How to set and measure goals for your small business

Move beyond vague intentions and build marketing goals you can actually track and improve.

Setting priorities is easier when your goals are visible, ranked, and intentional. Clear focus turns good intentions into measurable progress.

Most small business goals fail for one simple reason: they’re either too vague or too rigid.

“Grow the brand” isn’t actionable.
“Double revenue by March” is often fantasy.

Good goals live in the middle. They’re clear, measurable, and flexible enough to adapt as reality intervenes.

Start with business goals, not marketing goals

Marketing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Its job is to support real outcomes—sales, leads, retention, margin.

Before deciding what to post or promote, answer this:
What does the business actually need this year?

Marketing goals should flow from business priorities, not compete with them.

Focus on leading indicators

Revenue is the final result, but it’s also the slowest feedback loop.

Leading indicators—traffic quality, inquiries, conversions, engagement—tell you early whether your efforts are working or need adjustment.

Good goals don’t just say where you want to end up.
They tell you what to watch along the way.

Choose metrics you can influence

You can’t control algorithms. You can control:

• consistency

• clarity

• follow-up

• targeting

Goals should be built around inputs and behaviors you actually manage.

Build review points, not finish lines

Goals aren’t set-and-forget promises. They’re checkpoints.

Quarterly or 90-day reviews allow you to adjust intelligently instead of clinging to bad assumptions out of pride.

Turn intention into a plan

Knowing this is one thing. Applying it is another.

Use the Interactive Marketing Goals Builder
In a few minutes, you’ll translate vague intentions into a clear 90-day focus—complete with measurable indicators and priorities tailored to your business.

Good goals don’t create pressure. They create clarity.

90-day marketing goals builder

Turn fuzzy intentions into a measurable plan—and email yourself a copy.

Name Email

Business name (optional) Primary goal for the next 90 days Select one Generate more leads Grow my email list Improve website conversion Build awareness in my local market Increase revenue from existing customers

Tip: Choose the goal that would most improve your business if everything else stayed the same.

Time available per week for marketing Select one 1–2 hours 3–5 hours 6–10 hours 10+ hours

Be realistic. Overestimating time is the fastest way to abandon a plan.

Choose up to 2 channels to focus on

Fewer channels done consistently outperform many channels done occasionally.

Email Local SEO Google Ads Landing Page Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn X TikTok

Target outcome (90 days) Select channel(s) first

Choose an outcome range that matches your selected channel(s) so KPIs stay measurable and timebound.

Note: 90 days ≈ 13 weeks. Weekly targets below are a pacing guide.

Weekly leading indicators (KPIs)

Good KPIs are easy to check weekly. If it takes more than five minutes, it’s too complicated.

KPI #1 KPI #2 KPI #3 Use suggested KPIs

You can edit KPIs after they auto-fill.

Generate my 90-day focus plan