Ultimately, the measurable outcome of the missions that arise from your marketing plan will indicate how well the three elements of the question are aligned.

1. Business Goals - what I wish to accomplish. What I want my business to be and to represent.
2. Marketing Objectives - an important (but not the exclusive) element of achieving my business goals. The steps that I believe are the path to accomplishing my business goals.
3. Social Media - an important (but not the exclusive) tool I will use to take action toward my marketing objectives.

If social media is effectively used, Marketing Objectives will be accomplished. If the Marketing Objectives are well aligned with the Business Goals, the goals will be achieved. Gaps that Reveal Misalignment, Questions that Identify the Reason Misalignment of the objectives and goals could result in meeting marketing performance benchmarks but having your business goals left unfulfilled. In that circumstance, re-evaluation and adjustment of the marketing goals would likely be in order. Analysis of the fulfillment gap between the business goals and the outcomes will likely reveal the necessary change of marketing direction. Value may be derived from questions such as:

• Did the gap result from successfully marketing to the wrong audience?
• Did the gap result from successfully marketing the wrong product/service?
• Did the success of the marketing require us to surrender a business ethics goal?
• Did the success reveal a lack of business resources/capabilities?
• Did the marketing objectives fail to anticipate the growth of other businesses in our vertical?

A sufficient evaluation of the fulfillment gap and the associated modification of the marketing objectives will result in a re-calibrated use of social media and other marketing channels. A poor use of Social Media, that is to say, a misalignment of Social Media use and the Marketing Objectives, will likely be evidenced by the Marketing Objectives not being achieved. A Process of Create/Execute/Evaluate/Modify The key to the process of create/execute/evaluate/modify is the consistent analysis of the data that results from the process.

• Are marketing objectives being accomplished?
• If no: evaluate the use of the tools (social media and others).
• if yes : Are the business goals being achieved?
• If no : evaluate the relationship between the marketing objectives and the business goals.
• If yes: Enjoy the success and create new business goals to work toward.

The Business Goals are Primary Of the three elements of the question the Business Goals should be the driver and the least plastic, however, it is possible that new opportunities may be identified through the evaluation of the marketing objectives and the business goals may be changed.