How to Set Marketing Goals: Key Takeaways for your Marketing Strategy
- Sales-driven marketing goals must directly connect to revenue outcomes, not just vanity metrics like impressions or followers.
- Effective marketing goals follow the SMART framework while prioritising measurable impact on the sales pipeline and conversion rates.
- Focus on goals that shorten sales cycles, increase deal sizes, and improve lead quality rather than lead quantity.
- Align marketing and sales teams around shared revenue targets with specific attribution models to track contributions.
- Use data-driven insights from CRM and marketing automation platforms to set realistic yet ambitious sales-impact goals.
Most marketing teams set goals that look impressive on paper but fail miserably at driving actual sales. You might be celebrating a 50% increase in social media engagement, yet your sales team is still chasing the same old leads that never convert. Let’s explore how to set marketing goals that actually support revenue.
The problem is that marketing doesn’t work when goals are disconnected from sales outcomes. According to industry research, only 22% of businesses claim their marketing and sales goals are fully integrated and aligned. This disconnect costs companies millions in lost revenue opportunities.
In this guide, you’ll discover a framework for creating revenue-focused objectives, specific goal examples that impact your bottom line, and practical strategies for measuring success through sales outcomes.
Why Most Marketing Goals Fail to Drive Sales
The marketing industry has trained teams to chase metrics that feel productive, but don’t move the needle. This misalignment between marketing activity and sales outcomes creates a dangerous illusion of progress.
Most marketing teams focus on vanity metrics like follower counts, traffic volume, or email open rates instead of qualified pipeline generation. These metrics can indicate awareness, but they don’t guarantee marketing is contributing to revenue. A company can have 100,000 followers and still struggle to generate leads that convert into customers.
A lack of clear attribution between marketing activities and closed deals makes this worse. When campaigns can’t be tied to revenue outcomes, it becomes difficult to know what’s actually working. Without attribution, optimisation and budget decisions become guesswork.
Misalignment between marketing and sales objectives is another common failure point. Marketing might be measured on lead volume, while sales focuses on lead quality and conversion. Marketing feels successful while sales wastes time on unqualified prospects.
Traditional brand awareness goals, while valuable long-term, don’t always translate into near-term revenue. Building recognition takes time and may not support quarterly targets, especially for businesses needing consistent growth.
Well-Defined Goals: The SMART Framework for Sales-Driven Marketing Goals
SMART goals become far more useful when applied through a revenue lens. Each part of the framework should connect back to sales impact.
Specific goals go beyond vague aims like “increase brand awareness” and define measurable sales outcomes. Instead of “get more leads,” set a goal such as “increase marketing-qualified leads that convert to customers by 25%.” This forces you to consider the full journey from first touch to closed deal.
Measurable goals should rely on CRM data, conversion rates, and revenue attribution. Metrics like impressions and clicks become secondary to pipeline contribution, deal progression, and closed revenue.
Achievable goals should be based on historical performance and current market conditions. Review conversion rates, CAC, sales capacity, and realistic growth potential before setting targets.
Relevant goals must support sales quotas and business objectives. Ask: “How does this help us close more deals or increase deal size?” If it doesn’t connect to revenue, it’s not a sales-driven goal.
Time-bound goals should align with sales cycles and reporting periods. Quarterly milestones often work best because they match forecasting and pipeline planning.
7 Marketing Goals That Actually Increase Revenue
Increase Marketing-Qualified Lead to Sales-Qualified Lead Conversion Rate
Improve lead quality through better nurturing and lead scoring, rather than chasing higher lead volume. Use demographic and behavioural signals to identify prospects most likely to become customers.
Example: Improve MQL to SQL conversion from 15% to 25% by Q4 through enhanced lead scoring and personalised nurturing campaigns.
Reduce Customer Acquisition Cost While Maintaining Quality
Lower CAC by shifting spend towards channels that generate higher-quality customers. Track CAC alongside LTV to ensure cost savings don’t reduce profitability.
Example: Decrease CAC from $500 to $350 while maintaining average customer lifetime value above $2,500 through optimised channel mix and audience targeting.
