Your marketing objectives should be based on understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and the business environment you operate in. They should also be linked to your overall business strategy.

For example, suppose your business objectives include increasing sales by 10 per cent over the next year. Your marketing objectives might include targeting a promising new market segment to help achieve this growth.

For more information on how to identify the best opportunities, see the page in this guide on external and internal analysis for your marketing plan.

Objectives should always be SMART:

Specific. For example, you might set an objective of getting ten new customers.
Measurable. Whatever your objective is, you need to be able to check whether you have reached it or not when you review your plan.
Achievable. While you should set targets that stretch you, there is no point in being too ambitious.
Realistic. You must have the resources you need to achieve the objective. The key resources are usually people and money.
Time-bound. You should set a deadline for achieving the objective. For example, you might aim to get ten new customers within the next 12 months.