It’s essential for digital marketers to have goals. Setting goals can trigger new behaviors, align your focus, and sustain both your personal and professional velocity. While analytics clearly show you what needs to be enhanced in your marketing efforts, goal setting provides the roadmap to what you want to achieve.
However, applying goal setting to your digital marketing strategy can be challenging. While you want a goal that forces you out of your comfort zone, it shouldn’t be impossible to reach.
So how can digital marketers set goals that are both feasible and challenging?
They set SMART goals.
What Are SMART Marketing Goals?
SMART goals are:
Specific: Clearly identify what you want to achieve
Measurable: Trackable so you can measure your success
Attainable: Goals should be achievable, but still tough
Relevant: Make sure your ambitions are relevant to your business and will make an impact
Time-bound: Create a deadline as to when you want to reach your goals
This ensures you set strategic goals that can be achieved within a defined timeframe. For example, a good digital marketing SMART goal would be: I want to rank number one on Google for the keywords “Philadelphia personal injury attorney” by October 2022.
How to Set SMART Goals for Your Digital Marketing Strategy
SMART goals are crucial for any digital marketing team. They give you something to work toward and inspire your team to keep their eyes on the prize. In fact, clear goals have a direct impact on your team’s motivation.
If you’ve never developed SMART goals before – or you just need a quick refresher – here are five actionable tips to get you started:
1. Figure Out What You Want to Accomplish
What do you want to achieve with your digital marketing campaigns? Do you want to build brand recognition? Pack your pipeline with leads? Beef up your email subscription list?
Before you start creating your SMART goals, you need to know the big picture. When determining what you want to accomplish, be as specific as possible.
2. Get Down and Dirty with Details
Now that you’ve discovered the broader goal you want to achieve, it’s time to hone in on the specifics. This can often be the most challenging part for digital marketers. To make it easier, look at your current analytics and data. This will give you a better idea of where you currently stand and where you want to go in the future.
For instance, your specific goal could be: I want to increase social media engagement by 30%.
Additionally, you’ll also need to decide on a hard deadline. Open-ended goals with no completion date often get put on the backburner. Be honest and realistic about when you can achieve your goal, but don’t be too generous with your deadline.
A good example would be: I want to increase social media engagement by 30% by the end of Q3 in 2022.
3. Get It Down on Paper
People who write their goals down are 20% more likely to achieve them. Resist the urge to keep your goals in your mind and get them down on paper. Put that list in an area where you and your team can see it daily, such as a pinged item on your project management platform.
4. Break It Down
When it comes to achieving SMART goals, it’s all about baby steps. Break your goals down into small tasks. This gives you a roadmap of actionable steps you can take every day to move you closer to reaching your goals. You’re also helping your team understand exactly what needs to be accomplished.
If your goal is to increase engagement on social media, some tasks you’ll need to work on include developing regular engaging posts, brainstorming new content ideas, interacting with comments, and reviewing analytics.
5. Analyze and Assess
You can’t just create goals and forget about them. You must be proactive. Biweekly, take some time to review your progress. Track analytics, see what worked and what didn’t, and make any necessary adjustments.
Final Thoughts
Setting SMART goals for your digital marketing strategy takes time and effort. You won’t enjoy overnight success. You may even find yourself tweaking your goals and processes as you go.
Remember, that communication is key to SMART goals. Ensure everyone on your team knows and does their part. This holistic approach will help you reach your digital marketing goals faster.
Now go forth and conquer your goals!
