I love a plan. I love planning. I love executing a plan. Like Hannibal from the A-Team, “I love it when a plan comes together.” However, before you can have a fantastic plan, you need to have S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
SMART Goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based.
Goal: Make more money.
SMART Goal: Increase revenue by 20%, in six months, by launching a new masterclass.
See what I did there? How your goals are written impacts how they’re achieved.
Specific– When a goal is specific it gives clear direction on the steps (the plan) that need to be taken for it to be accomplished. Grow my business vs. Expand into a new city
Measurable– Set a number to words like “more,” “a lot, “increase”. If there isn’t an actual number, how are you going to know you succeeded? If you made $10 more, you technically made more money, but did you reach what the goal of “more money” meant in your head? Make more money vs. Make an additional $15,000
Attainable- It would be amazing to double the revenue, or to go global in six weeks, but is that realistic? Unrealistic goals tend to result in a crippling amount of frustration.
Relevant- Is the goal aligned with your overall strategy, the “big picture”, your business, your long-term goal, etc.? An irrelevant goal wastes important resources like time and money.
Time-based- When there’s a deadline, it drives you to work towards the goal and to not put it on the back burner (as we all do when other things come up). Also, having a timeline lets you know when it’s time to review and assess what was/wasn’t accomplished and the reason(s).
Marketing is 100% about reaching goals. Having SMART Goals makes your marketing plan and execution significantly more effective and ensures that everyone is aligned and focused on the end game.
Write your goals down. It makes them more real and keeps them from just floating around in your head and getting knocked about by the 721 other things going on in your brain.
Happy SMART Goal Setting!
~Monique
P.S. I can help set your marketing goals and provide you with a marketing strategy to hit them and grow your business! Email me at hello@mapsolutionsgrou.com or call me 475-201-7200.
