrap some slides around your methodology and set up a worksheet for client to fill out along with the presentation. Your Social Media strategy session done. Thanks Amber!
Well I don’t know about done, but started, maybe. 🙂
Amber, this is a great year end reminder for folks as they head into 2010 and perhaps some social media planning for the New Year!
The one thing I think needs some clarified or more discussion is the objectives. I have been taught and have taught that they are typically multi-dimensional and include four parts:
1. A specific desire communication or behavioral effect;
2. A designated public (or publics) among whom the effect is to be achieved;
3. The expected level of attainment; and
4. The timeframe in which those attainments are to occur.
For example: “Increase our blog subscribers within market X by 15% in 6 months.” I think it’s super important to address all of the dimensions because it really forces marketing, PR and communications folks (or whoever else wants to be involved) to really address not only what they want to do (increase blog traffic) but where/with whom (market or publics), by when (timeframe) and by how much (percentage, dollar amount, etc.).
I know folks struggle with writing objectives because there is so much confusion out there, so I’d like to get your and other people’s feedback: What’s been done, what’s enough, what’s typical, what’s too much, where have you learned to write a plan, etc.
Ben McConnell over at Church of the Customer recently wrote a post where he has goals and objectives flipped (http://bit.ly/8ob3aK ) compared to what I have talked about & what you have here. So, I think an important question is: Will there ever be an agreed upon standard? And who decides what the standard is? Check out Ben’s post if you have time.
Having a plan with objectives are an important stop gap and prevent organizations from being haphazard social media, PR, marcomm initiatives (Is that in the plan? No. Yes.)
If organizations want to take social media seriously, they really need to have a laser focus otherwise time, resources and budget will be wasted. It’s nice to say “don’t self-promote” or “follow/friend everyone who follows/friends you,” “it’s about the conversation,” or “build a community of evangelists,” but when you have a plan in place with objective you have to hit (or at least try to), it really starts to shine the light on some of social media’s wastefulness.
As for ROI, like you said not all plans lead to ROI (especially PR plans). But if your goal is to increase sales (via leads) and your objectives are written in a manner that alludes to ROI, well, there better be some ROI at the end of the rainbow or management won’t be too happy.
Happy holidays Amber!
Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
Amber, this is a great year end reminder for folks as they head into 2010 and perhaps some social media planning for the New Year!
The one thing I think needs some clarified or more discussion is the objectives. I have been taught and have taught that they are typically multi-dimensional and include four parts:
1. A specific desire communication or behavioral effect;
2. A designated public (or publics) among whom the effect is to be achieved;
3. The expected level of attainment; and
4. The timeframe in which those attainments are to occur.
For example: “Increase our blog subscribers within market X by 15% in 6 months.” I think it’s super important to address all of the dimensions because it really forces marketing, PR and communications folks (or whoever else wants to be involved) to really address not only what they want to do (increase blog traffic) but where/with whom (market or publics), by when (timeframe) and by how much (percentage, dollar amount, etc.).
I know folks struggle with writing objectives because there is so much confusion out there, so I’d like to get your and other people’s feedback: What’s been done, what’s enough, what’s typical, what’s too much, where have you learned to write a plan, etc.
Ben McConnell over at Church of the Customer recently wrote a post where he has goals and objectives flipped (http://bit.ly/8ob3aK ) compared to what I have talked about & what you have here. So, I think an important question is: Will there ever be an agreed upon standard? And who decides what the standard is? Check out Ben’s post if you have time.
Having a plan with objectives are an important stop gap and prevent organizations from being haphazard social media, PR, marcomm initiatives (Is that in the plan? No. Yes.)
If organizations want to take social media seriously, they really need to have a laser focus otherwise time, resources and budget will be wasted. It’s nice to say “don’t self-promote” or “follow/friend everyone who follows/friends you,” “it’s about the conversation,” or “build a community of evangelists,” but when you have a plan in place with objective you have to hit (or at least try to), it really starts to shine the light on some of social media’s wastefulness.
As for ROI, like you said not all plans lead to ROI (especially PR plans). But if your goal is to increase sales (via leads) and your objectives are written in a manner that alludes to ROI, well, there better be some ROI at the end of the rainbow or management won’t be too happy.
Happy holidays Amber!
Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
Beth,
Thanks for stopping by. If I’m honest, I think we can get a little *too* wrapped around the axle about semantics and the “official” components of measurement, so much so that we paralyze the purpose for the process.
I totally understand where you’re coming from and in a perfect world, I’d love to be a stickler for the textbook definitions of measurement. But right now, companies are struggling with measuring anything, period, and the reality is that those textbook definitions are going to stop some companies in their tracks.
I want to get them practically on the path to measuring something clearly, and work toward improving those measurements over time. If we say that the only “right” way to measure something is according to one set of standards, I think we’re going to hamstring companies that don’t have the operational or managerial maturity yet to get there. Ideal? No. Reality? Yep.
I happen to think that the plan that helps you put one foot in front of the other is the good one, and it’s a living thing, so it ends up changing as you get better at it. I’ve seen really “non traditional” plans work exceedingly well, and I’ve seen the most intricately crafted plans fall apart at the seams. It’s possible to overplan, over analyze, and over complicate all in the name of doing it “right” and never act on anything.