Accelerate Sales Cycle Velocity Through Content Marketing
Create content that addresses questions and objections at each stage of the buyer journey. Track whether content consumption correlates with faster deal progression.
Example: Reduce the average sales cycle from 90 days to 60 days by developing content that supports each funnel stage.
Increase Average Deal Size Through Account-Based Marketing
Use personalised campaigns for high-value accounts to influence larger opportunities. Engage multiple stakeholders to expand deal size and reduce complexity.
Example: Increase average deal size by 30% for ABM-targeted accounts through coordinated multi-stakeholder engagement.
Improve Sales Team Productivity Through Marketing Enablement
Support sales with better-qualified leads, account insights, and enablement assets like battle cards, competitor comparisons, and objection-handling content.
Example: Increase sales team quota attainment from 75% to 90% through improved qualification and enablement.
Boost Customer Retention and Expansion Revenue
Create campaigns for existing customers that support adoption, renewal, cross-sell, and upsell opportunities. Use engagement signals to identify expansion potential.
Example: Increase expansion revenue by 40% through targeted customer marketing and improved renewal processes.
Generate Pipeline Coverage for Sales Targets
Aim for 3–4x pipeline coverage (depending on conversion rates) to support quota attainment. Track pipeline generation by stage and source to maintain consistency.
Example: Generate $10M in qualified pipeline to support a $3M sales quota through demand gen and nurturing programs.
Your Marketing Plan: How to Measure and Track Sales-Driven Marketing Goals
Essential Metrics and Key Performance Indicators
Track marketing-influenced pipeline and revenue to understand contribution to closed deals. Measure what percentage of closed revenue included marketing touchpoints and which campaigns contributed.
Monitor lead-to-customer conversion rates by channel to identify which activities drive sales outcomes. Track sales cycle velocity to see which touchpoints accelerate deals.
Use CAC and LTV ratios to ensure efficiency improvements don’t harm profitability. Implement multi-touch attribution to fairly account for the full customer journey.
Technology Stack for Tracking
Ensure CRM and marketing automation tools are integrated to track the full funnel. Use revenue attribution tools and dashboards that both marketing and sales can access.
Align reporting cadence with sales forecasting cycles so marketing insights support planning and execution.
Aligning Marketing and Sales Teams Around Revenue Goals
Create shared SLAs that define lead quality, follow-up timeframes, and qualification criteria. Set joint revenue targets so both teams share responsibility for outcomes.
Run regular check-ins to review progress, market feedback, and needed adjustments. Use shared dashboards to create transparency and accountability.
Where possible, align incentives so marketing outcomes connect to sales success and vice versa. Collaboration improves when both teams win together.
Common Mistakes When Setting Sales-Driven Marketing Goals
Avoid unrealistic targets that ignore sales capacity or market conditions. Don’t focus on lead quantity without quality and conversion. Factor in sales cycle length before expecting revenue results.
Don’t ignore attribution delays or multi-touch customer journeys. Involve sales in goal setting to ensure targets reflect reality and support deal progression.
FAQ
How long does it typically take to see results from sales-driven marketing goals?
Most B2B companies see pipeline impact within 3–6 months, while revenue impact often takes 6–12 months depending on sales cycle length and attribution complexity. Start measuring earlier indicators like lead quality improvements and sales feedback sooner than revenue.
What’s the conversion rate of marketing-qualified leads to sales-qualified leads?
Benchmarks often fall between 20–30%, but it varies by industry and qualification standards. Focus on improving your baseline rather than chasing industry averages.
How do you handle attribution when customers have multiple touchpoints?
Use multi-touch attribution models that assign fractional credit across touchpoints. Common models include first-touch, last-touch, and U-shaped attribution.
Should marketing goals be tied directly to sales quotas?
Marketing goals should align with sales quotas through pipeline coverage targets (often 3–4x quota). However, marketing should focus on goals within its control, like lead quality and nurturing, rather than final deal closure.
How often should sales-driven marketing goals be reviewed?
Review monthly for tactical adjustments and quarterly for strategic goal updates, aligned with sales forecasting cycles.
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Further Information
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