Today Godin made an interesting post on goal setting.

I share as I think understanding hidden goals is one of the most important parts of the marketing process. In a recent meeting I heard a speaker say you need three hours for a focus group. The first hour is for warming up, but most of the information is just the respondents telling you what you want to hear. The other two hours are for finding all of the hidden information.

The first step to measuring any communications activity is to conduct a thorough analysis of your goals.

It’s not only important to understand which goals are the most important, but also which are solvable through communications. Many people figure out the first, but then forget to do the analysis on feasibility.

It pains me to see a company trying to solve a product (or other operational) related problem through communications. It’s like throwing money at a black hole.

With a recession now in full swing, many companies turn to their marketing departments looking to ‘trim fat’. This is a cowardly response. It’s easy to hide when times get tough.

Courageous companies will be looking at this downturn as an opportunity. An opportunity in need of a strong marketing department.

Strategies will need to be reworked and your positioning may need to be changed. And, in a time where others are hiding, media will become readily available and good news will be in high demand. It’s the perfect opportunity to gain attention and be the company that offers hope.