So I don’t so much care that we flip goals and objectives or call them something different, so long as the components, intent, and actionable things are in there to help us move forward and act. If we can move on something, we’ll quickly learn what works, what doesn’t, and be able to refine our plan accordingly.
That’s what’s worked for me in my career, from fundraising plans to sales plans to marketing ones. I’d love to hear what others think.
Beth,
Thanks for stopping by. If I’m honest, I think we can get a little *too* wrapped around the axle about semantics and the “official” components of measurement, so much so that we paralyze the purpose for the process.
I totally understand where you’re coming from and in a perfect world, I’d love to be a stickler for the textbook definitions of measurement. But right now, companies are struggling with measuring anything, period, and the reality is that those textbook definitions are going to stop some companies in their tracks.
I want to get them practically on the path to measuring something clearly, and work toward improving those measurements over time. If we say that the only “right” way to measure something is according to one set of standards, I think we’re going to hamstring companies that don’t have the operational or managerial maturity yet to get there. Ideal? No. Reality? Yep.
I happen to think that the plan that helps you put one foot in front of the other is the good one, and it’s a living thing, so it ends up changing as you get better at it. I’ve seen really “non traditional” plans work exceedingly well, and I’ve seen the most intricately crafted plans fall apart at the seams. It’s possible to overplan, over analyze, and over complicate all in the name of doing it “right” and never act on anything.
So I don’t so much care that we flip goals and objectives or call them something different, so long as the components, intent, and actionable things are in there to help us move forward and act. If we can move on something, we’ll quickly learn what works, what doesn’t, and be able to refine our plan accordingly.
That’s what’s worked for me in my career, from fundraising plans to sales plans to marketing ones. I’d love to hear what others think.
Good stuff, Amber.
If it makes anybody feel better, this rudimentary, downstream flow from goals to metrics is lacking in MOST businesses, where management often doesn’t ask “How?”, only “How many?”.
Consequently, marketing, PR and sales managers have a tendency to point their whole organizations at top producers and say simply, “Do whatever they’re doing, and I’ll put you down for 10% more this year.”
Most companies measure only one metric: revenue. Underlying strategy, objectives and tactics are often left to the individual producer to craft based on their unique geographic market or key customers and their markets.
.-= Don Lafferty´s last blog ..My Story of Hope for the Publishing Industry =-.
Yep, Don, you’re right. It’s not just limited to communications practices, either. Some companies really struggle with clear goals and measurements for ANY area of their business. So when they holler about wanting to see ROI from social media, and I ask them how they’re measuring that for their call center, or for their R&D department, they can’t answer that either.
Revenue IS the ultimate metric. But the path for getting there, and whether that path is direct (i.e. sales) or indirect (impact on the sales process or an investment in support infrastructure) is different and needs to be considered for each discipline in a way that makes business sense.
Good stuff, Amber.
If it makes anybody feel better, this rudimentary, downstream flow from goals to metrics is lacking in MOST businesses, where management often doesn’t ask “How?”, only “How many?”.
Consequently, marketing, PR and sales managers have a tendency to point their whole organizations at top producers and say simply, “Do whatever they’re doing, and I’ll put you down for 10% more this year.”
Most companies measure only one metric: revenue. Underlying strategy, objectives and tactics are often left to the individual producer to craft based on their unique geographic market or key customers and their markets.
.-= Don Lafferty´s last blog ..My Story of Hope for the Publishing Industry =-.
Yep, Don, you’re right. It’s not just limited to communications practices, either. Some companies really struggle with clear goals and measurements for ANY area of their business. So when they holler about wanting to see ROI from social media, and I ask them how they’re measuring that for their call center, or for their R&D department, they can’t answer that either.
Revenue IS the ultimate metric. But the path for getting there, and whether that path is direct (i.e. sales) or indirect (impact on the sales process or an investment in support infrastructure) is different and needs to be considered for each discipline in a way that makes business sense.
Great discussion here – thanks to everyone who has contributed thoughts. Beth, it’s good to see the conversation continued here on goals and objectives. I thought that one had gone cold. 😉 Your point about the audience being defined in the objectives stage definitely has merit and should be addressed. After all, you can get plenty of the ‘wrong’ people to subscribe to your blog, join your Facebook page, etc., for the sake of reaching a number, but then you’re really not on the path to success, right?
I definitely agree with Amber’s point about getting too technical that we paralyze the people that need to take action. It’s probably better to get it mostly right and learn during the process than to hem and haw about semantics to the point that opportunities go by and connections with people are missed. As long as we are always learning and we remain agile, we can adapt as we go and do a better job the next time around with defining our objectives on the front end. There is definitely a balance to strike here and it’s going to be different with every organization. Not every organization will be accepting of this fluidity, but some will embrace it and dive right in.
Thanks for the post and all the comments!
.-= Brandon Sutton´s last blog ..Free E-Book: What Matters Now =-.
Mostly right DOES matter. Even mostly WRONG matters. It’s all about doing something instead of waiting for the magic solution to fall on your desk. 🙂
Great discussion here – thanks to everyone who has contributed thoughts. Beth, it’s good to see the conversation continued here on goals and objectives. I thought that one had gone cold. 😉 Your point about the audience being defined in the objectives stage definitely has merit and should be addressed. After all, you can get plenty of the ‘wrong’ people to subscribe to your blog, join your Facebook page, etc., for the sake of reaching a number, but then you’re really not on the path to success, right?
