Why SMART goals are a secret weapon for small business marketing
SMART goals aren’t a secret - far from it, but if you set them up properly and stick to them, they could be your secret weapon in this ever-changing marketing and social media landscape. Let me tell you how and why.
Staying on track with your marketing is not always easy. You might have a bit of a strategy or a plan, but most marketing channels are always on the move making it hard to stick to your plan which can lead to frustration and inconsistency, or being too consistent and not moving with the times.
When I create social media strategies for and with my clients, they are under instruction to check it every three months and change it up as often as needed. I don’t believe in developing marketing strategies that gather dust on a shelf or languish up in the cloud for 12 months or more.
In business and life, achieving your desired outcomes requires a clear vision and a strategic approach. This is especially true for marketing, where competition is fierce and attention spans are fleeting. Enter SMART goals, a simple but powerful tool that can help you navigate your industry or niche’s marketing landscape and help you achieve sustainable success.
So, what are SMART goals?
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These five elements work together to ensure your goals are clear, actionable, and achievable.
Why are SMART goals important for marketing?
👓 They provide a laser-sharp focus, directing your efforts towards specific outcomes. This gives you CLARITY.
📈 They ensure you set metrics so you can track your progress and identify areas for improvement. This gives you a way to MEASURE your success.
🎯 They encourage you to set realistic goals that motivate you and will foster a sense of accomplishment when achieved. This gives you PURPOSE.
💫 They ensure your marketing efforts are aligned with your purpose, vision and brand. You will stay ALIGNED with your overall business goals.
⏰ They will help you avoid procrastination by keeping you bound to the timing you set. Staying ACCOUNTABLE to time keeps you on track and ready to move from goal to goal.
Explore some examples of SMART marketing goals:
Increase website traffic by 20% in Q1 through SEO optimisation.
Generate 100 qualified leads via social media campaigns by Q2.
Boost brand awareness by 15% among millennials through targeted content marketing by Q3.
Increase customer engagement on Facebook by 25% through interactive posts by Q4.
Secure 3 new collaborations through networking events by the end of the year.
How do you stick to your SMART goals and actually achieve them?
Break down your goals into smaller, manageable steps.
Set realistic deadlines and track your progress regularly.
Prioritise your goals by quarter to maintain focus.
Celebrate your successes along the way.
Adapt your strategy as needed based on your progress and market changes.
Example: Increase website traffic by 20% in Q1 through SEO optimisation.
The specific goal is to increase website traffic.
To get a real return on your time and money, you should link that goal to an overall business goal, for example: e-commerce sales, increased online bookings or increased brand awareness.
Measure by tracking your website traffic using Google analytics or native social media and website analytics to see where your visitors come from, how they found you, what they do on your site, and what content resonates most.
Identify areas for improvement, analysing your data and adjusting your strategies based on what's working and what's not. SEO is an ongoing process, so stay flexible!
You should be able to identify if this goal is attainable by implementing some actions towards the goal. Here’s a stack of examples:
Develop a keyword strategy and update your website naturally including titles, headings, and throughout the body text. Don't stuff them in though – search engines are smart and can penalise you for keyword-cramming.
Publish high-quality, valuable content like blog posts, articles, infographics, videos – create content that educates, informs, and entertains your target audience.
Target different stages of the buyer journey, offering content for those discovering your brand, considering your products, and ready to buy.
Backlinks are super-useful. The more high-quality websites linking to yours, the higher you climb in search engine rankings.
Make sure you have claimed and optimised your Google Business profile.
Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and loads quickly - test and assess.
Share your content across your social platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram – promote your blog posts, articles, and other content to your engaged audience.
Run targeted ads if you have some budget. Use social media advertising platforms to reach specific demographics and interests related to your ideal customer.
Engage with your community: Respond to comments, answer questions, and participate in conversations. Social media is a two-way street! Find opportunities to share links to your website from social media.
Now we come to relevant - how is this goal relevant to your business and your overall business goals? What’s the purpose of increasing website traffic? How does this goal support you in achieving your higher business and marketing goals.
In my social media strategy program, I often catch people putting ‘web traffic’ as a priority goal without thinking about the purpose of such a goal. Sending people to your website for information they could easily get elsewhere causes friction - wasting your customers’ time is a big no-no. If you have an e-commerce store that makes sense, if you have an online booking platform, that makes sense. If you want them to contact you or find out more about you then consider a more direct approach - like messaging and using tools like Instagram Stories to connect and nurture.
Last, but certainly not least, what is the timeframe you want to achieve this goal in and why? If you have set sales targets for the quarter and you have an e-commerce store, then your increased traffic goals should be set towards those targets. Learn from your successes and mistakes. Take note of how many more visitors you needed before your sales started to move - remember that when you are setting your next web traffic targets. Your goals should change, your actions should change.
I hope this article has given you something to think about. Strategy and planning makes marketing and social media easier, I promise.
If you would like to join me for a free online goal-setting workshop in January (16th 2024) please register here.
I also cover goal-setting in the first session of my small group program 10 weeks to build your digital marketing strategy. Tap here for more information or to grab a spot with the earlybird rate.
❤️ Hi I’m Erika ✌️ I’m a marketing specialist with a BA in Media and Comms, Masters of Marketing, Certificate in CX (Customer Experience) and over 25 years marketing experience.
I’m well-placed to help you navigate the sometimes overwhelming world of marketing and social media. I work with you one-on-one or create fun and action-oriented workshops and webinars for groups, organisations and businesses. Book a free discovery call with me or simply email me to get the conversation started.
For more tips, connect with me on Facebook and Instagram or just get in touch, I'm always happy to help
