Launching a new marketing campaign is kind of like dating; your level of satisfaction has a ton to do with your expectations, and those expectations are better shared sooner than later.
Just like the guy who tells himself he’s just having a casual fling and suddenly finds his partner ready to tie the knot and pick out baby clothes, businesses and their marketers can find themselves in uncomfortable situations if expectations aren’t established early on.
Where do Realistic Marketing Expectations Come From?
Ideally, expectations will be established between a business and its marketing department/agency before any wheels of the campaign are in motion. In that first kickoff meeting, the following items should be discussed and confirmed:
- What is the execution budget and how many hours will be used?
- How much revenue is generated from each lead that converts into business? (This may be a range or an estimate)
- How will conversion data be passed from sales to marketing to ensure a proper line of sight?
- What is the company’s typical closing rate?
- How many leads will need to be generated to create enough new business for profitability?
- Is this volume of lead generation feasible given the hours and resources available?
When you have answers to these questions, you’re positioned to start your campaign with realistic expectations in mind.
Avoiding Communication Breakdown
Along with taking the time to address the points above in order to set proper expectations, there needs to be clear communication on both sides. There’s a big difference between telling someone something and being on the same page as that person.
Don’t settle for ambiguous feedback. Be clear about what results are going to work for you and what won’t. Ignoring red flags and hoping things will just work out is not a good strategy. (Again, kind of like dating.)
What to Expect When You’re Expecting Results
After you’ve set your marketing expectations, try not to dwell on them too much during the initial weeks of the campaign. Especially if the channel has not been tested recently, you shouldn’t anticipate hitting your expectations right off the bat. Any new tactic will involve a period of trial and error and honing of execution.
What’s critical to the beginning of your campaign isn’t that you reach your goal immediately; it’s that you are carefully measuring results, identifying areas for improvements, and making needed adjustments. Once the campaign is in full swing, you can come back to those expectations as you assess performance.
How do you set your marketing expectations? How often are those expectations met?
cnadler
Simple Machines Marketing
