Setting goals is important in any aspect of your life whether the goals you are setting are personal or professional. But what’s even more important is knowing how to set goals that set you up for success… not for failure. A good place to start is by using the SMART goal system to set goals that you are more likely to achieve.
What Are SMART Goals?
SMART goals are goals that are specific, measureable, achievable, realistic, and timely. By setting goals that meet all of these requirements you’re not only more likely to stick to them, but you’re also more likely to make them happen.
S – Specific
A specific goal is one that is clearly defined and that targets an area you need to improve. For example, “I want to open a business” is not a specific goal. Instead try “I want to open a digital marketing business”.
M – Measureable
A measureable goal is one that you can easily track your progess and results on. Depending on your goal, there may be a numbers of ways that you can measure the results. Examples would be tracking site visitors on Google Analytics, or checking your likes and shares on social media.
A – Achievable
Make sure your goal is achievable. If your goal is to make 1,000 sales on the day you launch your business, it’s not likely that you’ll reach your goal. You want to set a goal that you can actually accomplish.
R – Realistic
Hand-in-hand with being achievable, you want your goal to be realistic. If you have a bakery with only one pastry chef in the kitchen, you wouldn’t want to set a goal to make 100 cakes in one hour. It’s technically achievable, but it’s not realistic that it will actually happen. Having high expectations is okay, but your expectations also need to be realistic to avoid constant disappointment.
T – Timely
All of your goals should have a due date attached to them. Without setting a deadline to reach your goal, it’s more likely that it will continue to be put on the back burner. Set a timeline for each of your goals to help you stay on track. You’ll also need to set up specific check-in dates to make sure you’re still on the path to achieving your goal. This will also help you make adjustments where they’re needed or show you where you might need to switch your tactics.
Now Put All That Together
Now that you know what SMART goals are, you can start setting your own goals and working towards them! Let’s pretend you own a digital marketing company. You already have a few clients, but you want to grow your business, so you decide to set a smart goal. When you put the steps together, it should look something like this:
Specific – I want to attract 50% more more readers to my blog.
Measureable – I’ll use Google Analytics to keep track of how many people visit our website each month.
Achievable – My marketing team will create SEO optimized content on the website to improve our blog’s visibility. They’ll also start to promote our blogs on social media.
Realistic – My team should easily be able to handle the work that’s required each month.
Timely – This goal will be completed by December 31st, and we’ll check our statistics each month to see where we need to make adjustments or switch tactics.
Congratualtions! You are now on the way to meeting every goal that you set from here on out.
Need More Help?
If you’re looking to have someone help you reach your goals, contact Ashley! She can help you set your goals and reach them too. Ashley also offers services in copywriting, content creation, digital marketing, web design, and voice over.