Example #3: How to Set SMART Marketing Goals & Objectives

This blog post is dedicated to reminding all of us out there in Marketing Land that it is important to set SMART Marketing Goals and Objectives. And SMART means much more than just being intelligent. Maybe you’ve heard the term “SMART Goals” before but can’t for the life of you remember what it means. Or maybe you’ve never heard it. Whatever the case may be, here’s a breakdown of what it means for you with a marketing twist:

S is for Specific

In Marketing Land, this means more than “launch Product X demo.” It means “soft launch of Product X demo via webinar to existing public works customers for feedback.”

M is for Measurable

Continuing from the example above, measurable means doing something that is, in fact, measurable. For example, “send follow-up survey to webinar attendees to obtain feedback on Product X demo.”

A is for Attainable

This is where you have to ask yourself if you have the means to achieve your goal and really think it through. Is the Product X demo even ready? Do you have a quality email list of public works customers? Do you have a product manager that can elegantly conduct the webinar? Do you have the capabilities for developing a webinar campaign, webinar content and follow-up survey? How will you analyze the survey results and make the insights actionable for the product team?

R is for Relevant

Relevance is the area that marketing folks often lose sight of because they get so caught up in the doing. In short, relevance means, “does your target audience even give a hoot about what you’re trying to tell/sell them?” They better or you’re wasting your time.

T is for Time-bound

Time-bound stuff is what we fear most and need most in Marketing Land. In this case, what is the date of the Product X demo webinar? When are you sending the follow-up survey? When will you have results compiled and provided to the product team? You’ve gotta commit to hard dates and schedule all of the details and deadlines.

Here’s a handy, ever-so-attractive graphic that you can copy onto your desktop and maybe even print out to remind you of the importance of SMART marketing goals and objectives. You can even send this to annoying people in your world who constantly send you requests for stuff that lacks any type of SMART goal behind it.

SMART marketing goals and objectives are good for Marketing Land… and the concept is also good for life. Enjoy!