When implementing any type of marketing strategy it’s important to have an idea of the objectives you are trying to achieve and how to get there. One of the easiest ways to do this is to implement a SMART Goal. Not only can a SMART Goal help you achieve the best results for your business, but it can also help you set new objectives in the future.
What is a SMART Goal?
SMART stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Now that we have the basics of what a SMART Goal is, let’s break it down even further.
Specific
Many times when starting on something new, we tend to set goals that are much too vague. For instance, if you want to add reading into your weekly routine, you might say “I want to reach more people with my marketing.” This is a good start, but how can you ensure that you’re setting yourself up to achieve it? By setting the specific goal of “I want to reach more potential customers on social media” you are increasing the chances of your goal’s success.
Measurable
A measurable goal is a goal that is easier to maintain and track. When crafting a SMART Goal, let’s use our example above of “this year I want to reach more potential customers on social media.” For the measurable part of our SMART Goal, we could specify our goal by saying “I want to reach 15% more potential customers on social media.” Now we have a specific objective and also a very tangible number that we’re attempting to reach.
Attainable
This part of the SMART Goal should go without saying, but it’s very important to set a goal that you can achieve. Using our social media goal as an example, if after looking at the previous year’s numbers, you realize that maybe 15% is too ambitious, revise your goal to “reaching 10% more potential customers on social media.” It’s all about being realistic and making sure that you are setting your business up for success.
Relevant
Making your goal relevant helps to guide your marketing efforts in the right direction. It’s important to ask yourself if your goal is relevant to your overall success. For instance, is making sure that your business “reaches 10% more potential customers on social media” crucial to your business? The obvious answer is yes, but this is not always the case. It’s important to be able to decipher what is and isn’t relevant to your marketing strategy and adjust your goal accordingly.
Time-Bound
The last component of a SMART Goal is making your goal time-bound and setting a specific time frame to complete your goal. In our example, this might mean “I want to reach 10% more potential customers on social media this year.” This not only gives us something tangible to work towards, but it also helps us set realistic goals in the future. If we are successful in our goal this year, next year we have a better understanding of how to set future goals.
The Takeaway
SMART Goals are part of a crucial marketing strategy for your business or organization. These goals can be a part of the process of taking your marketing to new heights. Ready to get started? We’d love to talk more!
