Marketing teams must balance building a brand with driving a sales pipeline. This constant juggle can pull teams in multiple directions, making it difficult to focus. A clear goal-setting framework like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) solves this problem.
How to set marketing OKRs in 3 steps
Define your primary marketing objective
Choose 1–2 ambitious outcomes for the quarter (e.g., increase qualified leads, grow brand visibility).Write measurable key results
Draft 2–4 numeric results that show progress (e.g., increase qualified leads 150 → 250, grow share of voice 5% → 15%).Align with business goals and assign owners
Make sure the marketing OKRs support company-wide priorities and assign clear owners for each Key Result.
Marketing OKR Example 1: drive qualified leads
Objective: Generate high-quality inbound leads.
This objective focuses your team on attracting prospects who are a good fit for your business. It prioritizes meaningful engagement that supports sales over simple website traffic.
Key Results:
Increase monthly Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) from 150 to 250.
Improve the lead-to-opportunity conversion rate from 15% to 25%.
Source 40% of qualified leads from organic content channels.
Achieve a lead Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) below $85.
Marketing OKR Example 2: improve brand visibility
Objective: Improve brand visibility in our target market.
This objective helps teams build long-term brand equity. It connects the abstract concept of "visibility" to concrete, measurable outcomes showing your brand is reaching the right audience.
Key Results:
Increase share of voice on key industry terms from 5% to 15%.
Secure 5 media placements or guest posts in top-tier publications.
Double monthly social media impressions from 50,000 to 100,000.
Increase direct website traffic from 1,000 to 2,500 monthly visitors.
Marketing OKR example 3: Increase conversion rates
Objective: Increase conversion rates across all marketing touchpoints.
This objective maximizes the value of your existing traffic and leads. It is ideal for teams who need to turn more of their current audience into customers.
Key Results:
Increase website lead conversion rate from 2.8% to 4.5%.
Improve email marketing click-through rate from 3.2% to 5.8%.
Boost landing page conversion rates for paid ads from 6% to 10%.
Increase demo-to-customer conversion rate from 25% to 35%.
How to adapt these OKRs
These templates are a starting point, not a final solution. Adapt them to fit your team's unique situation.
For small teams (1-3 marketers): Focus on one primary OKR per quarter. Prioritize the most urgent business need, such as lead generation, and set realistic targets.
For Limited budgets: Emphasize organic growth metrics. Focus on improving conversion rates from existing traffic instead of tracking paid acquisition costs.
For Established teams: Pursue multiple OKRs simultaneously. Assign different Key Results to team members with specialized skills.
For different industries: Adjust your focus. B2B companies might prioritize lead quality, while e-commerce businesses focus on customer acquisition costs.
Start with what matters most to your business now and evolve your OKRs as your team grows.
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