I definitely agree with Amber’s point about getting too technical that we paralyze the people that need to take action. It’s probably better to get it mostly right and learn during the process than to hem and haw about semantics to the point that opportunities go by and connections with people are missed. As long as we are always learning and we remain agile, we can adapt as we go and do a better job the next time around with defining our objectives on the front end. There is definitely a balance to strike here and it’s going to be different with every organization. Not every organization will be accepting of this fluidity, but some will embrace it and dive right in.
Thanks for the post and all the comments!
.-= Brandon Sutton´s last blog ..Free E-Book: What Matters Now =-.
Mostly right DOES matter. Even mostly WRONG matters. It’s all about doing something instead of waiting for the magic solution to fall on your desk. 🙂
Just wanted to real quick say great post, Amber. It’s tough to provide an outline like this that can be applied across most companies/organizations, but you’ve done a great job. I did like how you made a distinction between strategies and tactics, because it seems like a lot of people try to reverse the order and think of a tactic they want to use and then try to find out how to fit it into their strategy.
Thanks for the post!
.-= Jackie Adkins´s last blog ..Buddy the Elf, What’s Your Favorite Color? =-.
Brandon,
“Your point about the audience being defined in the objectives stage definitely has merit and should be addressed. After all, you can get plenty of the ‘wrong’ people to subscribe to your blog, join your Facebook page, etc., for the sake of reaching a number, but then you’re really not on the path to success, right?”
Yep, indeed…
Happy holidays!
Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
For the record, totally agree with this point. The RIGHT attention is ultimately the only thing that drives numbers. 🙂
I figured you did Amber. 🙂 This was the only major difference I saw between your list and Beth’s. I love the fact that this discussion is getting so much attention. You have a knack for putting out great material and engaging people on important topics to the industry. Thanks again for everything you do! And thanks to Beth for pushing us to think deeper on this as well. You ladies rock! 🙂
.-= Brandon Sutton´s last blog ..Free E-Book: What Matters Now =-.
Just wanted to real quick say great post, Amber. It’s tough to provide an outline like this that can be applied across most companies/organizations, but you’ve done a great job. I did like how you made a distinction between strategies and tactics, because it seems like a lot of people try to reverse the order and think of a tactic they want to use and then try to find out how to fit it into their strategy.
Thanks for the post!
.-= Jackie Adkins´s last blog ..Buddy the Elf, What’s Your Favorite Color? =-.
Brandon,
“Your point about the audience being defined in the objectives stage definitely has merit and should be addressed. After all, you can get plenty of the ‘wrong’ people to subscribe to your blog, join your Facebook page, etc., for the sake of reaching a number, but then you’re really not on the path to success, right?”
Yep, indeed…
Happy holidays!
Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
For the record, totally agree with this point. The RIGHT attention is ultimately the only thing that drives numbers. 🙂
I figured you did Amber. 🙂 This was the only major difference I saw between your list and Beth’s. I love the fact that this discussion is getting so much attention. You have a knack for putting out great material and engaging people on important topics to the industry. Thanks again for everything you do! And thanks to Beth for pushing us to think deeper on this as well. You ladies rock! 🙂
.-= Brandon Sutton´s last blog ..Free E-Book: What Matters Now =-.
So useful. Thanks for the reminder. Stumbled, tweeted, commented, printed, laminated.
.-= Jason Baer´s last blog ..5 Sure-Fire Ways to Operationalize Social Media =-.
Thanks, Jay. Your support, as always, is very much appreciated.
So useful. Thanks for the reminder. Stumbled, tweeted, commented, printed, laminated.
.-= Jason Baer´s last blog ..5 Sure-Fire Ways to Operationalize Social Media =-.
Thanks, Jay. Your support, as always, is very much appreciated.
Nice!!!
That Goal > Objectives > Strategy > Tactics is soooooo crucial. I routinely run into management teams who insist on putting tactics ahead of everything else. They actually start there.
Excellent digest of a process that is as vital to a program’s success as it is simple, yet so oddly misunderstood these days. Thanks for helping bring some much needed clarity back to real strategic planning discussions with this.
Cheers,
Olivier
.-= olivier blanchard´s last blog ..On the importance of creating “wow” moments. =-.
Thank you, sir. I think the simplicity isn’t so much the issue as the discipline to stop, back up, and put in the work required to build the architecture. That means everything from the goalsetting to the benchmarking to making sure you have the tools to measure what you want in the first place, be that software or people or both.
Measurement isn’t an entitlement just because you launch a program of some stripe. It’s an element of a business process that requires resources and work just like anything else.
Nice!!!
That Goal > Objectives > Strategy > Tactics is soooooo crucial. I routinely run into management teams who insist on putting tactics ahead of everything else. They actually start there.
Excellent digest of a process that is as vital to a program’s success as it is simple, yet so oddly misunderstood these days. Thanks for helping bring some much needed clarity back to real strategic planning discussions with this.
Cheers,
Olivier
.-= olivier blanchard´s last blog ..On the importance of creating “wow” moments. =-.
Thank you, sir. I think the simplicity isn’t so much the issue as the discipline to stop, back up, and put in the work required to build the architecture. That means everything from the goalsetting to the benchmarking to making sure you have the tools to measure what you want in the first place, be that software or people or both.
