HOW TO SET SMART MARKETING OBJECTIVES | Evolve Digitas

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What are SMART Marketing objectives, how do they apply to digital marketing activities, and how does SMART goal-setting fit into marketing strategy formulation? Join us as we explain one of the most useful frameworks in the business and marketing strategy toolset.

What are SMART Objectives?

SMART is a framework for measuring the quality of a business goal. If a goal/objective meets the framework’s criteria, this indicates it is a good goal to work towards. Setting SMART objectives is a critical step in creating an effective marketing plan and will help you with effective project management.
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The five criteria of SMART are:
·       Specific
·       Measurable
·       Attainable
·       Relevant
·       Time-limited
Here’s what each of these means from a digital marketer’s perspective:

Specific

What exactly are we trying to achieve?
Marketing goals need to be specific if they are to be useful.
Instead of broad-brush objectives such as “We will sell more product” or “We will become a world-leading brand”, marketers need to flesh out their goals with details that flow naturally into strategy formulation.
To make a goal specific, consider the following:
  • Which of the brand’s products and services does the goal relate to?
  • Who does the goal relate to? Which audience, internal stakeholders and competitors are involved?
  • Which locations does the goal relate to, e.g. individual stores, cities, regions, foreign markets?
  • How will the goal be reached?
  • What are our key obstacles in pursuing the goal?  
  • Why is the goal important?
So, instead of (a) “We will sell lots of product”, you might end up with something like this:
(b) “Our EMEA stores will increase sales of fuel canisters to Generation X customers by rolling out a new set of in-store promotions. This will help us overtake our competitor Calor in market share within two years, which help increase sales of our other products through improved brand recognition. Promotions launched by competitors during the same period could be an obstacle to the accomplishment of this goal.”
Examples (a) and (b) can both refer to the same outcome, but only (b) lays the foundation for effective strategy, thanks to its specificity.

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