The Concept of Visible Goal Setting
By Chayden A. Bates
The Effective Marketing Group

Something rather interesting appeared to me this past week which I would like to share with you. But before I do, I would like you to note that it's *the concept* that I would like you to focus on, not particularly how it was used in where I discovered it.

I recently purchased Brian Keith Voiles' copywriting course titled "Advertising Magic". With the main course came a series of six cassette tapes and a short video of Brian revealing his "secrets to success" in plain english. I haven't yet listened to the six cassette tapes, but I have watched the video and is where I discover this *concept*.

Brian was talking about "goal setting" and how you should (or at least he does) create the "order form" first. He was, of course, speaking about creating advertising for print publications and mail-order, but here's what got me:

"Why do you create the order form first? Because that's ultimately what you want the reader to get to, then act upon."

Those weren't his exact words, but the answer to your success with marketing lies within HIS answer ...

"You create the order form first because that's what you want your readers to get to."

In other words, that's your goal. By creating the order form first, you're setting your goal. You're creating a visible goal which the rest of your ad will work towards.

Goals are the whole reason you're doing anything that you're doing with your business. Or at least it should be if you're looking to get the most out of your available assets. So what I propose to you here and now is to break up each of your marketing promotions into small pieces, and for each small piece I want you to create a goal - a visible goal that you can work towards.

By doing this, rather than working towards the endless and "invisible goal" of "making money" (or what have you), you will have in front of you, something that you can actually see and truly reach. Much like "creating the order form first", you will have a short term and visible goal which you can then build your chosen method of promotion around.

Doing this, I have come to trust, is much more rewarding (both with your time and effort/money) than looking at and thinking in terms of "the big picture". I'm not saying don't look at the big picture, just that - in order to get "there" - you shouldn't overwhelm yourself with "all of these marketing tactics", instead look at EACH as a simple task that contains a realistic goal that you can both SET as well as REACH.

So now, my example:

  1. You have an offer - that's the big picture.

  2. You decide to promote your offer with the use of a free article in many targeted ezines.

  3. The *point* of the article is to pre-sell the reader on the value of what you have to offer. The *point* of the article is to educate the reader of the value and benefit OF your offer.

  4. You must set your goal.

  5. You decide that you won't (and you really shouldn't) sell the reader with pricing information and what have you right there in the article. Rather, you decide the best system to use is to have the reader - after reading the article - click over to your direct response Web site where you release "your big guns".

  6. So your goal is to create a closing that inspires the reader to click over to your Web site.

  7. To put *this concept* to use, you create that closing paragraph (which will be revised once the article is completed) FIRST.

  8. Now you have a "visible" goal to work toward. And in order to successfully reach your goal, you must constantly ask yourself WHAT do I need to provide to reach THIS goal?

I can't tell you here - in this newsletter - WHAT that is, simply because I don't know what you have to offer. That's something you'll have to determine on your own. But there you have it - setting your "visible goal" truly can help you with EACH STEP in your marketing.

To Sum It Up ...

  1. Break up each small bit of your marketing ...
  2. ... and set a visible goal that you *can see* ...

... so now your goal is before you - rather than just in your head or not even in the same vicinity. Do this and I bet your millions to be made that you'll improve your marketing considerably!

© 2000 - Chayden A. Bates

Chayden is the author of the highly acclaimed NEW E-Book, "E-Book Marketing Explained!" and is currently teaching other online marketers how to maximize their online promotional efforts with the use of Free E-Book Marketing - the most "viral" online advantage you've got! I've read this and it's wonderful. Click here NOW to visit his site for full details.