Learn How to Set SMART Marketing Goals

There’s a fine line between being optimistic and being overenthusiastic. If you want to achieve your marketing objectives this year, they need to be realistic. Remember that failing to plan is planning to fail, and studies show that marketers who set goals are far more likely to meet them. So, here’s how to set SMART marketing goals this year, and—better yet—achieve them all!

How to Set SMART Marketing Goals in 5 Steps

You probably already noticed that when I say set SMART marketing goals, I really emphasize the smart part. That’s because SMART is a five-step plan to help you set marketing goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.

Step 1: Set SPECIFIC Marketing Goals

Pick a clearly defined goal as well as the metric used to measure its success and stick to it.

• Want to generate more website traffic? You can focus on lead generation, lead quality, or CTR metrics/goals.
• Grow your social following? You can focus on number of followers, engagement rate, or reach metrics/goals.
• Get more email subscribers? You can focus on email open rates or subscriber counts metrics/goals.

In short, there are a number of ways you can slice it, but you need to choose a path and stick to it.

Step 2: Set MEASURABLE Marketing Goals

Any content you publish must be measured against the metric you set in step 1, and, again, you’ll need a clear way to define this. Remember that the intrinsic value of any business is directly connected to the ability to produce results. If you want your marketing to be meaningful, each incremental goal must feed your bigger, long-term business objectives.

Let’s keep playing this example out:

Let’s say the specific goal you established in step 1 was to grow your social following by 5% in the first quarter of the year and you plan to measure that via the number of followers you have on social media.

In step 2, you should establish a measurement plan for that goal. You’d need to look at your current number of followers and determine what number of followers you’d need to achieve the 5% increase.

Step 3: Set ATTAINABLE Marketing Goals

When looking at your goal, can you say with absolute certainty that it’s achievable? There’s a difference between difficult and impossible, and there’s no problem with the former. It can be hard, as long as it can be done—on time, within budget, and using the resources at your disposal so you can achieve your marketing objectives this year.

Continuing to play out the example of the goal to grow your social following:

In step 3, let’s say come to realize that a 5% increase would require someone to be managing your social profiles around the clock and that you don’t have the budget/bandwidth to achieve this goal. You’d then need to revisit the percentage increase that is achievable.

Step 4: Set RELEVANT Marketing Goals

A short-term goal serves no purpose if it doesn’t align with your long-term objectives. When setting smaller goals, consider whether or not they really contribute to the bigger picture. If I continue with the example we have been using of growing your social following, it should play into a bigger-picture goal for your company. In this step, you should consider the why behind your goal.

Step 5: Set TIME-BASED Marketing Goals

#NoPressure (okay, a little), but the goal you set MUST have an “expiry date” on which the metric must have been achieved. Putting this sense of urgency on your goal will help kick you into gear toward achieving it.

Ready to set SMART marketing goals and put your S M A R T new marketing campaign to the test in 2023? Let us know how it goes in the comments below, and remember—we’re here if you need anything. Let’s achieve your marketing objectives this year, together!

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