What is a SMART Goal?
A goal is defined as the object of a person’s ambition, effort, or the desired result.
Everyone has expectations for themselves as to what they’d like to accomplish and what they want to do, but a goal is different. There can be a goal for one person or a group of people. When this is the case, it becomes a team effort to accomplish a goal.
One of the first things you’ll need to do when trying to promote the success of your business is to set business goals and objectives. For each type of business that exists, these will be slightly different. However, it is important to remember that no matter what the business, these should be smart business goals – and that doesn’t just mean that they need to make sense.
What are your SMART marketing goals?
Almost every company has a position or department focused on marketing. From there, it’s necessary to understand what that department or position does.
Marketing is defined as the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.
It’s a piece to the puzzle that completes a company. If we did not have goals and objectives, marketing would lack direction and purpose. In turn, this would make it more difficult for new (and even established businesses) to find success and attract new clients.
SMART Goals vs. Basic Goals
Since the basics are now covered, let’s determine the SMART goals from the basic marketing goals and objectives.
After looking at statistics from last year, for example, one can set goals to surpass a previous amount of traffic in a specific area. So, you set this goal deciding that you want to increase the amount of traffic in a specific area. The term “traffic” may be applied to website visitors, conversions, leads, and new clients. Increasing the numbers is what’s important. That is a prime example of a basic goal.
A basic goal is not a SMART goal.
Why do I capitalize the word SMART? You guessed it! Because it’s an acronym. In this case, SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Using this acronym while setting a goal will make it more effective and engaging for you and whoever else the goal is geared towards.
Marketing Goals Compared to the Goals and Objectives of Other Departments
Marketing goals will differentiate from the goals and objectives other departments within a company.
- Accounting and finance departments are fixed on numbers.
- The research and development team is focused on the results of new tests.
- Marketing is focused on many different areas. This includes the number of visits to a web page, leads, new customers, existing customers or clients, and much more.
An example of a marketing goal would be to look at statistics from the previous year. (This example was discussed above.) Let’s say that last year a company generated 1,000 new clients from leads. This year, they want to increase that number 1,500. This means that in the coming year, the goal is to reach 500 new clients.
Written out: The goal is to increase the client list by 500 people overall by the end of the year.
On January first, the starting number of clients is 1,000. By December 31, it should rise to 1,500 clients.
This particular goal went from a ‘let’s do more’ generalized statement to setting the first of many detail-oriented marketing plan objectives.
What Goes Into Setting Marketing Campaign Goals?
These SMART goals are important, but you should know that there is more that needs to be done with them. It’s not just about following the step associated with each letter. These individual steps are each a small portion of the overall goal, but they require careful attention.
For example, to set a goal that is relevant and attainable, you’ll need to figure out your niche market. While you may have a product or service that is useful, you still need to know how to target this key group to improve the potential for return on investment (ROI). The success of your business depends on not only attracting new clients or visitors but also on turning a profit consistently.
Successful business owners often say that you’ll need to spend money to make money. This is true when it comes to choosing the best way to market yourself – and what you’re offering. Positioning yourself as a leader in your industry may take time, but the effort is well worth it for the chance at success. All businesses start small, but with careful work and help from those that are knowledgeable, growth is very possible.
Overview
By becoming detailed with setting goals and objectives using the SMART acronym, the goal is now specific as to what area to focus on and by how much.
A SMART goal is reasonable to accomplish. It is relevant to what the marketing department focuses on. They give a timeframe during which when the goal is expected to be completed.
Once you have adjusted your general goals into SMART goals, you will find it easier to move toward achieving these benchmarks.
If you want more to help on top of learning to set SMART goals and want to dive deeper into your business, take our Sales and Marketing automation assessment to help see your strengths and target your weaknesses.
This marketing strategy starts with creating the right type of content, but it doesn’t end there. The stronger your content, the wider your reach grows. Utilizing your strengths is important – and that includes setting SMART goals and objectives that do this. Instead of trying to find a way to ‘workaround’ popular platforms, embrace them.
Social media and the Internet as a whole are two valuable tools. Information flows freely through both of these platforms, but it is constantly changing. To have the best chance at meeting and exceeding these marketing objectives, stay informed.