Measurement isn’t an entitlement just because you launch a program of some stripe. It’s an element of a business process that requires resources and work just like anything else.
Very well done. I teach at Oklahoma State University and students struggle with the difference between each to the point I have them recite the definitions in a drill like format – especially objectives. I even have them take the goals/obj/strat/tact solemn oath (I, state your name…)
I tell them, bottom line, if they can wrap their arms around the difference between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics they will be successful in their career simply because so many can’t and because of that are doomed for failure.
Bill, that’s so true, and I’m glad that you’re working with your students on this. Having a clear understanding of the process and its elements makes it that much clearer when you need to tailor fit it to your own business’ needs.
Very well done. I teach at Oklahoma State University and students struggle with the difference between each to the point I have them recite the definitions in a drill like format – especially objectives. I even have them take the goals/obj/strat/tact solemn oath (I, state your name…)
I tell them, bottom line, if they can wrap their arms around the difference between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics they will be successful in their career simply because so many can’t and because of that are doomed for failure.
Bill, that’s so true, and I’m glad that you’re working with your students on this. Having a clear understanding of the process and its elements makes it that much clearer when you need to tailor fit it to your own business’ needs.
Amber, it’s rare to see this topic so clearly articulated – I’ll be sharing this widely! Particularly useful, I think, and specially for organizations just dipping a tentative toe into social media, is your distinction between measuring ROI and measuring success; both qualitative and quantitative measures do need to come into play, but there’s natural tendency to go for the easy-to-grab numbers and lose sight of what they’re really telling us about what kind of progress we’re making. Thanks very much for this helpful post.
.-= Rebecca Leaman´s last blog ..No Time to Blog for Your Nonprofit? Phone it in! =-.
Thanks, Rebecca. Practical and clear are my themes for 2010. 🙂 Along with a few other things. Appreciate your sharing it around, and your feedback.
Amber, it’s rare to see this topic so clearly articulated – I’ll be sharing this widely! Particularly useful, I think, and specially for organizations just dipping a tentative toe into social media, is your distinction between measuring ROI and measuring success; both qualitative and quantitative measures do need to come into play, but there’s natural tendency to go for the easy-to-grab numbers and lose sight of what they’re really telling us about what kind of progress we’re making. Thanks very much for this helpful post.
.-= Rebecca Leaman´s last blog ..No Time to Blog for Your Nonprofit? Phone it in! =-.
Thanks, Rebecca. Practical and clear are my themes for 2010. 🙂 Along with a few other things. Appreciate your sharing it around, and your feedback.
Truly an amazing breakdown of something that has been very unclear in this space. I’m printing this out asap (first post I’ll actually print out, ever).
Thank you very much Amber. If you taught a college course, I probably would have payed attention 😉
David
Community Manager, Scribnia.com
.-= David Spinks´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Thanks, David. I appreciate your support. And I won’t likely be teaching at a college, but hey, that’s what the blog is for. 🙂
Truly an amazing breakdown of something that has been very unclear in this space. I’m printing this out asap (first post I’ll actually print out, ever).
Thank you very much Amber. If you taught a college course, I probably would have payed attention 😉
David
Community Manager, Scribnia.com
.-= David Spinks´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
Thanks, David. I appreciate your support. And I won’t likely be teaching at a college, but hey, that’s what the blog is for. 🙂
I’m with Mr. Spinks. This post, and it’s comments are among my most cherished recent finds…I’m saving, printing, and backing it up! Incredibly valuable input Amber, and everyone!
“The goals, if well considered, will guide you right to the kinds of metrics that are applicable. And heck. Create your own metrics. As long as they tangibly illustrate progress toward the goal you’ve set, they’re perfectly valid.” – Favorite chunk!
.-= James Ball´s last blog ..Social Media Competition – 3 Things To Watch For =-.
Thanks, James. Really appreciate it. I mean hey, who said we have to use the same old metrics we always have? They sure haven’t been perfect, have they?
I’m with Mr. Spinks. This post, and it’s comments are among my most cherished recent finds…I’m saving, printing, and backing it up! Incredibly valuable input Amber, and everyone!
“The goals, if well considered, will guide you right to the kinds of metrics that are applicable. And heck. Create your own metrics. As long as they tangibly illustrate progress toward the goal you’ve set, they’re perfectly valid.” – Favorite chunk!
.-= James Ball´s last blog ..Social Media Competition – 3 Things To Watch For =-.
Thanks, James. Really appreciate it. I mean hey, who said we have to use the same old metrics we always have? They sure haven’t been perfect, have they?
Wow, another great post. Very timely too since so many business are jumping into social media because of the buzz, but don’t really know why and how to track it. Tracking can be a bit tricky, but if you define everything properly like you outlined, it can be a little clearer.
.-= Zack´s last blog ..Guide to Link Building =-.
Zack, thanks. Tracking is *work*, there’s no doubt about it. And that’s my trouble with offering some kind of kit of parts of “THE” metrics to track. they’re different for everyone. And *how* to track them is going to be different for every business, too, depending on their tools, data sets, and resources.
Wow, another great post. Very timely too since so many business are jumping into social media because of the buzz, but don’t really know why and how to track it. Tracking can be a bit tricky, but if you define everything properly like you outlined, it can be a little clearer.
