They say, “Life is a journey, not a destination.” While that’s poetic, it doesn’t apply to your marketing strategy.

Wait, what?

Marketing is about the endgame. What are we driving toward? What is our goal? Why are we doing this?

Of course we consider every detail along the way but to reach the goal, you have to stay focused on it.

If the goal is to boost sales, marketing efforts must be integrated with a sales funnel. If you are seeking brand exposure and recognition, you craft your content around those goals. If you’re trying to drive traffic to a website, make sure you incorporate a plan to get people to the page.

We currently have a client that is trying to boost site traffic for their Mother’s Day shoe sale. We suggested a giveaway on their social channels. All followers would need to do to enter is post a photo of their mom. At first everyone loved the idea. Sounds like a great promotion, right?

Not really. This type of promotion would boost social engagement, but our actual goal is to drive traffic to the website.

Keeping the real goal in mind, we introduced the element that visitors should note their favorite product in their comment – and that one lucky winner would receive their favorite as their prize. To choose their favorite product, they need to browse our shop and engage with the products. Boom. We now have a strategy that aligns with the overall goal for the campaign, with the added bonus of extra Facebook engagement.

It’s a good reminder to keep your eyes on the prize when designing a marketing campaign. Get creative with the journey, but never lose sight of the destination.