Create a product or service, market it, sell it, and make money. This is the goal of many an entrepreneur in the simplest form.

After all, we start a business for any number of altruistic reasons, like passion, effecting change, seeing a need and filling a need, and a host of other free spirit reasons.

In order to run a successful business, you gotta make money. You can’t effect change by staying broke and hungry. Products and services have to be created to be sold, people have to be hired, people have to be paid, taxes have to be paid, etc.

To run a successful business, you gotta make money. You can't effect change broke and hungry. Click To Tweet

Therefore, we have to set some goals when we’re running a business. Some folks are scared of planning and goal setting. They think they can wing it and get by, get discovered and make magic happen.

This is the blog for those who don’t depend on luck. The entrepreneurs who make their own damn magic. The dreamers who know they need to plan for success.

Yeah, I’m talking to YOU!

Goal setting is an important part of doing business. You have to set goals for every aspect of your business and that most certainly includes marketing.

You’ve likely heard about S.M.A.R.T. goals.

What are S.M.A.R.T. Goals? Goals that are
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time sensitive.

 

 

Are You Setting the Best Marketing Goals for Your Business?

The reason setting S.M.A.R.T. goals is a good plan of action is that it gives you a place to start when it comes to setting out your goals. You might think that the goal of marketing is always selling, but it’s not.

There are different reasons why we market, and creating a cohesive system of messages and funnels to manage the buying cycle for our customers is the ultimate goal. However, this is much easier said than done.

There are a few concepts you must understand to set S.M.A.R.T. achievable marketing goals for your business:

1. 1. Know Your Purpose
   2. Where Do You Stand Now?
   3. Where Do You Want to Be?
   4. Determine What Is Next
   5. Map It All Out
   6. Don’t Jump the Gun
   7. Understand Your Audience
   8. Know Your Products and Services

Know Your Purpose

You may have goals for various purposes for your marketing such as spreading awareness, building your email list, getting more social engagement or something else entirely. The important thing is to understand the purpose of the marketing that you’re doing.

Where Do You Stand Now?

If you don’t have much of a list or a social media following, then it’s important to access what you should do first. Should you build more of a following and if so, exactly how will you carry it out?

Where Do You Want to Be?

Look toward the future of when you meet the goal that you set for yourself based on where you currently stand. Don’t simply dream of the future, define what the future means. What dates are we talking about here? Where do you want to be in 90 days, 6 months, 2 years? It’s important to put time frames on your marketing goals. The T in setting S.M.A.R.T. goals. 

Determine What Is Next

Always knowing what you’ll do next when you reach a particular goal is helpful to setting the best marketing goals for your business. It’s always first things first – build your blog, build your list, market to the list. Repeat.

Map It All Out

Creating a map of where you have been, where you are now, and where you want to go will help you succeed in the marketing goals that you set for yourself. It will also enable you to see gaps in your choices so that you can fill them.

When I mention mapping things out, it’s easy to get lost in the words. I’m referring to a literal map here. Get pen and paper and draw it out. Wins, losses, dates and times. Yes, map it all out.

Don’t Jump the Gun

If you haven’t tried content marketing yet, don’t drop a thousand dollars on banner advertising. If you haven’t done Facebook ads, don’t spend $100 a day on ads before you’ve learned how to do them effectively.

You want to start where you are now, and work your way up to where you want to be.

Understand Your Audience

All marketing starts with your audience, and without knowing who they are it will be difficult to create a marketing plan that will work for you. Who are you talking to?

All marketing starts with your audience, and without knowing who they are it will be difficult to create a marketing plan that will work for you. Who are you talking to? Click To Tweet

Know Your Products and Services

Understanding how your products and services benefit your audience will also help you know where to start with your marketing efforts. Does your audience know that they need what you have, or do you need to educate them?

Do the research you need to do to know your audience, learn your products, and to evaluate where you stand today.

All of these steps are necessary to make sure that you choose the best marketing goals for your business today and in the future.

Take the time to really dig into the answers to these questions, and set S.M.A.R.T. goals based on your answers. Set a schedule for goal setting, measuring and evaluating your efforts. As your business changes, so may the needs of your customers. What works for you today won’t necessarily work for your business tomorrow.

Goal-setting is a never-ending process, but it should be a time for you to dream big and plan for success!

Ciao,
Miss Kemya