What are SMART Goals?
When all marketing efforts are unified toward a specific goal, the results are easier to track, measure and reach. A campaign refers to unified cross-channel messaging in support of a goal. Consider a team of rowers. When every person on the team pulls on the oar at the exact same time, the goal – the finish line – is reached quickly and seamlessly. And that’s what we want for your marketing. Except, before you can even have your team start pulling on the oars, you have to know what the goal is that you are all working toward.
Without a set of goals, any kind of marketing plan will certainly fail. Without them, motivation dwindles and your marketing efforts becomes futile. And, the thing is…it’s not enough to have just any old goals, either. They also need to be SMART Goals. What are SMART Goals? Read on to find out.
What are SMART Goals?
The definition for SMART Goals can be summarized simply:
SMART Goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relatable, and time-bound.
You’re probably looking for a bit more information than that, though. We’ll dive in more deeply now.
S: (specific)
When creating a goal, you want it to be as short, crisp, and specific as possible. Having “a good marketing year” isn’t a reflection of what your company actually accomplished. Avoid “fluff” – deal in specifics.
M: (measureable)
Oftentimes, companies say they want to “increase their qualified leads.” While that is a goal, it’s not a trackable goal. How many new leads does your company really want? Write that number down. At the end of the period, you’ll know whether the goal was truly met or not.
A: (attainable)
While having history-breaking goals are beneficial, it’s still important to keep these goals realistic. If, in your company’s history, you’ve generated an average of 10 leads every month, jumping to 2,000 leads per month would be a drastic change. Many businesses do this to push employees and to “go as far as they possible can.” But in reality, all this does is discourage the worker, as he/she sees they can never actually be successful. SMART goals are goals you can actually achieve.
R: (relatable)
Why have a goal if the goal doesn’t matter? Keep all goals focused and understandable by the marketing team.
T: (time-bound)
While having all the aforementioned helps develop a solid goal, you need to ensure you have a timeline for meeting that goal. Is this goal to be met in 2 weeks or 2 months? Make the time frame clear so that there can be no confusion.
Start setting SMART Goals and watch your marketing efforts grow more and more successful.