SMART goals are widely recognized for their ability to create achievable and measurable business or personal objectives.
In this article, we will explore the meaning of SMART goals, why they are used to achieve desired outcomes, and how SEO and marketing professionals can utilize them to accomplish predetermined objectives.
Understanding SMART Goals
The acronym SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable or Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
Each component of a SMART goal is designed to provide a solid framework for accomplishing an objective. Instead of vague aspirations for the future, a SMART goal involves creating a purposeful plan.
For instance, many business owners share a common goal of increasing profits. However, this is not a SMART goal due to its lack of specificity and measurability.
To delve deeper into the process of building a SMART goal, let’s first discuss the significance of using these goals.
The Importance of SMART Goals
According to a study by CoSchedule, marketing professionals who create a plan are three times more likely to report success compared to those who do not plan ahead.
This explains why brands adopt SMART goals for more than just increasing profits.
Examples of SMART Goals
Below are some examples that illustrate how organizations use SMART goals to reduce their environmental impact and promote diversity and inclusion.
IBM
IBM employs SMART goals to contribute to environmental preservation by committing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance energy efficiency. Here are a few of their goals:
- Use renewable energy for 75% of worldwide electricity consumption by 2025 and 90% by 2030.
- Achieve a 65% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025, taking 2010 as the base year with adjustments for acquisitions and divestitures.
- Attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, with residual CO2 emissions of 350,000 metric tons or less.
- Implement at least 3,000 energy conservation projects and avoid using 275,000-megawatt hours from 2021 to 2025.
- Improve average data center cooling efficiency by 20% by 2025.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s adopts SMART goals to minimize the environmental impact of its restaurants. Some of their goals include:
- Reduce absolute emissions from McDonald’s restaurants and offices by 36% by 2030, using 2015 as the baseline.
- Achieve a 31% reduction in supply chain emissions by 2030, also using 2015 as the baseline.
- Source 100% of guest packaging from renewable, recyclable, or certified sources by 2025.
Nestle
Nestle utilizes SMART goals for sustainability initiatives aimed at minimizing its impact on global resources. Here are some examples of their upcoming goals:
- Reduce emissions by 20% by 2025 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, with 2018 as the baseline.
- Ensure 100% deforestation-free primary supply chains for all products by 2025.
- Use 100% recyclable or reusable packaging materials by 2025.
- Plant 200 million trees by 2030.
Salesforce
Salesforce formulates SMART goals for employment diversity and inclusion initiatives. In addition to showcasing their current progress, here are their goals:
- Increase the U.S. workforce’s representation of Black, Indigenous, Latin, and multiracial employees by 50% by the end of 2023.
- Ensure that at least 40% of their global workforce consists of women or non-binary employees by the end of 2026.
Writing SMART Goals: A Comprehensive Breakdown
Now that we understand the significance of SMART goals and how brands utilize them, let’s explore how to craft these goals by breaking down each component.
Specific
A specific goal should be unambiguous, allowing anyone working towards it to understand its meaning without further explanation.
When creating a specific goal, it’s essential to clearly define the what, why, who, and where of the objective. What specific objective do you aim to achieve, who will contribute, and where will it take place?
Let’s consider some examples that demonstrate specificity in marketing goals:
- Increase organic search traffic to the ecommerce store by 25%.
- Boost click-through rate (CTR) for the leading product page by 15%.
- Grow Instagram followers by 50%.
Measurable
A measurable goal is quantifiable, allowing you to track progress and determine when the objective has been achieved. It should involve specific numbers related to the objective.
How can you make your marketing team’s goals measurable? Consider these examples:
- Increase website visits from social media from 1,000 to 3,000 per month.
- Reduce bounce rate for blog posts from 50% to 40%.
- Increase email open rates from 23% to 30%.
Attainable
An attainable goal can be accomplished using your available skills and resources. It should also specify the resources that will be used to achieve the objective.
Here are examples illustrating how you can make your marketing team’s goals attainable:
- Increase the number of social media mentions for our product by 50% by leveraging our brand ambassador network.
- Double the number of weekly blog posts from one to two by utilizing transcripts from our weekly podcast episodes.
- Improve site speed for main product pages to under two seconds by optimizing large images on those pages.
Relevant
A relevant goal is vital for your company’s survival and aligns with its mission statement and values. It establishes why the goal is important to your company.
How can you make your marketing team’s goals relevant? Consider these examples:
- Increase organic search traffic to the main services page by 20% to ensure the sales team meets its revenue goals.
- Enhance brand visibility on TikTok by 50% to appeal to Gen Z customers.
- Increase inbound links to the ecommerce store from blogs by 50% to boost referral traffic to popular product sales pages and increase sales.
Time-Bound
A time-bound goal includes a specific deadline for achieving the objective, ensuring accountability and motivating everyone involved.
How can you make your marketing team’s goals time-bound? Here are modified examples of the earlier goals made time-bound:
- Increase website visits from social media from 1,000 to 3,000 per month by the end of the second quarter.
- Double the number of weekly blog posts from one to two by utilizing transcripts from our weekly podcast episodes by the end of 2023.
- Increase organic search traffic to the main services page by 20% in Q1 to ensure the sales team meets its Q2 revenue goals.
Conclusion
SMART goals provide marketing teams with a framework for setting objectives that can be realistically achieved within a specific timeframe and utilizing available resources.
Create goals with specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound components. Additionally, allocate time to track progress and review results once the deadline arrives.
The more thorough your analysis of goals and results, the better you can optimize future SMART goals for overall growth and success.
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