Goals are outcome signals that track whether an audience or journey is contributing to a desired result. They help you monitor performance and validate that your orchestration logic is working as intended. For example, if you expect an increase in purchases during the journey, set the goal based on purchase events.
Goals don't decide who qualifies. They observe what happens after someone qualifies. Think of goals as a diagnostic layer, especially during initial implementation.
Goals answer basic questions about orchestration effectiveness:
Is the audience or journey producing outcomes?
Are outcomes happening at a reasonable rate after entry?
Did a change to the rules improve the results or make them worse?
Which audiences or journeys are worth maintaining and scaling?
Note that:
Goals don't show what would've happened without the activation.
Goals don't replace channel metrics like ROAS, CPA, or attribution models.
Goals indicate outcomes in a population, not that the activation caused the outcome.
For causal measurement, use holdouts, incrementality tests, or marketing mix models.
Goals in audiences vs. journeys
In audiences, goals help validate segment quality:
Is this audience producing conversions?
Is suppression logic reducing wasted spend?
Is a retargeting pool still relevant?
In journeys, goals help validate flow effectiveness:
Are people reaching the intended outcome after entering?
Are certain branches performing better than others?
Are the wait steps too long or too short?
Journeys have more complexity because timing and sequencing affect what you observe.
What to measure
Measurement signal
A measurement signal is an event that represents a meaningful business action. Choose signals that are unambiguous and reliably tracked.
Common examples:
Signal | Use case |
|---|---|
Purchase completed | Ecommerce conversion |
Booking confirmed | Travel or service conversion |
Lead submitted | Lead generation |
Subscription renewed | Retention |
First value action | Onboarding activation |
Measurement window
The measurement window defines how long after entry you'll count outcomes. Match the window to the expected decision timeline for your use case.
Common examples and guidelines:
Use case | Suggested window |
|---|---|
Cart abandonment | 1-3 days |
Onboarding | 7-14 days |
Win-back | 14-30 days |
Churn prevention | 30-60 days |
Before you begin
Confirm that the following setup is completed before configuring goals:
The outcome event you want to track is being ingested reliably.
The event is tied to the correct profile (identity stitching is working).
You have defined what "success" means for the audience or journey, such as increased purchases, newsletter signups, or loyalty program subscriptions.
Instructions
Open the audience or journey on the Data Activation platform.
Go to the Goals or Measurement section.
Add a new goal.
Select the event that represents success.
Set any relevant time window (for example, "within 7 days of entry").
Save the goal.
Verify the setup works
After configuring your goals:
Check that the goal event is being tracked on profiles that entered the audience or journey.
If you don't see any conversions, verify the event ingestion.
If the goal rate is lower than expected, there may be an identity mismatch. Check if the outcomes are on the same profile.
Wait for the measurement window to elapse.
If there is a delay in the goal attribution, the events may arrive late. To fix, review the event timing and measurement window.
Review goal metrics in the platform.
If you see inconsistent metrics, standardize the event naming, as you may have multiple events for the same action
Compare to baseline or control if available.