I know what you're thinking.
It's December and maybe you still aren't quite sure how to market your business for the holidays…let alone next year. Or perhaps you've been trying a few things here and there, but you really have no cohesive method for the madness.
You're not alone.
The importance of goal setting.
We all set goals–buy a bigger house, afford that dream motorcycle, take our family on an exotic vacation, make more money. But how often do you create a plan for how you will achieve those goals?
If you're not a “big picture” thinker in your personal life, you might be spinning your wheels in your business, too. We all want new customers, but how will we acquire them? By putting up a sign out front? Creating a Facebook page? Having a website?
While that all helps, it isn't the end-all-to-be-all. You should implement goal setting as a powerful tool for your overall success.
Using SMART Goals
When we work with clients at Content a la mode, we emphasize the importance of creating themes for each month. Having one idea per month helps you zero in on your overall marketing and advertising strategy, keeps you focused and less sporadic, and makes your content creation much easier.
These themes then turn into goals, and using SMART Goals can help you focus in on what you want and how you'll achieve it…with results you can–and should–measure, too.
- Specific. Your goal for the month should be specific. Start by asking yourself what you want to accomplish. Then, consider what, why, and how.
- Measurable. You only know if you’re successful in achieving your goal if you have a method for measuring that success. Here, you can include a plan with targets and milestones you can use to measure your progress.
- Achievable. Don’t set your goals so high that you actually set yourself up for failure instead of success. On the flip side, don't make your goals so easy that your results are equally undesirable! Remember–you should feel a little uncomfortable in the goals you set.
- Relevant. Relevant goals should be able to stand up against your business model. Ask yourself if your goal aligns with your mission statement.
- Timely. What is the deadline for this goal? Creating deadlines also creates motivational urgency!
After you apply each of these items to your goal, that goal then becomes “SMART” and you have a clearer picture of what your content marketing efforts should entail. Then, you can write a comprehensive SMART Goal in one sentence that includes all of these items to guide you throughout the content creation and social media process.
What are your experiences with goal setting and writing? Share them in the comments below! Want our *free* SMART Goal planner? Sign up below!
