Research from CoSchedule found that marketers who set goals are 376% more likely to report success than those who don’t. That’s right, marketers who write their goals down are actually more likely to make them a reality. The data is there and it’s hard to ignore. Goal-setting is an incredibly powerful tool in all walks of life, but especially when it comes to marketing.
In this article, we’ll take a look at goal-setting for marketers, digging deeper into how you can set achievable, effective goals that will help your strategy. We’ll also look at SMART goals: what they are, how you can set them, and why they are so useful.
What are Smart Goals?
SMART goals are goals which have been set using the SMART framework, with each letter standing for a trait your goal should have. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound. Setting goals within these parameters can help ensure you’re setting realistic objectives, eliminating any guesswork and making it easier to track your progress along the way.
Why Should I Use Smart Goals?
Using SMART goals for your marketing strategy has a lot of benefits. While they may take a bit more thought and time to create these goals, it can be well worth the effort.
Boosts Motivation
Setting goals will help give you and your team a clear idea of what needs to be accomplished and, in turn, this can help to increase motivation company-wide. You’ll all be on the same page, working towards a clear, common goal, with a set time-frame. It’s actually proven that writing down your goals makes you more likely to achieve them and being able to tick them off as you go is the biggest confidence booster.
Identifies Weaknesses
SMART goals can help you identify what’s stopping you from reaching your targets. They’re measurable, making it easier to pick up on any roadblocks and see how you’re progressing along the way. Have you set the bar too high for your team? Does your time-management need some improvement?
Provides Clarity
SMART goals increase transparency in your company, providing clarity for the team and ensuring everyone is working towards the same goal. SMART goals are well-defined and specific, removing any inconsistency and uncertainty. This will help keep everyone on track, as well as making it easier to prioritise the most important tasks.
Applying Smart Goals to Marketing
As we discussed previously, goals provide clarity. With no goals, it can be difficult to gain an understanding of the direction you should be going in, the tasks you should be prioritising, and how to effectively craft a strategy.
When it comes to marketing, your efforts will not be meaningful without a clear goal in place. For marketing to be successful, it needs to help move you towards your business objectives. Goals are necessary for this, however, not all goals are equally effective.
The best way to illustrate how SMART goal setting can be applied to marketing is by looking at some examples of common marketing goals, and how they can be made SMART…
- Reach more people through organic search
This goal can be made SMART by adding a time-frame, specifics, and a measurable target figure. For example, “Grow our brand’s online presence to attract more organic traffic, reaching 10,000 monthly visitors through organic search, by the end of 2023”.
- Improve engagement on Facebook
As is, this goal is too vague and would not be easily measurable. To make it SMART, you would add KPIs and a realistic figure you’d like to achieve. For example, “Improve engagement on our Facebook page by 25% month-on-month”. - Gain more followers on social media
Again, this goal is too vague to be effective. Clarity is needed here, as well as some target follower numbers, a time-frame, and specific platforms. For example, “Increase our LinkedIn following by 100 by the end of 2023”.
If you’re looking for some guidance on how to set effective goals and start crafting your marketing strategy, get in touch with us today. Book a free consultation with a member of our team to have a chat, and see how we can help you.
