Here are some essential questions to ask when you’re setting business goals and when you’re measuring  the effectiveness of your marketing strategies.

What do I want to do and achieve with this business?

This is where your mission and vision statements come in. These statements, though they look very theoretical or hypothetical, are the heart and soul of your business. Your mission and vision will always have motivating power for you; especially when the chips are down. These help you refocus on your goals as a business.

Having clear reasons for engaging in your business will push you to achieve, not only your goals, but also that targeted expansion that you’ve always wanted. You might always want to have these reminders visible. Doing so will make sure that this drive will never get out of your sight and mind. Some examples are keeping customer testimonials, commendations, and kudos. Another idea is to write down your visions and goals – even a vacation or that car you always wanted, where you can always see them. Make sure you post this board in a place where you can’t avoid to see it.

What is all of this for?

Did you get involved in your business because you intended to or did you engage in it by accident?

Engaging in business intentionally merits you justifying your actions, playing the different outcomes of your action over and over in your mind, and imagining the expected outcomes. This question also poses quite a challenge to us as it makes us face the truth, no matter how ugly it is. Facing the ugly truth, most of the time, triggers our defense mechanisms.

Though challenging as it may seem, getting comfortable asking and answering this question will make sure that everyone on the team is in-sync because each individual is working for a same, greater, cause.

What works? What doesn’t? Why?

It is always important to evaluate if your marketing initiatives are meeting their goals or not. In doing so, make sure that there is no blame or shame on anyone else. Moreover, most people are also quick to see the million reasons why things fail and troubleshoot the situation. You would need to get used to this diagnostic-reactive mindset, but at the same time, also adapt a positive strategic approach by finding out what worked and capitalizing on these.

It’s also easier to track the results of a marketing initiative if you track them per milestone. Don’t launch multiple initiatives at once if you want to really crack down on the root causes for failure or success.

What’s in it for your customers?

There’s always a reason why customers need to buy a product. Customers also need reasons as to why they need to buy now and more reasons why they need to buy from you. Ponder on these reasons and include them explicitly in all of your marketing materials. Nothing beats knowing the ins-and-outs of your target market; and putting yourself in your customers’ shoes when coming up with marketing strategies will definitely pay off.

What makes me different?

Business owners always get tangled up in coming up with a branding process that will separate them from the rest. One realization though is that you don’t have to be the only organization doing what you do or even be the best in the field. You just  have to be the provider of choice for your target niche.