Setting goals can be daunting if you’re not the planning kind of person. An added sense of pressure can be felt to achieve. Despite your prior experience of setting goals and ACTUALLY sticking to them (I know we all falter every now and again), goals will keep you focused, proactive, and push you to better yourself. Every single Day.
Setting SMART goals amplifies this process further. So let’s break it down into manageable, bite-sized pieces.
S is for Specific
The more detailed the goal, the better. Set real objectives with real deadlines. Start by writing a summary of what your objective is. It may be harder than it seems initially, but taking the time to really focus and brainstorm these goals will lead to clarity of direction. Categorising your objectives can help simplify the direction you intend to grow your business. You could be aiming for increased visitors to your website, converting more visitors into leads, or converting leads into customers. Plotting your tasks along the consumer journey path can assist you to visualise and prioritise the goals to achieve.
M is for Measurable
Ensure you can track the progress of your goal. Setting measurable goals automatically makes your goal achievable. You can see how far you have come and how much extra work is required to meet your objective. Numerical goals are a great starting point. For example, your company goal could be to increase market share by 5% in two years, or attain 3,000 followers on your company Instagram account.
A is for Attainable
As well as setting measurable goals, set goals that are challenging but possible. Don’t aim for world domination overnight. These things take time, and individual steps to get you there.
R is for Realistic
Be honest with yourself when planning your goals – you and your team are capable of a great deal. So set your goals high! But remember take into account any potential hurdles you’ll need to jump along the way. These are things that will generally pop up without notice. Make yourself aware of the risks now so you can prepare yourself if they happen to arise in the future. Leave no room for excuses, ifs or buts!
T is for Timely
Determining a deadline for your goal will help focus your energy on actively working towards it, and how ambitious you need to be with your marketing strategy. Now that an end game has been established, committing the time to work towards it is the hardest part. Decide how many hours a week you are willing to dedicate to your goal – and really work on it!
With SMART goals set, you can start piecing together the remainder of your strategy to make this your most fruitful year to date. For an extra push in the right direction, download our FREE Strategic Marketing Guide here. You’ll find 16 pages of tips and tools to help you strategize the year ahead. Or perhaps you might like to check out our blog on switching up your marketing methods before you start.
