SMART goals can sometimes be dumb. How to create and achieve smart objective goals even when SMART goals are not so smart.

Even when we create smart objective goals, smart goals can sometimes be dumb. 

Goals are, too often, numbers we don’t hit. We try to predict the future but we’re often just guessing. 

We make our best attempts to set what we believe are smart, objective goals but when we fail to achieve them we’re left feeling tired, frustrated, and confused about what went wrong. 

The problem with goals is they create a binary either-or situation in our business. We either achieve them, or we don’t. So we live in a state of nearly continuous failure.

But without goals, we have no idea where we are going. Our business and marketing plans would be pointless and ineffective.

So what do we do?

SMART objective goals + systems = success

Goals are getting a bad rap these days, and to be clear we’re not saying we shouldn’t set goals, but there is more to setting goals than simply putting numbers on paper and forgetting about them or holding onto them so tightly that we shatter when we don’t achieve them.

As a small business owner, your goals need to become a living, breathing part of your daily business. To become that they need to have tangible actions and systems built around them. 

“Goals are just dreams. Habits make them a reality. Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Goal setting fails when;

Your goals lack clarity.

If you don’t have a clear vision of success and know exactly where you want to go and why you’ll spread yourself thin chasing shiny objects and other people’s version of success.

Your goals are too big, complex, or unrealistic.

When our goals are large or overly complex they can feel overwhelming, making it difficult to know where to start. While you want your goal to push you, setting unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and burnout.

Your goals make you afraid.

When you’re frightened of failing it can prevent you from setting ambitious goals or taking action to achieve them. Even if you manage to set ambitious goals negative self talk can get in the way of you achieving them effectively. Uncovering any limiting beliefs around your goals is important. 

Your goals don’t resonate.

Often we set goals we think we should set or say what we need to say to make our plan appeal to others. When your goals don’t align with your values they’re not meaningful enough to and you’ll feel unmotivated.

Your goals don’t give you quick wins.

Goals lack immediate reward, they’re set too far into the future. They lack the quick, tangible wins we need to stay motivated.

Your goals lack systems.

Goals are impossible to achieve if we don’t attach specific actions to them and track our progress. It’s the incremental steps we take each day towards out goals, our systems, that move us forward.

Benefits to setting smart objective goals

There are still many benefits to setting goals;

Goals help you set an intention.

The exercise of goal setting can be very clarifying by quantifying and bringing to life your vision, something intentional you want to achieve.

Goals give you a marker.

A goal puts a stake in the ground. A clear target, something to aim for so you’re not wondering what to focus on each day. 

Goals hold you accountable.

Instead of letting your mood (or distractions in your inbox) lead your day to day, your goals keeps you from getting stuck in the minute details and reminds you what you set out to do, keeping your mind on track.

Goals help you improve over time.

They give you a point of reference. You can track your performance and results to help you improve over time. 

What are SMART objective goals?

There is an art and a science to setting effective goals, you’ve likely heard about the SMART goals framework:

• Specific: What exactly are you trying to achieve and who for?
• Measurable: What key metrics will you be tracking, how will you know you’ve achieved your goal?
• Attainable/Achievable: Are these goals realistic? Are you setting yourself up for success? 
• Relevant: Why are you setting this goal, how does it impact your bigger mission and vision? What will be possible if you achieve this goal?
• Timely: What is the timeframe this goal will be completed in? Are there key milestones along the way?

Marketing SMART goal examples

• Increase website traffic becomes; Increase traffic to our website sales page from 1000 to 2000 average unique visits per day in the next three months so we can grow potential sales leads from X to Y .   
• Boost brand engagement becomes; Increase the number of comments, likes, shares on social and replies to our email newsletter from 500 per week to 1000 interactions per week in the next four months so we can attract X new leads into the business.
• Acquire customers becomes; increase the average number of first time customers we acquire each week from 20 to 50 over the next 6 months so we can increase revenue from X to Y.

When SMART goals are not so smart.

…but even SMART goals are missing some key points.

In the study, Are SMART Goals Dumb?, Only 14% people say that their goals for this year will help them achieve great things. And 70% of people indicate varying forms of procrastination (or a general lack of urgency for their goals). Indicating it’s not goals alone that will get you there.

SMART goals might be holding you back

While you don’t want to set completely unrealistic goals (unless you’re the type of person who’s highly motivated by overcoming the impossible and won’t sweat it if you don’t get there), easily achievable goals aren’t always the greatest motivator either. 91% of leaders are more likely to enjoy leaving their comfort zone in pursuit of their goals. Make sure you set something that will push you out of your comfort zone and encourage you to strive for something bigger. 

SMART goals don’t ensure you’ll be developing new skills

The study also showed setting a goal that requires learning new skills is nearly 10 times more powerful at inspiring people. If your goals aren’t teaching you new skills or ideas, you probably need to make them harder. Adopt a perennial growth mindset so you can keep growing and blooming.

“Goals are BS”

Emmanuel Acho

SMART goals can be too rigid.

Emmanuel Acho says goals are BS because they’re fixed and limited. He highlights;

• They force you to hyperfocus on one thing (to the exclusion of all other possibilities)
• They drive you to sacrifice for that goal (and not always in healthy ways)
• They limit what you can achieve by becoming a fixed idea (inflexible and rigid) 

SMART goals aren’t visual

Humans are visual creatures, visualization is a powerful tool. There are many ways to visualize your goals, start by journaling or create a mood board to bring your goals to life. 

