Setting Goals for Video Marketing: SMART Strategies for Maximum ROI
Video content has never been more powerful than in today’s crowded digital landscape. There’s a good reason why 95% of marketers consider video an essential part of their strategy: video content can increase conversion rates by up to 80%, making it one of the most effective tools for engaging audiences.
But even the most cinematic, creative videos can’t drive results without one critical component: a clearly defined goal. Whether you're trying to build brand awareness, attract new donors, or boost student applications, the key to a successful video strategy is knowing exactly what you want it to achieve.
Specific and targeted goals empower your team to make every second of video content count. Here’s how setting goals for video marketing can boost your brand, including plenty of examples to spark ideas for your next campaign.
Why Goals Matter in Video Marketing
Video marketing can be incredibly effective — but only if it's built around intentional, outcome-driven planning. Too often, brands jump straight into flashy production without asking the most important question: “What are we trying to achieve?”
Clear goals help guide the creative direction, audience targeting, platform selection, and call-to-action strategy behind your content. For some nonprofit organizations, the goal could be to raise awareness about a new initiative. For commercial brands, it might be driving online sales or improving customer onboarding with explainer videos.
Without a clear goal, it’s impossible to measure success or ROI. Setting goals for video marketing enables you to align your content with broader organizational objectives and deliver tangible results.
How to Set SMART Goals for Video Marketing
The SMART framework is a time-tested method for creating effective goals. It stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Here’s how it works when setting goals for video marketing.
Specific Goals
Your goal should be clear and focused, not vague or generic.
Instead of: “Make a great video about our healthcare organization.”
Try: “Promote our orthopedic services using a 90-second patient testimonial video aimed at adults recovering from joint injuries.”
Being specific keeps your project on track and helps your production team understand what success looks like.
Measurable Goals
If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it! Attach a metric to your goal that tells you whether or not it is being achieved.
Instead of: “Get more people to learn about our services.”
Try: “Generate 200 qualified leads through an explainer video embedded on our services page.”
You can track views, watch time, click-through rates, or conversions — whatever measurable metric aligns best with your campaign goal.
Achievable Goals
Set realistic goals for your video marketing campaign based on past performance or industry benchmarks.
Instead of: “Go viral on TikTok.”
Try: “Increase video views by 25% compared to last quarter’s product launch campaign.”
Stretch goals can be motivating, but overly ambitious numbers can lead to frustration. Aim for an achievable target that challenges your team but stays grounded in reality.
Relevant Goals
Your video marketing goals should tie directly to broader organizational priorities.
Instead of: “Post videos more consistently to stay present online.”
Try: “Raise awareness of our nonprofit’s mental health program during Mental Health Awareness Month with a three-part video series.”
Creating relevant goals ensures your video serves a greater strategic purpose and helps secure buy-in across teams.
Time-bound Goals
Every goal needs a deadline to create focus and urgency.
Instead of: “Grow our email list with video content.”
Try: “Increase newsletter signups by 15% through an educational video campaign before the fall semester begins.”
Setting a time-bound goal also makes it easier to review performance, celebrate wins, and iterate as needed.
Track and Measure Your Video Marketing Goals
Once your SMART goals are set, you’ll need the right tools to track progress. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, and Google Analytics can all provide a detailed view of how your videos are performing. The most common metrics for tracking video marketing ROI include:
Engagement metrics (shares, reposts, etc.)
Video views
Clicks
Viewer retention
Bottom-line sales
For more advanced video marketing campaigns, connect your CRM or automation platform to track lead quality and customer behavior over time.
Don’t forget: video marketing is an ongoing process. Use the results you generate to fine-tune future videos, improve targeting, and evolve your strategy.
Achieve Your Video Marketing Goals with 20/20 Visual Media
At 20/20 Visual Media, we don’t just make great-looking videos — we make videos that deliver great results. Our production team will work closely with you to set concrete video marketing goals and create content that drives measurable results. Whether you’re aiming to inspire, inform, or convert, we’re here to help you reach your audience.
Let’s work together to build a video strategy that delivers. Contact us today to learn how we can bring your story to life.
