GOST: Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics

G.O.S.TGoalsOutcomesStrategies &Tactics

Goals

• A goal:– Is completely measurable– Provides focus for the

campaign– Is completely measurable

Sample Goals

• I want to:– Become King!– Increase my

Facebook likes to 1 million!

– Raise my sales volume by 100%!

The once and future king

Objectives

• An objective:– Less measurable– The general means

by which you’ll achieve your goal

Sample Objectives

• In order to achieve my goal, I must:– Take control of the

throne!– Drive a lot of

interested traffic to my Facebook page!

– Get people interested in my product and convince them to buy it!

Someday this will be you

We need a plan!

Quick – what do we know?

Observations and Insights

• An observation:– Is a fact about the

campaign landscape– Is often quantifiable

• An insight:– Is how you intend to

utilize the observation in a different way

Sample Observations and Insights

• I can see that:– Kings control lots of tax

revenue and can raise large armies

– They do this through controlling local castles

• Therefore:– If I want to be King, I’m

going to need tax revenue and to raise large armies

– A good way to bolster my claim is to control castles!

Let’s be honest: who doesn’t want to live in a castle?

Strategies

• Your strategy:– Is replicable across a

variety of similar but distinct tactical situations

– Shows how you use your insights to begin achieving your goals

Sample Strategies

• Holy Moses, my insight means:– I need to take over lots

of castles!– I need a unified editorial

calendar to drive interest and engagement in my page!

– I need my target customers to see the emotional and rational reasons to buy my product!

OK, maybe not this castle

Tactics

• Tactics are:– The ways in which

you will achieve your strategy

– Somewhat different – and focused - for each strategic situation

– The actual things you execute and “do”

Sample Tactics

• To take over this specific castle we need to:– Attack that weak

spot in its walls with a catapult and sappers!

– Choke off their single point of supplies!

– Poison their two water supplies!

Siege tactics being employed to take over Castle Facebook circa

1285