.-= Zack´s last blog ..Guide to Link Building =-.
Zack, thanks. Tracking is *work*, there’s no doubt about it. And that’s my trouble with offering some kind of kit of parts of “THE” metrics to track. they’re different for everyone. And *how* to track them is going to be different for every business, too, depending on their tools, data sets, and resources.
Amber…Thanks for taking the time to walk through the thought process..i really needed some of the finer details on the first part…
.-= Jim Gray´s last blog ..How To:The Year in Review =-.
Jim, glad it was helpful!
Amber…Thanks for taking the time to walk through the thought process..i really needed some of the finer details on the first part…
.-= Jim Gray´s last blog ..How To:The Year in Review =-.
Jim, glad it was helpful!
I’ve never been a fan of the “tactic” buzzword in social media circles, though I use it as much as you. Rather, I take the Business 101 analogy of a tactic to be a task, action, or resource allocation.
Echoing the bandwagon of comments, you’re spot-on with the rest. Only thing I’ll add, Amber, is to mention mission and vision statements. The startup firm would have a vision and likely not a mission, and the established firm would have a mission and would need a redefined vision. Strategic planninfg can identify both courses of action.
Those can be important elements, Ari, I agree. But kind of like I was talking about with Beth above, I worry about getting tripped up with WHAT we call these things. The intent – the WHY – is far more important (as my friend Tamsen so smartly says). So I’m not particular about what you call a vision and a mission, and more keen on having some kind of guiding purpose, whatever you call it.
I’ve never been a fan of the “tactic” buzzword in social media circles, though I use it as much as you. Rather, I take the Business 101 analogy of a tactic to be a task, action, or resource allocation.
Echoing the bandwagon of comments, you’re spot-on with the rest. Only thing I’ll add, Amber, is to mention mission and vision statements. The startup firm would have a vision and likely not a mission, and the established firm would have a mission and would need a redefined vision. Strategic planninfg can identify both courses of action.
Those can be important elements, Ari, I agree. But kind of like I was talking about with Beth above, I worry about getting tripped up with WHAT we call these things. The intent – the WHY – is far more important (as my friend Tamsen so smartly says). So I’m not particular about what you call a vision and a mission, and more keen on having some kind of guiding purpose, whatever you call it.
Great stuff.
I think i might add form an accountability pair or trio. check in with each other weekly to say 1. I’m working on — 1 thing each. 2. I’m stuck on 1 thing each. A metric … “added 15 new subscribers this week.” “Aweber got hacked, lost 25 subscribers.”
thank each other. Take about 7 minutes.
Once a month have a 15 minute personal/business check in.
Great way to stay on track. At least it works for us
thanks
dr jim sellner, PhD., DipC.
Love those ideas. Team accountability really CAN work, if it’s done with a culture of discipline. Which means someone has to take charge and make it happen, which means work, which means sometimes it’s hard to find someone to be the leader. But I’m WAY with you on this. In many ways, the progress checks are what separate the successful initiatives from the ones that never get anywhere.
Great stuff.
I think i might add form an accountability pair or trio. check in with each other weekly to say 1. I’m working on — 1 thing each. 2. I’m stuck on 1 thing each. A metric … “added 15 new subscribers this week.” “Aweber got hacked, lost 25 subscribers.”
thank each other. Take about 7 minutes.
Once a month have a 15 minute personal/business check in.
Great way to stay on track. At least it works for us
thanks
dr jim sellner, PhD., DipC.
Love those ideas. Team accountability really CAN work, if it’s done with a culture of discipline. Which means someone has to take charge and make it happen, which means work, which means sometimes it’s hard to find someone to be the leader. But I’m WAY with you on this. In many ways, the progress checks are what separate the successful initiatives from the ones that never get anywhere.
This is a great post and you did a fantastic job breaking down the difference between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics. I especially learned more on writing out strategy. Very timely as I am reviewing some departmental marketing plans and linking them together with an overall corporate IMC plan. Fun stuff, but you are correct, a lot of work in the details and implementation and most importantly getting leadership “buy in” when they may not understand “or care” about the process. Too often we manage from the tactics up rather than the objectives down. Thanks for this reminder.
.-= sToncray´s last blog ..A day in the life… =-.
So glad it was helpful. And you’ve got it right. The work is in the details. But so, too, is the gold.
This is a great post and you did a fantastic job breaking down the difference between goals, objectives, strategies and tactics. I especially learned more on writing out strategy. Very timely as I am reviewing some departmental marketing plans and linking them together with an overall corporate IMC plan. Fun stuff, but you are correct, a lot of work in the details and implementation and most importantly getting leadership “buy in” when they may not understand “or care” about the process. Too often we manage from the tactics up rather than the objectives down. Thanks for this reminder.
.-= sToncray´s last blog ..A day in the life… =-.
So glad it was helpful. And you’ve got it right. The work is in the details. But so, too, is the gold.
Question, and I could be completely missing the point here, but for the goal “To increase our company’s US brand footprint through participation in social media”…
Should the goal be “To increase our company’s US brand footprint” and the “participation in social media” be part of the strategies?
Or I guess the goals can be as specific as the team that’s working on it, so this would be a plan for the marketing/social media team, and if the company as a whole were to work on a bigger plan, it would include these teams’ work as a strategy?
