All guides / Getting Started with Digital Marketing
Chapter 1 of 5

Understanding what you want to achieve

Before you pick a platform, decide what success looks like: this chapter turns a vague goal into a measurable objective.

4 min read · Chapter 1 of 5

When people decide to take their marketing seriously, the first question is usually "which tool should I use?" or "should I be on Google or Facebook?" It feels practical, but it is backwards. Picking a platform before you know your aim is like booking a flight before deciding where to go. The goal comes first. It tells you which platforms are worth your time (Chapter 2) and which numbers mean something (Chapter 4).

So before you connect a single account, ask a simpler question: what would a good month look like for your business? Make it something you could point at and say "that, more of that."

Find your shape

Most businesses have one primary goal

Goals fall into a handful of familiar shapes. You will likely recognise your business in one.

Online sales and revenue

You run a store. Success is orders and the money they bring in.

Enquiries and leads

You sell a service, or to businesses. Success is the right people getting in touch: a form, quote or demo.

Calls, bookings, or visits

You are a local business, clinic, trade or restaurant. Success is a call, reservation or visit.

Awareness and being found

You are newer, or in a considered-purchase market. Success is more of the right people knowing you and searching by name.

Most businesses have more than one of these, but only one is primary. A store cares about awareness, but revenue pays the bills. A plumber wants to be found, but a booked job is the goal. The others still matter. Choosing a primary goal means deciding which you steer by when the numbers disagree, because sooner or later they will.

Make it measurable

From a vague goal to a measurable objective

"Get more customers" is a direction, not an objective. Three numbers decide your outcome: how many people visit, how many convert, and what each is worth. Set where you are now, then switch on Model growth to drag a target and see what the lift is worth.

25,000→30,000
2.5%→3.0%
$65→$70
Revenue / month $40,625 from 625 orders
Now
$40,625
Growth
$63,000
+$22,375more revenue a month, from 275 extra orders

Lift monthly visitors from 25,000 to 30,000, conversion rate from 2.5% to 3.0%, and average order value from $65 to $70, and monthly revenue grows from $40,625 to $63,000, an extra $22,375 a month.

Small changes compound. A little more traffic, a slightly better conversion rate and a higher value per customer stack, which is why chasing all three beats obsessing over one. Whatever numbers you land on, you now have a target to steer by.

Quick reference

Match your situation to the number that proves it

Still unsure of your shape? Each situation maps to a primary objective and the number that proves progress.

Your situationPrimary objectiveThe number that proves it
You sell products onlineGrow revenue profitablyPurchases and revenue, with ROAS (return on ad spend)
You sell a service or sell to businessesBring in the right enquiriesQualified enquiries, with cost per lead
You run a local, phone, or in-person businessGet calls, bookings, and visitsCalls and bookings, with cost per call or booking
You are new or building demandBecome known and searched forReach, plus branded search lift over time

Keep the lead role

Why one goal beats chasing vanity metrics

Platforms hand you dozens of numbers, and many feel like progress without being it. Followers, likes, impressions, page views, clicks with nothing behind them: these are vanity metrics. They go up, they feel good, and they can climb for months while the sales or enquiries you needed sit flat.

A vanity metric is not useless, but it is a supporting actor, never the lead. Ten thousand impressions matter only if some turn into your chosen outcome. With one primary goal, every other number has a job: to explain why the goal moved, not to stand in for it.

Why it matters

Your goal is the lens for everything that follows

Once your objective is written down, the rest of this guide works for you. Your goal decides which platforms get attention first (Chapter 2) and which numbers you trust and which are background noise (Chapter 4). It also gives you a test for every decision in between: does this get me more of my chosen outcome, at a cost I can live with?

Once your goal is set, Clearly keeps the number that proves it, and the cost of getting there, in front of you, so you steer by your objective instead of whichever metric looked good that week.

Common questions

Frequently asked

Can I have more than one goal?

You will have several, but pick one as primary. The others still matter and support it, but the primary goal is the one you steer by when the numbers disagree, which sooner or later they will.

What if I do not know my target numbers yet?

Start with a rough, honest guess and refine it once you have a few weeks of real data. A rough target you can measure against beats a vague ambition you cannot. The point is to have something to judge the month against.

Isn't awareness impossible to measure?

No, it is just measured differently. For awareness, watch branded searches for your name over time and the number of people you reach in your area. Both move when awareness grows, even before sales do.

Do I really need to set a cost per result up front?

Yes. Almost any number is achievable if you spend without limit. Deciding what you can afford to pay for one purchase, enquiry or call is what keeps the goal realistic and tells you when a channel has stopped being worth it.

What is the difference between a goal and a metric?

The goal is the outcome you want (revenue, enquiries, calls). Metrics are the numbers that describe what is happening. Your primary goal is one metric promoted to the lead role; every other metric exists to explain why it moved.

With your goal written down, the next chapter puts it to work: which platforms deserve your attention first, and the order to add them in.

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