Setting out clear, measurable objectives is critical for all marketing projects. Before you begin, therefore, it makes sense to build a strong, convincing case for the work: what are you trying to achieve? Why is this important? And why will it work?
Imagine, for a moment, that you have been asked to devise a series of lectures. The problem is you’re not sure what the purpose of the lectures is.
In fact, you don’t know what subject you are supposed to be lecturing on. And, if there is to be an examination or assessment at the end of the course, well, you haven’t been told. You’re not even sure who your students will be, what they already know, how long the lectures are expected to last, nor how many lectures will make up the full course.
Put simply, the task you’ve been set is meaningless.
Setting out clear, measurable objectives allows you to justify the writing project within your organisation.
If you want to achieve something, you have to have a clear idea about what it is you’re trying to achieve. When it comes to producing marketing collateral, exactly the same rules apply.
Objectives enable you to justifying your words and spending
Setting out clear, measurable objectives allows you to justify the writing project within your organisation. At the start of the venture, you should be able to build a strong, convincing case for the work, which is based upon the objectives. What are you trying to achieve? Why is this important? And why will it work? Later down the line, when further justification for the project might be needed, you should be able to re-emphasise the important role objective setting plays within the overall communications programme.
Objectives enable you to impose strong editorial control
Having explicit, coherent objectives also provides you with strong editorial control. If writers or interviewees do not understand the piece they are involved with, you can refer to the objectives to reinforce the purpose and value of the copy you have requested.
Objectives enable you to quantify success
Importantly, having a clearly defined objective also enables you to ascertain the success of your marketing collateral. From the very beginning, you will have known what you’ve been trying to achieve. From that you can assess whether the objective has been met or not.
Objectives are critical in building two-way relationships
Marketing collateral is designed to build two-way relationships. That means that both your organisation and your target audience have to benefit from your written material. The goals you have set out will tell you something about the nature of the audience you are communicating with. Consequently, these objectives should help you to define the tone, style, content and delivery medium of your marketing copy.
It goes without saying that no-one sets about creating marketing materials without a reasonably clear idea of what it is they are trying to accomplish. But if you’re going to invest a lot of time and money creating written material, you need to know exactly what it is you want to say, to whom, and why.
Paul Ayling is the founder and CEO of Writing Machine.
Read more about the the approach we take to writing with the Structured Writing Method:
‘Objective setting’ is the first part of our Structured Writing Method™, taught in all our writing courses. Find out how to transform the way your business writes here.
The Structured Writing Method is at the heart of all the work we do. We use this method to give you exceptional quality – and great value – editorial consultancy and services. Find out how we can transform your marketing content here.