.-= David Spinks´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
David, you’ve got it with the last bit. The goals can be as specific as the discipline or the team, and the layers of objectives, strategies, and tactics get more specific still.
Tamsen and I talked on Twitter today that there can certainly be nested goals, too. But don’t get too caught up in the semantics and “rules”, but use the intent of the process to walk from big picture (WHY) to details (HOW) and you’ll be in good shape.
Question, and I could be completely missing the point here, but for the goal “To increase our company’s US brand footprint through participation in social media”…
Should the goal be “To increase our company’s US brand footprint” and the “participation in social media” be part of the strategies?
Or I guess the goals can be as specific as the team that’s working on it, so this would be a plan for the marketing/social media team, and if the company as a whole were to work on a bigger plan, it would include these teams’ work as a strategy?
.-= David Spinks´s last undefined ..If you register your site for free at =-.
David, you’ve got it with the last bit. The goals can be as specific as the discipline or the team, and the layers of objectives, strategies, and tactics get more specific still.
Tamsen and I talked on Twitter today that there can certainly be nested goals, too. But don’t get too caught up in the semantics and “rules”, but use the intent of the process to walk from big picture (WHY) to details (HOW) and you’ll be in good shape.
Thanks for the the post, Amber!
Structure and process is what has been lacking in many of the SM efforts undertaking by a lot of companies to date. For wider, appropriate, positive adoption in 2010 this will be (will need to be) addressed.
One point for discussion, I usually think of the hierarchy as Goal >> Strategy (to achieve Goal) >> Objectives (to put measurable meat on strategy) >> Tactics (to undertake strategy)
I think of the strategies as big-picture plans to achieve the goal and objectives as the measurable target-steps where we check whether or not each strategy is working.
Perhaps it’s just semantics. Maybe my “Goals” have “Objective” components. Maybe my “Strategies” are too broad if I see them informing the “Objectives” rather than vice versa. Maybe I’m trying to be too rigid.
Perhaps we’re really all talking about creating stepped processes to achieve business goals, whether it’s an objective or a benchmark or a target or a strategy or an aim or a tactic or a task or an action plan or etc – distilling from big picture down to day-to-day working.
Thanks for the the post, Amber!
Structure and process is what has been lacking in many of the SM efforts undertaking by a lot of companies to date. For wider, appropriate, positive adoption in 2010 this will be (will need to be) addressed.
One point for discussion, I usually think of the hierarchy as Goal >> Strategy (to achieve Goal) >> Objectives (to put measurable meat on strategy) >> Tactics (to undertake strategy)
I think of the strategies as big-picture plans to achieve the goal and objectives as the measurable target-steps where we check whether or not each strategy is working.
Perhaps it’s just semantics. Maybe my “Goals” have “Objective” components. Maybe my “Strategies” are too broad if I see them informing the “Objectives” rather than vice versa. Maybe I’m trying to be too rigid.
Perhaps we’re really all talking about creating stepped processes to achieve business goals, whether it’s an objective or a benchmark or a target or a strategy or an aim or a tactic or a task or an action plan or etc – distilling from big picture down to day-to-day working.
Nice article plus a very good conversation. I really could attest that by choosing the right blog to follow and read, you could really learn a lot. Thanks for sharing.
Nice article plus a very good conversation. I really could attest that by choosing the right blog to follow and read, you could really learn a lot. Thanks for sharing.
Amber –
I’ve had this sucker bookmarked since it was published a week ago. I just spent a good 30 minutes reading & re-reading the post and comments. I’m spending the next few days really digging into the Goal >> Objectives >> Strategies >> Tactics for Blue Sky Factory and this is … well … brilliant.
So. Thanks for that.
I think too often – our team included – we get so bogged down in the day to day (tactics) that we forget about the planning. Heck – we all know it’s important, critical, yet it takes time. It takes focus. So, with your gentle nudge, we are starting the process today…18 minutes from now.
Gracias.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Holy Crap! I’m Gonna Be A Dad! =-.
Amber –
I’ve had this sucker bookmarked since it was published a week ago. I just spent a good 30 minutes reading & re-reading the post and comments. I’m spending the next few days really digging into the Goal >> Objectives >> Strategies >> Tactics for Blue Sky Factory and this is … well … brilliant.
So. Thanks for that.
I think too often – our team included – we get so bogged down in the day to day (tactics) that we forget about the planning. Heck – we all know it’s important, critical, yet it takes time. It takes focus. So, with your gentle nudge, we are starting the process today…18 minutes from now.
Gracias.
DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
.-= DJ Waldow´s last blog ..Holy Crap! I’m Gonna Be A Dad! =-.
Amber,
Thanks for this post. It comes at exactly the right time. I’m about to work with a total newbie to the entire idea of social media, setting up a starter program. This will help me think through the strategy and action planning sessions with them.
Glad I stumbled on your blog. I’m RSS-ing you now.
Linda Kaun
Amber,
Thanks for this post. It comes at exactly the right time. I’m about to work with a total newbie to the entire idea of social media, setting up a starter program. This will help me think through the strategy and action planning sessions with them.
Glad I stumbled on your blog. I’m RSS-ing you now.
Linda Kaun
Hi Amber,
I came across your blog through a link on another site and I’m so glad I did. This is such a useful post and one that I’ll not only be tweeting about but will actually be implementing with the company I work for. I can’t thank you enough for setting me off on the right track.
