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Your customers should get enough value out of your website to spend time on it. Your website is a platform where you can build a following that is loyal only to your business. Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals will help you create a useful website and help you.
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How can SMART goals help small businesses?
Identifying the problem It is a herculean task to have your page listed on the first page of Google. Google functions as a content curator and a search engine. So, ranking higher will take busloads of quality content. When you put in a lot of effort into your brand without a methodology, you run the risk of losing money or the drive to run an independent small business altogether.
Common marketing mistakes Using old and outdated techniques Poor website experience Technology & humanity mismatch Poorly defined marketing goals When you don’t pay attention or have an in-depth knowledge of the marketing industry, you are basically shooting in the dark. Every time the algorithm changes, your entire efforts become futile. Online platforms modify their algorithms frequently. Following the latest marketing geekery while running a business is hard. By the time you learn about the ongoing trends, it is already too late to implement. Bounce rates increase by 50% if your website takes more than 2 seconds extra to load. Also, populating your website with useless information and a not so user-friendly approach can create a negative experience. Influencers may change social platforms of engagement over the years, but they maintain their authenticity with a consistent brand voice. Their humanity and their message shine right through any platform.
Time-bound (time-based, timely) Specific (simple, sensible) Solutions Relevant (reasonable, results-based) Measurable (meaningful, motivating) However, some authors have expanded it to include extra focus areas; SMARTER, for example, includes Evaluated and Reviewed. Achievable (agreed, attainable)
Set SMART marketing goals (Specific) Specific goals encourage performance-based review. Rather than focusing on hypothetical scenarios, the SMART approach will help you specify concrete deliverables. Examples: Rather than “getting more traffic”, we focussed on creating 2 quality blogs and 20 social posts per month. Rather than “make more money” we aimed to onboard “six new clients”. Rather than defining vague project scope, we looked at work breakdown structures.
Set SMART marketing goals (Measurable) Measurable goals help us stay on track when there are so many things to do. These goals help us to prioritise work, inspire us to meet deadlines and increase accountability. Examples: What deliverables will you need for graphics? Will you need any resized elements? How many types and pieces of content will you need? How many submissions/backlinks/postings do you need for SEO?
Set SMART marketing goals (Attainable) While working on collaborative projects, the outlined goals must be attainable as a group and individually. Too ambitious goals can inadvertently set your team up for failure. Examples: Breaking down tasks into even smaller micro-tasks and asking team members if the expected outcomes were reasonable Offering extra briefings, training support and insights Reframing goals to drive progress instead of calling out unachieved outcomes
Set SMART marketing goals (Relevant) In order to create an impact, your marketing goals must be relevant to your market and most importantly, your target audience. Verify, if your plan will benefit the goal or not. Examples: Do our goals address the needs of our audience or a specific gap in the market? Do our goals reflect the professional & organizational values our brand stands for? Do our goals offer users a way to overcome common problems for our target market?
Set SMART marketing goals (Time-bound) Internal projects that could stretch on for months can be achievable and tracked over time by adding milestones for different time durations. Time markers quantify goals. Examples: What do we need to finish on a daily basis, this month and this year? What goals can we track over the course of a week? What are our quarterly goals? What should all of these activities add up to on a monthly basis?
Ensure that your hard-earned money is actually being invested in a way that helps you increase your income through your business. Setting SMART goals is imperative to the effective execution of your marketing activities throughout the year.
