Vague objectives produce vague creative, as with all things marketing and creative, the more specific the better. Specific objectives produce specific, measurable, effective creative. 

This lesson is about setting communications objectives that are clear enough to actually guide the work. Start with the audience and what reaction you want, and work your way backwards. 

Start with the person

Before you write an objective, ask: what change do you want to create in the life or experience of the specific person with disability you’re trying to reach?

Objectives that start with the person, what they’ll understand, feel, or do differently, produce better creative than objectives that start with what the organisation wants to achieve. The difference is subtle but powerful.

For example:

Organisation-centred: Generate 10 SIL enquiries in Q3. Person-centred: Make it easier for young adults with complex needs in Brisbane to find and understand what our SIL homes actually look and feel like, so they can make an informed choice.

The second objective is harder to measure directly, but it produces better creative. And when you get that right, the enquiries are more likely to follow.

The problem with vague objectives

‘Increase brand awareness.’ ‘Grow our social media following.’ ‘Improve our reputation in the sector.’

These are not objectives. They’re directions. They don’t tell you when you’ve arrived, they don’t guide creative decisions, and they don’t help you measure success.

What a good communications objective looks like

A good objective is:

Specific – it names the exact outcome Measurable – you can tell when you’ve achieved it Audience-linked – it names the specific person with disability (or segment) you’re trying to reach Time-bound – it has a deadline

Examples:

‘Help young adults with disability in South East Queensland understand what independent living at our homes actually looks like, measured by enquiry form submissions and call volumes in Q3.’

‘Make it easier for autistic people to understand how our support workers are trained, reducing the first-contact drop-off rate by 20% over 6 months.’

‘Be the most referred allied health provider among Western Sydney support coordinators who work with young adults, measured by referral source data over 3 months.’

Objectives vs metrics

An objective is the outcome you’re working toward. A metric is how you measure progress.

Objective: help people with disability understand our homes. Metrics: website enquiry form submissions, video watch time, direct messages.

You need both. The objective drives strategy. The metrics tell you if it’s working.

Another way to understand this is lead and lag measures. So often, business development managers (BDMs) will be hired and told to ‘get x number of new participants ASAP’ which is stressful, unhelpful and also neither strategy nor tactics. It also isn’t something they can control directly.

Instead, objectives or KPIs should be based on what is in your control. Instead of telling someone to increase retention, tell them to call everyone on their birthday or follow up small things. What are the actions that will drive those results?

Exercise

Rewrite your live brief as a proper objective: specific, measurable, audience-linked and time-bound. Start with the specific person with disability you’re trying to reach. What do you want to be different for them?