Ambiguity almost always accompanies failure. Not knowing how you’re going to complete a given task is a frustrating experience. Not knowing the point of an assignment is even more draining and infuriating for employees. That’s why businesses that set SMART goals tend to enjoy greater success in marketing, advertising, and sales than companies that neglect this vital process. We’ve talked about SMART goals before on our blog, but for the uninitiated, SMART stands for: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Today though, we’re going to take the extra step and provide you with three SMART goal examples and how to build similar goals for your company:
SMART Example #1: Getting Specific
Talk to any business owner and they’ll tell you they want to generate more leads. After all, what business wouldn’t benefit from more leads? However, this is a pretty vague objective. It doesn’t provide a team with an actionable plan to actually produce more leads. Instead of a generic ambition, consider implementing a more specific goal –– like increasing leads by ten percent. Or, try focusing on a specific audience or content offer. A good SMART goal about lead generation might look something like this: “Generate ten percent more leads through a content offer tailored toward women age 25-40 before the end of the year.” This is much better because it’s more manageable and specific.
SMART Example #2: Time Creativity
Virtually everyone, including business owners, sets a few New Year’s resolutions in January. And while there’s nothing wrong with reviewing and renewing annual goals, way too many business owners only think about SMART goals once a year. Instead of solely focusing on big, year-long ambitions, progressive entrepreneurs set SMART goals all throughout the year. So rather than trying to complete a comprehensive website redesign in the span of 365 days, consider breaking such a project into smaller, more timely goals. Not only will your team find the work more manageable that way, but you can also better monitor your progress as well.
SMART Example #3: The Right Tools for the Job
Lofty ambitions are essential for any company that wants to grow in a meaningful way. Still, there’s a difference between establishing high standards and chasing after impossible targets. Additionally, big goals are often more difficult to measure. Take for instance, wanting to improve customer satisfaction. It’s a fine goal because it’s important for every company to build strong relations with their customer base, but it’s problematic too. How do you gauge customer satisfaction in the first place? Is it the same as customer retention? Before you roll out any ambitious objectives, make sure you’ve got the ability to measure your team’s performance. Furthermore, resist setting a goal that’s unfairly demanding. It’s impossible to ensure every one of your customer interactions will go smoothly –– so don’t make that a requirement for your team to meet!
Final Thoughts
Making SMART marketing and sales goals can help your company grow in any number of ways. However, even the best businesses need a little help reaching their targets from time to time. That’s where we come in. Contact the Agile & Co. team today to get the extra boost you need to reach your marketing goals! Plus, for more information on how we use inbound marketing to produce lead-generation results, download our free eBook here:
