Business Goals overview

Navigation: Main_Page > Reports > Business Goals > Business Goals overview

Business Goals overview

In ActiveCampaign, Business Goals are essential features that enable you to track and optimize your marketing objectives all in one place. This functionality allows marketers to aggregate various assets like campaigns, SMS broadcasts, automations, and forms to monitor their performance against specified goals. Understanding how to effectively use Business Goals can significantly enhance your marketing strategy's success.

Introduction

The Business Goals feature helps you consolidate efforts across different marketing channels to assess success in meeting your goals. For instance, if your primary objective is to increase your subscriber count, setting this up as a business goal in ActiveCampaign allows for easy monitoring of related campaigns and automations. You can begin by creating a conversion, such as "Has subscribed to a list," and associate relevant assets to monitor progress.

Having a structured approach to your marketing goals is not just about staying organized; it directly impacts your effectiveness in reaching those goals. The Business Goals dashboard provides a visual representation of your performance, where you can make timely adjustments based on actionable insights.

How to access this feature

To access the Business Goals dashboard in ActiveCampaign:

1. Click the ActiveCampaign icon located in the top-left corner of your screen. 2. This will direct you to the Business Goals dashboard where you can create and manage your goals.

Step-by-step instructions

Create a Business Goal

Creating a business goal can be done through either pre-populated templates or by defining one manually. Here’s how:

1. Click the ActiveCampaign icon to open the Business Goals dashboard. 2. Click the Create a business goal button. 3. Choose to create a business goal from scratch or select from a pre-populated goal.

  - If opting for a pre-populated goal, you will be prompted to add assets manually.

4. In the Details box:

  - Enter a name for your business goal in the Name field.
  - Add a description in the Description field.
  - Select a Label Color for better organization.
  - (Optional) Set an end date by checking the box next to “This business goal has a target end date,” then choose a date from the calendar dropdown.

5. In the Define success box:

  - Select an existing conversion from the dropdown or create a new one.
  - (Optional) Set a target conversion goal by checking the box next to “Set a target conversion goal for this business goal” and select a Goal type and Total conversion goal.

6. Click Save to create your business goal.

After saving, you will return to the Business Goals dashboard where you can add assets and conversions.

Add Conversions to an Existing Business Goal

To enhance an existing business goal with additional conversions:

1. Click the ActiveCampaign icon to return to the Business Goals dashboard. 2. Select the business goal you wish to edit. 3. In the Individual Business Goal Overview, click the Settings button. 4. In the Conversions field, select an existing conversion from the dropdown or create a new one. 5. (Optional) Set a target end date for your business goal. 6. Click Save. 7. (Optional) Set a conversion target by clicking on the Add conversion target hyperlink next to the conversion name. 8. Click Save.

Add Assets to an Existing Business Goal

Assets including campaigns, SMS broadcasts, and automations can be added to your business goal through the following steps:

1. Click the ActiveCampaign icon to access the Business Goals dashboard. 2. Select the business goal you wish to edit. 3. Click on the Assets in this business goal tab or the Add assets button. 4. Click the + Add hyperlink next to the asset type you want to add. 5. In the modal window, select the desired asset(s) from the dropdown. 6. Click Add. 7. Repeat the process for any other types of assets you want to include.

Archive Business Goals

To archive a business goal that has been achieved or is no longer relevant:

1. Click the ActiveCampaign icon to open the Business Goals dashboard. 2. In the Goal Card of the business goal, hover over the top right corner and click the three dots. 3. Click Archive. 4. Confirm your choice in the pop-up modal.

Configuration options and settings

The following key configuration options are vital when working with Business Goals:

- Conversions: An event like a successful form submission or a click on a link that can be tracked for performance. - Assets: This includes different types of marketing materials such as campaigns, SMS broadcasts, automations, and forms that are related to your business goal. - Label Color: A feature to help you visually distinguish between different business goals in your dashboard. - End Date: Optional setting where a specified end date can be established for the business goal, enabling deadline-centric tracking. - Target Conversion Goal: An optional metric you can assign to measure the overall performance of your business goal effectively.

Best practices and tips

1. **Establish Conversions First**: It is advised to create your conversions before drafting a business goal for an efficient setup. 2. **Monitor Progress Regularly**: Utilize the graphs and stats in the Business Goals dashboard to track performance and make actionable adjustments as necessary. 3. **Use AI Suggestions**: Turn on AI suggestions to receive recommendations for improving your marketing strategies based on current performance. 4. **Pin Important Goals**: Mark vital goals as favorites using the Star icon to keep them at the top of your dashboard for easy access.

Troubleshooting section

If you encounter difficulties when setting up your Business Goals, consider the following tips:

- Ensure that you have defined at least one conversion before creating a business goal to streamline the setup process. - Confirm that your account plan supports the number of business goals you intend to create. The limit varies from 15 for Starter, Trial, and Sandbox accounts to 200 for Professional and Enterprise accounts.

FAQ section

Q1: What types of assets can I track with Business Goals? A1: You can track campaigns, SMS broadcasts, automations, and forms as assets in your business goals.

Q2: What is the maximum number of business goals I can create? A2: The number of active goals depends on your plan: 15 for Starter, Trial, and Sandbox, 25 for Plus, and 200 for Professional and Enterprise plans.

Q3: Can one conversion be tied to multiple business goals? A3: Yes, one conversion can be associated with multiple business goals, but each goal can only track up to four conversions.

Q4: How can I erase a business goal? A4: You can archive a business goal, which will stop performance tracking for that goal permanently.

Q5: What recommendations can I receive if a goal isn't on track? A5: ActiveCampaign may suggest strategies such as modifying subject lines, adding additional assets like landing pages, or retargeting contacts.

Q6: Do I need to create a conversion before I create a business goal? A6: Yes, it is highly recommended to create your conversion before setting up your business goal for more effective tracking.

Q7: Is there any way to revert a label back to a non-goal status? A7: No, once a label is converted to a business goal, it cannot be downgraded.

By leveraging the Business Goals feature effectively, you will be well-equipped to advance your marketing objectives and optimize your campaigns based on performance metrics.