I am a great believer in marketing objectives. I know objectives sometimes seem like creating work for the sake of it but for me objectives give that all-important focus that enables you to concentrate on what you truly want to achieve.

Objectives should, of course, be SMART. The acronym SMART standing for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timed (many other similar versions are often quoted but this one is my personal favourite!).

So, why are objectives so important? Objectives give you a clear idea of where you are going. They also give you something to measure performance against and something to improve upon.

Sometimes objectives seem like a wild guess because the road you are travelling is unexplored. Even then, as you put your best foot forward you can use your best guesstimate of what you want to achieve.

If you don’t have an objective, how do you know if all the effort you have made has been worthwhile? How do you know if your resources have been channelled down the best route? Maybe you do not need to do so much to achieve what you want or maybe you need to do more.

Having an objective makes you more effective in what you do. The more effective you are, the more you will get out of your business.