Set SMART Marketing Goals for 2016
Goal setting is vital to business growth. You want your company to evolve and resist being stagnant. This makes goal setting crucial. Goal setting gives you a starting point and allows you to know what the next steps should be. An important part to setting your marketing goals is coordinating with the goals you have already set for your business to produce desired results. When setting yours goals, you want to ensure that these goals are SMART, an acronym used to describe an effective way to outline goal setting.
Your marketing goals for the next year should be Specific. Resist using phrases such as “I want more customers.” How many more? Do not generalize; instead use phrases that give specific numbers. Who is involved in making sure this goal is carried out? There should be a purpose and a reason you need to make these goals happen. Specific goals need to be clearly defined with what they are, why you need them, and how they’ll be accomplished. Direction and order is key to making sure goals can be specific, and therefore, completed.
Marketing goals should be Measurable to make goals specific. “I want 10 new customers” is a detailed and measurable goal. When goals are measurable it is tangible evidence that tasks are being completed and makes it easier to track progress you are making.
Are your goals Attainable? They should challenge your business and skills but be focused enough that they are achievable. At first, these goals may stretch your team; but evaluating what techniques and abilities are needed to make them happen will ensure your goals will not be below your standard performance.
Marketing goals should stay Relevant. This is why it is important to make sure your marketing and business goals align. Goals that you set for your business should matter and keep the company progressing.
Give yourself a realistic Timeframe to complete your goals, but a timeframe that will keep you motivated. Make sure to commit time and effort into making sure the goals are achieved. Allow yourself one to three main goals to hold your focus. A variety of small tasks, rather than one to three main goals, will make it hard to concentrate on the big picture and the desired end result.
