Marketing goals: financial goals vs social goals

In all activity, you must have a goal. There are various ways to achieve that goal. For example: If your goal is go to your office, then you can use your car, join your friend’s car, use a taxi, by foot, and others. Someone who does not have a goal, his life will flow without direction. Compare with person who has a goal, he has directed activities, although there are obstacles, he will exert every effort towards goal.

The goal is divided in two, the first is a short term goal and the second is the long term goals. Motivators differ in interpreting how long the short term is. There are some who say the goal within a period of up to five years includes in short term goal. So the goal above five years is called long term goals. The long term goal is also called vision. Many expert also mention this as roadmap.

Now we can apply these in the marketing. I call them marketing goals. There are many marketing goals I saw from several companies. All the goals go in the direction of two kinds, they are financial goals and social goals.

Financial Goals
The main purpose of this marketing activities is the financial aspects. Some of the companies that I asked about the goal of marketing activities, they usually answer as to achieve sales targets, to generate profits, to gain a greater income than expenditure, to obtain a positive cash flow, and so on. The point is that they apply marketing activities to achieve financial goals.

Social Goals
The main purpose of this marketing activities is the social aspects. Some socialpreneurs have different answers on this. They prioritize social side. Their ultimate goal is quality of interaction with the community that they’ve formed. The core of this marketing activity is mutual sharing of ideas, solutions to problems, support each other. The interaction takes place in both directions, meaning that at one time the company provides solutions for problems to the member communities, but at other times members of the community offer solutions to company. All members are equal, all can share everyhing in this community.

Financial Goals vs Social Goals
Now, what goal do you choose? I will give an illustration, if you prioritize financial goals only and ignore social goals, then I am sure your business is not sustainable for long term. For example : you work to increase sales volume, you perform marketing activities to it. But you forget to retain customers, you are not concerned with after sales service activities. There are customers who complain, you let them go. You only keep in your mind, “the most important for me is find a buyer as much as I can to increase sales”. In the short term, you might gain a large number of profit. But in the long period, you will lose customers.

Therefore, I suggest you to have financial goals and social goals. The thing needed for this is patience. I will explain in the next point.

Conclusion
In my experience, you have to make social goals as your main goal first. Make the community in which you can do mutual share among the members, interact with them, so that if any customer complaints you will respond quickly. Members will find that they have a value in this community, so without being asked they will recommend your products to relatives and colleagues. Moreover they invite their relatives to participate actively in this community.

As I mentioned before, you have to be patient to build these social goals. This takes time. As time goes by, I believe financial goals will be achieved. Your business will be sustainable in the long term.