Marketing goals – probably two of the scariest words combined when it comes to running your own business!
Knowing where to start can be an overwhelming experience, which leaves many business owners scratching their heads in uncertainty.
Goals are shelved for another day, and many are even forgotten.
However, with the help of an expert, this doesn’t have to be so difficult. This process can be made a lot simpler by breaking down larger business goals into easily understood SMART objectives.
So, what exactly are SMART objectives and how do I use them? – Read on to find out and reach out to us at SpyderWeb Dev for professional advice for your business goals.
Before we jump into it, let’s think about the reasons why it’s important to set and track your marketing goals.
Here are a few reasons how goal-setting can benefit your business:
1. Provides an opportunity to review your current marketing position.
Setting goals will help you assess where you’re at, and more importantly, where you want to be.
2. Helps you stay accountable.
It can be easy to let marketing slip to the bottom of the priority list. But with goals, you maintain a reason to achieve them!
3. Aids in the tracking process.
Tracking and assessing your marketing efforts can be challenging if you’re not 100% clear on your analytics and numbers.
But with a SMART goal, you’ll know exactly where you’re tracking, and how far away you are from your end target.
4. Offers a point of focus.
Marketing can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task – there’s your website, brochures, branding, advertising, SEO, Ads, social media… the list goes on!
But goal-setting could be the activity that helps you decode the confusion and stay on focus. We recommend setting a few short-term goals and a few long-term goals. Having three to five active goals at any one time is usually the sweet spot! Any more than five, and it’s undeniable that some will get missed.
5. Sets a benchmark.
Are you working with a marketing company but you can’t tell if their work is making a difference to your business?
Firstly, you should be able to notice a difference in your marketing, so we recommend reassessing your current marketing plan if you’re not seeing any difference.
Secondly, goal-setting could help you become more aligned and steer your campaign in the right direction. If all involved parties know what the goal is, then it is indisputable whether your marketing is working or not!
6. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
We think this is perhaps the most important reason to set marketing goals in 2023.
Behind everything you do in marketing, there must be a purpose.
If you set goals and ambitions and then set out to achieve them, you’re setting yourself up for success. If you’re not sure which way you’re going, how can you possibly stay on track?
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Each of these components is designed to help you create a clear and actionable goal that will actually be meaningful for your business.
By breaking down your larger goals into smaller bite-sized steps, you can avoid an unachievable or unnecessary waste of your precious time as a business owner.
Specific – Try to simplify your goal into one sentence so that it’s easily defined. Avoid unclear goals to really hone in on what you are hoping to achieve.
Measurable – How will you measure the progress towards achieving your goal? Putting numbers into the equation is most helpful here as it allows you to track your progress.
Achievable – Is the goal realistic? Can you do it with the resources currently available to you? It’s important to make sure the goal you’re setting is attainable.
Recognize that most business goals won’t be achieved overnight and you need to account for the marketing resources you have at hand to make these things happen.
Relevant – Is your goal aligned with your skills, business, or overall objectives? There’s no point in cutting and pasting goals from someone else’s business plan. Base your goals around what’s best for your business.
Time-Bound – How much time (realistically) will this goal take to achieve? Now, this part will take some number crunching. You may look at past experiences to forecast future performance, however, in most cases, it’s helpful to phone in a marketing expert to help with this part.
So how do we actually practice the SMART framework?
Let’s say your business is steady but you want to increase your online presence. You’re not getting as many hits on your website as you’d hoped and you know you could do better.
We’ll illustrate SMART goals using the following example: To increase organic website traffic by 20%, by January 2024.
Specific: I want to improve organic website traffic – not just website traffic!
Measurable: Increase organic website traffic by 20%.
Achievable: Increasing organic website traffic by 20% may be achievable for your business at the moment but increasing it by 200% likely won’t be.
Relevant: You’re not getting many clicks or conversions through your SEO so organic traffic should be the focus.
Time-Bound: You’re aiming to achieve this goal by January 2024.
And there you have it – a broken-down marketing goal made SMART.
Of course, it’s easier said than done, so if you’re having trouble actioning your goals we’d recommend getting in touch with some experts in the field.
Distinguishing your goals through smaller elements will help to optimize their achievement. Rather than being overwhelmed and intimidated by a large goal, your business and employees can be inspired by micro goals using the SMART framework.
Having several smaller goals will be easier to track and focus on over ambiguous larger-scale ones – but don’t fear, we’re not forgetting your larger aspirations for the future!
This will enable even larger goals in the long run, supporting task delegation, accountability, and productivity for you and your employees without the scary stuff.
Being more focused on what’s important will enable you and your team to be as efficient as ever in working toward your desired goals.
If goal-setting is overwhelming to you at this point – that’s okay! Because many business owners like you aren’t sure where to start on their goal-setting journey.
So, allow us to spark your inspiration with some helpful marketing goal ideas and tips.
As a website design agency, we’re familiar with all the latest industry trends. However, we also know how vitally important it is for each business to set unique, customized goals.
So, use these as inspiration, but always set goals that are made just for you!
Your website is your online shopfront and virtual salesperson – it plays a significant role in the success of your brand and works 24/7.
If your website doesn’t have the following features, then perhaps you could turn this into your goal:
– Fully responsive and mobile-friendly.
– Excellent written and visual content about all of your services or products.
– Clear call to action and “next steps” for someone interested in working with you.
– An online booking or shopping cart feature if applicable.
– A regularly updated blog filled with engaging content.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be broken down into three key tracking metrics: rankings, traffic, and conversions. We recommend focusing your SEO goals on these three areas.
For example, are you currently ranking at the bottom of page one for an important keyword?
Why not focus on increasing this ranking by generating some more keyword-rich content, building backlinks, and optimizing your on-page SEO?
If this sounds like another language, just let us know your goals—we’ll make them a reality!
In addition to website design and Search Engine Optimization, we also specialize in reputation management, review generation, and care plans – if you’re interested in setting goals in these areas, we’d love to assist.
Plan out your marketing goals for the year ahead and Live out your marketing aspirations with SMART objectives.
At SpyderWeb Dev, we can work with you to achieve your ambitions with our comprehensive services in website design, SEO, strategy, and planning.
P.S. – We’ve just launched a FREE worksheet for setting 2023 Goals.
Want it? Just pop in your name and email and I’ll send it to you!
