As any online marketer knows, the ecommerce world is a fast paced and dynamic environment. It’s easy to fall behind or miss opportunities if your organization is not working as a well-oiled machine. I mean all parts; from upper management, to advisors, all the way down to interns. If you want to run a successful online marketing campaign, your company must work and run, day in and day out, as a cohesive unit. That cohesive unit must also have a clear set of goals that each member of your marketing team is fully aware of. When goals amongst upper management and your SEM manager differ, many factors within the marketing campaign are put at risk.
In order to understand how to avoid the commonly made mistake of having differing goals, you must first be aware of why it happens. Here are three main reasons as to why this can occur.
First, as mentioned previously, the ecommerce environment is ever changing. The constant speed of change means goals must change rapidly to keep up with the pace. Therefore, the fast paced environment and constant rearranging of priorities can impact goal alignment across the organization.
Second, often times SEM goals do not get quantified properly. This is an issue that can be easily avoided but when it is not, the result can be disastrous in that the goals and outcomes may vary rather dramatically.
Lastly, the SEM goals get lost in the mix. This is most common in larger organizations or organizations with multiple levels of hierarchy. Again, it is imperative that each member of your marketing team is on the same page, no matter how big or small their role.
So how do you avoid SEM Mistake # 1? It’s simple. Set clear, concise goals and communicate, communicate, communicate. Your SEM goals should be measureable and easily quantifiable. That is, have some type of benchmark for your goals. There must be a reference point, a way for your goal to be measured and assessed, in order determine if your campaign is heading in the right direction. One way to do this is to set smaller goals alongside the campaign’s ultimate goal. Strive for a certain number of clicks, a set amount of traffic to your site, or even a specific amount of ROI. Whatever your goals are, this strategy will ensure that your campaign is actively progressing.
Lastly, communication is key. Your SEM goals should be in sync with overall marketing goals and your entire organization should be aware what these goals are. Hold regular meetings, not just with employees, but all stakeholders that are involved with your campaign. Discuss which aspects of your goals have been reached and which still need to be worked on. Set deadlines for these things to occur, and check in with your entire team frequently. This discussion should happen daily so that there is fluid and congruent conversation amongst all levels of your company’s hierarchy.
It’s fairly easy. Have a way to measure your goals and success on your path to reaching them and communicate with your team along the way. Strive to do this each day you come into the office, and SEM Mistake #1 will never live up to its name.
-The NetElixir Team
