Setting Marketing Goals That Actually Work
Whether you're launching a web project or any other initiative, this article will help you define your goals properly so you start on the right foot. Because when you know where you're going, the road feels a lot shorter.
Broad Goals vs. Specific Goals
I'll try to cover this broadly enough so the whole process makes sense. While I've previously mentioned the importance of SMART goals (which fall into the "specific" category), it's worth noting that broader goals are the starting point. Specific goals help you achieve your broader goals by keeping you from getting lost along the way.
For example:
Broad goal: "Generate revenue through my website"
Less broad: "Attract prospects who come to me naturally"
Specific: "Implement a content marketing strategy"
You need both. Dream big first, then get SMART. If you want to reach your broad goal, you'll need a whole set of sub-goals to get you there.
Using SMART Goals
What is a SMART goal?
SMART goals are the result of a framework that ensures your objectives are precise and measurable. Think of it as a guardrail — it keeps you from aiming too wide and gives you a clear way to measure success.
- S for Specific: An unambiguous goal. Clear, precise, and understandable to the person responsible for achieving it.
- M for Measurable: There must be a concrete metric that lets you evaluate success.
- A for Achievable and Ambitious: Achievable because all stakeholders need to buy in — but also ambitious enough to actually move the needle.
- R for Realistic: Above, we looked for ambition. Here, we make sure the goal fits within your actual constraints.
- T for Time-bound: Set a deadline and do your best to stick to it. It's well established that we perform better under time pressure.
If we take the specific goal from earlier ("implement a content marketing strategy") and apply the SMART framework, it might look like this:
"Publish one blog post per month for 3 months. Optimize each post for SEO targeting keywords related to my audience's pre-purchase decision phase."
This goal is clearly unambiguous, and it's easy to measure success on the publishing side. You can also track the SEO performance of each post by monitoring Google rankings.
It's achievable and ambitious in that it contributes meaningfully to the bigger picture — and in my case, I'm committed to doing it. The goal fits within my constraints. And it's time-bound.
Note: if you research SMART goals further, I recommend sticking with the Wikipedia definition, as many other sources try to get creative with the acronym and lose the original meaning.
Combining SMART Goals with Broad Goals
Ultimately, the two are inseparable. Depending on the project, failing to check every single SMART box won't be the end of the world — it can be a tricky framework to apply perfectly. That said, the difference between the company that launches a big project and fails versus the one that launches the same project and succeeds is almost always... the action plan.
Here's our advice for building your action plan:
- Start with a broad goal — the one that gets you fired up.
- Break that broad goal into SMART sub-goals and get to work.
- Always keep your broad goal in mind. You have bold ambitions, but you'll sometimes need to step back and remember the bigger picture to stay motivated. Think about the why behind your broad goal.
- If you feel lost, your SMART goal probably isn't concrete enough. Go back to step two. In some cases, outside perspectives can help clarify things. For example, going from "Attract prospects to my site" to "Implement a content marketing strategy" isn't necessarily an intuitive leap. To make the right choices, you'll need specific information.
- Stop reading. Grab a piece of paper and sketch out your broad goal along with your sub-goals.