Olivia.
Hi Amber,
I came across your blog through a link on another site and I’m so glad I did. This is such a useful post and one that I’ll not only be tweeting about but will actually be implementing with the company I work for. I can’t thank you enough for setting me off on the right track.
Olivia.
You wrote the post I’ve been meaning to write. I’m especially interested in how it relates to nonprofit, more specifically classical music organizations.
Your post closely mirrors the thinking in “Are We There Yet?” which has been an inspiration to me (find it here: http://www.issuelab.org/research/are_we_there_yet_a_communications_evaluation_guide )
In classical music organizations, the discussion usually comes back to ticket sales, but I’d like to see their goal in a larger perspective that aligns with their mission. In Are We There Yet, the authors write: “when people start behaving differently, you have reached your goal.” Sure, ticket sales is part of that, but the ultimate goal is closely related to the mission: “bring classical music to the community.” I outlined it a bit further in a comment under a recent blog post: http://mcmvanbree.com/dutchperspective/orchestra-survey-activities-engagement-and-goals/comment-page-1#comment-36770
I’d like to work this comment into a blog post, and I’ve been meaning to, but you more or less beat me to it and then some. I love the clarity of your writing, so it will inspire a blog post or two soon.
Thanks!
.-= Marc van Bree´s last blog ..New Year’s resolution: organizational culture and change =-.
You wrote the post I’ve been meaning to write. I’m especially interested in how it relates to nonprofit, more specifically classical music organizations.
Your post closely mirrors the thinking in “Are We There Yet?” which has been an inspiration to me (find it here: http://www.issuelab.org/research/are_we_there_yet_a_communications_evaluation_guide )
In classical music organizations, the discussion usually comes back to ticket sales, but I’d like to see their goal in a larger perspective that aligns with their mission. In Are We There Yet, the authors write: “when people start behaving differently, you have reached your goal.” Sure, ticket sales is part of that, but the ultimate goal is closely related to the mission: “bring classical music to the community.” I outlined it a bit further in a comment under a recent blog post: http://mcmvanbree.com/dutchperspective/orchestra-survey-activities-engagement-and-goals/comment-page-1#comment-36770
I’d like to work this comment into a blog post, and I’ve been meaning to, but you more or less beat me to it and then some. I love the clarity of your writing, so it will inspire a blog post or two soon.
Thanks!
.-= Marc van Bree´s last blog ..New Year’s resolution: organizational culture and change =-.
This is a wonderful post. I love that you begin with the differences between goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics. As a project manager for many years, I believe that a clear understanding of the difference in these terms is key to the success of any project. In the end, using social media in a business setting is like another project. They are a set of tools at our disposal that we can use to achieve our goals. Thanks for providing such an informative “How To” guide.
.-= Marcia Waldman´s last blog ..Knitting Up a Business Plan =-.
This is a wonderful post. I love that you begin with the differences between goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics. As a project manager for many years, I believe that a clear understanding of the difference in these terms is key to the success of any project. In the end, using social media in a business setting is like another project. They are a set of tools at our disposal that we can use to achieve our goals. Thanks for providing such an informative “How To” guide.
.-= Marcia Waldman´s last blog ..Knitting Up a Business Plan =-.
Well, you certainly hit my nail on its head. I’m about to join a Korean/American firm whose service bell product has a lock on LA’s Koreatown and I’m joining to do exactly that: “To increase our company’s US brand footprint”. I’ve been studying the different blogs and sites and it seems that every place I look there is a link to yet another amazing post. I’ve got to stop for a second and actually start the work!
Now if only we had enough people to form a team…
Thanks for the planning guide.
Well, you certainly hit my nail on its head. I’m about to join a Korean/American firm whose service bell product has a lock on LA’s Koreatown and I’m joining to do exactly that: “To increase our company’s US brand footprint”. I’ve been studying the different blogs and sites and it seems that every place I look there is a link to yet another amazing post. I’ve got to stop for a second and actually start the work!
Now if only we had enough people to form a team…
Thanks for the planning guide.
This is a great overview of the information you shared at Social Fresh Nashville yesterday. I’m so glad I found it here, which means I don’t need to decipher my scribbles from the panel. Hooray!
This is a great overview of the information you shared at Social Fresh Nashville yesterday. I’m so glad I found it here, which means I don’t need to decipher my scribbles from the panel. Hooray!
Excellent advice Amber! What you do in social media is measurable like you do in any other part of your business. New tools, old rules. Your article helps put the common sense that we all need back into understanding social media. Thank you for your contribution!
.-= Neal Schaffer´s last blog ..How Businesses Can “Share” and Become “Social” in Social Media =-.
Excellent advice Amber! What you do in social media is measurable like you do in any other part of your business. New tools, old rules. Your article helps put the common sense that we all need back into understanding social media. Thank you for your contribution!
.-= Neal Schaffer´s last blog ..How Businesses Can “Share” and Become “Social” in Social Media =-.
these are great nuts and bolts that make the soupy social media world professionally viable! thx!
these are great nuts and bolts that make the soupy social media world professionally viable! thx!
Dear Amber,
You made an awesome article! I can use it for my job interview coming Tuesday in which I have to demonstrate my knowlegde of Social Media regarding a Nike case (mini assessment).
