SMART: If the design of the marketing strategy has a purpose (developing your business for example), then it should not be without clearly defined goals. The mistake is to start without going into the development of a carefully coordinated plan of action. Also, it is necessary to consider your development as a path, and your goals are the stages that will determine your progress. They will then allow you to choose a concrete and effective way to reach your destination! SMART marketing objectives allow this development to be programmed efficiently.In B2B web marketing, SMART goals can frame your actions to improve the efficiency of your website. Recognizing them or, conversely, the obstacles you encountered help you identify recurring issues in your digital strategy. They are updated regularly, coordinate your teams’ efforts, and give them a common and clearly defined goal. But, how do you define your SMART goals? How do we put them in their place? Here are ten examples of smart marketing goals to follow to increase your customer acquisition rate.
Definition of SMART objectivesWhat is a SMART goal?
SMART is an acronym meaning:
- S pecific M easurable A cceptable (or achievable) R ealistic T emporally defined
Thanks to these five criteria, the SMART methodology allows you to create an effective and productive strategy: your goals are tangible and achievable. In addition to motivating your teams, the 5 SMART indicators give you the opportunity to readjust your strategy if you do not achieve the expected results.
What are the benefits of SMART goals?
SMART objectives take into account the current situation of the company while establishing an action plan promoting its development. For this reason, SMART goals have five main virtues:
- They allow efficient progress, step by step: your actions are organized and prioritized, and the use of resources is optimized. They focus the attention of the teams on concrete elements: everyone has the means to succeed, and the teams communicate more easily. They arouse general motivation: your teams focus on achievable objectives in the more or less short term to congratulate themselves on the results obtained. They provide effective monitoring of actions taken by the company: you can analyze the results of each action to assess the success of your objectives. They help identify the sources of business problems and success.
To set SMART goals, you should always refer to the five key points. Thus, the S stands for “Specific”; so you need to set a detailed goal. The M stands for “Measurable”; your goal should have a result indicator. The A stands for “Acceptable”; your objective should arouse the interest and involvement of your teams. The R stands for “Realistic”; you will need to be ambitious but down to earth. And the T stands for “Temporarily Defined”; your goal should have a clearly established deadline.
10 examples of SMART goals
Many people make the mistake of setting vague goals. For example: “I want more visitors to my site”. Good, but not enough to be a SMART goal! What traffic do we want to obtain precisely? How long will it take? What is the purpose of seeking an additional audience? It is by answering all of these questions that you will create real SMART goals.You will understand: that your objectives must be defined precisely and regularly. Certain SMART objectives will thus have an annual deadline, others quarterly. This way, you have a ready-made organization. The end of a quarter is an opportunity to take stock of the progress of the company and the results of your SMART objectives. It is also the moment to make decisions: should we continue or not the actions put in place?
Here are 10 examples of SMART goals:
Example 1: Multiply by 10, within 12 months, the website traffic and incoming leads by implementing an inbound marketing strategy. This includes creating 4 blog content each month, optimizing a website call-to-action (CTA), implementing a marketing automation tool, and creating sponsorship scenarios.
Example 2: 30% increase, in 3 months, the conversion rate of leads from marketing by setting up nurturing scenarios. Thus, salespeople will have more efficient and mature potential customers.
Example 3: Increase the number of new leads by 15% each month by adding Call to Action (CTA) to 30 of our blog posts, inviting you to download a white paper and/or request a demonstration.
Example 4: Increase the number of Facebook followers by 30% in the space of 2 months, by doubling our publications, and by setting up a Facebook Ads campaign.
Example 5: Multiply by 5 the number of visits from social on our website within 3 months, by training our salespeople in Social Selling.
Example 6: Increase the frequency of blog posts, from 2 to 4 posts per month. Increase the length of articles from 400 to 1000 words, in order to attract 500 additional unique visitors within 4 months.
Example 7: Increase the conversion rate of the (demo request) landing page by 10% by measuring the effects of an A / B test next month.
Example 8: Increase the download rate of a white paper by 15% the next quarter, by setting up an exit popup.
Example 9: Increase the download rate of a white paper by 15% the next quarter by setting up a retargeting campaign offering this white paper.
Example 10: Increase the open rate of an email campaign by 10% within 1 month, by further personalizing the subject line and the first sentence of the content.
As you can see, all these sample goals meet the SMART method and 5 criteria. The objective to be achieved, the deadline, and the means are clearly defined. As much as possible, they are encrypted. This way you get a real roadmap for the evolution of your business. In the following quarter, you will be able to compare the evolution of your results with the objectives set: if these objectives have not been reached, you will be able to learn from them and readjust your actions.
The SMART Goals methodology can be applied to virtually any aspect of your marketing strategy. The conversion rate, the search for new direct or indirect prospects, the modification or creation of an e-mailing campaign, the number of downloads of your white papers… All these elements can be the subject of SMART objectives. This way, you make sure to orchestrate your development in a concrete and measurable way.
SMART Goals are a simple yet extremely powerful way to lead and monitor the progress of a business, no matter what the business. While realistic, they should lead your business to perform at its best in best att a tim e when B2B companies’ web marketing strategies must stand out and constantly innovate, the SMART methodology has undeniable advantages. Particularly adapted in an inbound marketing strategy, the creation and the follow-up of such objectives make it possible not to lose sight of the realities that your company must fac, aaanalyzethe ocusest solutions to adopt.If yo w a nt to know more so do not hesitate to contact us.