You made clear that also Social Media isn’t rocket science but it is an intelligent process of formulating your strategy, implementation, monitoring and adapting.
Dutch greetz!
Mark
Dear Amber,
You made an awesome article! I can use it for my job interview coming Tuesday in which I have to demonstrate my knowlegde of Social Media regarding a Nike case (mini assessment).
You made clear that also Social Media isn’t rocket science but it is an intelligent process of formulating your strategy, implementation, monitoring and adapting.
Dutch greetz!
Mark
Amber, I so wish I could have had your article as a twenty-something struggling to understand metrics and make my communications plan measurable! Superb. It’s 30 years later and I’m introducing your piece to my colleagues — it is making all our lives simpler. Thanks a million.
Heidi
Amber, I so wish I could have had your article as a twenty-something struggling to understand metrics and make my communications plan measurable! Superb. It’s 30 years later and I’m introducing your piece to my colleagues — it is making all our lives simpler. Thanks a million.
Heidi
Howdy Amber,
I’m using this post as a piece of our framework for developing goals, objectives, strategies… at City Year. A modified version of your post is on our internal collaboration space. I started the page with the following:
This page is a modified version of Amber Naslund’s blog post How To Create Measurable Objectives. She is a brilliant writer/blogger and also the Director of Community for Radian6, the top social media analysis tool available today. I’m a big fan and put her work as equal to the social media gods and goddesses – she is one of the best in the business at breaking down social media.
Anyway, I thought I’d share this with you to show my appreciation, and just in case you’re having a bad day 🙂
Michael
Howdy Amber,
I’m using this post as a piece of our framework for developing goals, objectives, strategies… at City Year. A modified version of your post is on our internal collaboration space. I started the page with the following:
This page is a modified version of Amber Naslund’s blog post How To Create Measurable Objectives. She is a brilliant writer/blogger and also the Director of Community for Radian6, the top social media analysis tool available today. I’m a big fan and put her work as equal to the social media gods and goddesses – she is one of the best in the business at breaking down social media.
Anyway, I thought I’d share this with you to show my appreciation, and just in case you’re having a bad day 🙂
Michael
Just now getting to this post (thanks to a link on your most recent post regarding strategy.) I've read this same synopsis on other sites, but never has it been put in such a succinct fashion. Thanks Amber!
Hey Amber, having returned to this wonderful old post, I noticed something that is kind of bugging me among all the great content. Do you not think your examples of “strategies” are a bit too tactical in nature?
Here’s what I mean: “create a list of other relevant blogs in our industry and share with the team” sounds like something out of an action plan. Same thing with “develop an editorial calendar to post three times weekly, and rotate assignments”. My perspective on strategy comes from a traditional business education (with marketing focus) where the term “strategy” refers to the general approach to reaching an objective (e.g. market development, market penetration, product development, diversification). Capitalist business strategy in turn is in large part derived from Sun Tsu’s The Art of War where the strategy of a battle would for example be “defensive” and the tactics would then describe what defensive actions will be taken.
I think you’re right on with everything but you’re taking the strategies one level too deep and thus they have turned into tactics as well. I think your tactics are good, they are just too specific in my opinion. Technically you could keep going with tactics even deeper (e.g. tone of the email) but at some point you need to draw the line. A strategy should not tell you what to do but rather the approach, otherwise we wouldn’t need tactics. Things can get very confusing very fast if someone has numerous strategies with multiple tactics for each. Why not one general strategy to meet your goal and then numerous tactics in-line with that strategy?
Anyway, let me know your thoughts. I know there are many opinions out there as to what constitutes, goals, objectives, strategy and tactics (try googling them), but we’re both essentially on the same page I think.
Excellent!!!! Thank you very much for such a great article.
What is an ROI?
Return on investment
This speaks VOLUMES to me! ROI seems to be the only thing my big brother company understands. Everything is dollars and cents. How do you equate the growing need for staff to be engaged without “bringing home the bacon”? We don’t sell any widgets, we keep the widget buyers educated and informed.
This is a great crash course. I have to present a PR Plan for a potential job as part of the interview and this has opened up my eyes and ideas a great deal. Thanks!
http://chevonesefender.blogspot.com/
Thanks Amber. I am a first year PR and Marketing student and I’m currently in the process of writing my first PR plan. I found this article to be incredibly helpful and it certainly cleared up my confusion!
Thos blogs must have been interesting!
http://www.iweballey.com/
This is fantastic!!! Thank You 🙂
some people offering great amount of money. it also expansible as well as time. lot of source available here so that can help a lot.
but here is not any kind of equipment to measure the feelings and strength of brain as well as to archive the desire goal.
Thanks for the detailed examples and explanation on how to start from the ground up. clear definitions make it easy to understand the topic.
Very helpful. Thank you!
strategic thinking can never be enhanced without goal setting, I especially love the part where people “get stuck” …..its like telepathy, thank you very much for the enlightenment
Good read dude.
Amber would love to have a short conversation with you about http://objectiveli.com, I am @ritu on twitter.
Very useful advice, thankyou!
So I have a Linkedin group that I manage that has over 1200 screenwriters in it, but don’t know how to monetize it. I’m not sure how to sell them something I get stuck in what action do I want them to take
Very beneficial….thanks
Great idea..Goal >> Objectives >> Strategies >> Tactics followed by success. Call Center Services