SMART goals aren’t sustainable

You hang all of your hopes on your goals, but when you achieve your goal, it only changes your life for a moment. The results only temporarily solve the problem. You need systems to create the right environment for things to go your way over and over. 

Systems vs. goals. Smart objective goals alone won’t help you achieve great things. 

Smart objective goals are ineffective without systems.

But it’s not systems vs. goals, they are reliant on each other. You can set a goal, but you need to implement a system to achieve that goal. And this is why goals and systems are one and the same.

A system does not have a specific end goal, it’s a continuous, holistic process. Instead, it’s something you do regularly that increases your odds of happiness and success over time. Think of it like your routines and habits, things, that you do over and over and over again.

When you put a system in place you win every time you apply it. Those little wins add up, making you feel good about yourself, like you’ve made some progress today. This creates a sense of accomplishment and gives you the confidence to keep going.

“You do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems”

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Goals are the results of progress. Your systems are the actions and habits you attach to the goals.

For example, 

• Your Goal: Get in shape 
• Your SMART goal: Lose 5 lbs of body fat and add 2 lbs of muscle by July so I can feel good in my skin.
• Your System: 
  • Go to a weights class twice per week with a trainer
  • Do cardio three times a week for at least 30 minutes
  • Meal plan on Sundays and make sure my recipes include mostly whole grains, veggies, and lean proteins
  • Track these habits and my progress in an app 
  • Find a buddy to join me and keep me accountable 

The system enables you to get better each day.

Even if you don’t hit your goal in the time frame you allocated, you will still feel a sense of accomplishment for taking action around an area of your life you want to improve. You will have also set up a system that will stay with you long past your deadline. You win either way. 

Marketing goals examples with systems to make them a reality.

Here are some examples of systems that will help you achieve your marketing goals.

1. Generate high-quality leads.
   • Develop a detailed profile of your ideal customer honing in on their demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals
   • Create and share free tools and resources that are helpful to your ideal client such as templates, calculators, worksheets, in-depth guides, case studies, and eBooks, that require users to provide their contact information.
   • Create a sales and marketing system that identifies and attracts your ideal client. Someone who currently needs the results and transformation I offer, and can afford to pay for my product or services.
2. Increase brand awareness.
   • Create a content strategy that answers the questions your ideal client is searching for online and helps them solve the challenges they are trying to overcome. 
   • Choose the most relevant awareness platforms. Where does your ideal customer gather online in groups to discuss the problems you solve? Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram (for B2C) and LinkedIn (for B2B businesses) are good platforms for generating brand awareness. Choose 1-2 platforms where your audience is and post content relevant to them, actively engage with them through comments, messages, and interactive content.
   • Create a marketing content calendar and a content creation system that allows me to create and post content that showcases my expertise and solves problems for my ideal customer on a regular (daily/weekly/monthly) basis.  
3. Increase website traffic.
   • Answer questions and solve problems that my ideal client is facing. What keyword phrases are they searching for to help them solve this problem? How can I answer that question or solve that problem in a different or better way than what’s already being offered online? 
   • Create a good online user experience (UX): Ensure your website is user-friendly, mobile-optimized, and clearly communicates the value you offer. Customers need to understand both what you do and how it’s relevant to them. 
   • Optimize your website for SEO: SEO is how your customers find you organically online. Use SEO best practices with the relevant long tail keywords your ideal customer is searching to ensure your content ranks well on search engines, driving organic traffic from qualified leads.
4. Establish industry authority.
   • Gather and leverage testimonials and case studies: By gathering and using positive customer reviews, testimonials, and case studies that highlight the success stories of your customers in your marketing you will build trust and credibility with your future customers.
   • Create informative and educational content. In-depth articles, whitepapers, e-books, and case studies that provide valuable insights will showcase your knowledge and expertise. To meet your audience where they are use different content formats, such as blogs, videos, podcasts, infographics, and webinars, and keep the information up to date as things evolve in your industry.
   • Public Relations. Increase your authority by joining communities, attending networking events and speaking on podcasts, panels, at industry conferences and seminars. Guest blog, host workshops and webinars on relevant topics to showcase your expertise.
5. Acquire new customers.
   • Create content that educates and engages your ideal client about who you are, what you offer, and the problem they’re facing so you can continue to build the relationship and increase know, like, and trust.
   • Build landing pages: Create dedicated landing pages for your different offers, share something of clear value to your ideal customer, and include a clear call-to-action (CTA), i.e. what should they do next?
   • Create retargeting campaigns: Implement retargeting campaigns to re-engage visitors who have shown interest but haven’t converted.
6. Boost brand engagement.
   • Audience segmentation. If you are sending the same messages to everyone you are missing an opportunity to increase engagement with your brand and deepen your relationship with your potential customers. Use segmentation tactics, such as questions, polls, surveys, data analytics and CRM platforms to learn more about your audiences and monitor their interactions with specific pieces of content to discover current needs and preferences so you can send them more of what they want and need. Such as;
     • Create customized messaging and segmented campaigns crafted to make your audience feel valued. Create relevant content based on personal interests, demographics, behavior, and engagement levels.
     • Timely content and offers for each stage of your customer journey with tailored messages based on where each customer is on their journey with your brand.
   • Brand storytelling: Storytelling makes your content more engaging and relatable. Here are a few ways to tell your brand’s story
     • Tell your brand’s origin story: Share the story around how your brand came to be and highlight the challenges, inspirations, and key moments along the way.
     • Make your brand or customer the hero: Tell relatable stories and evoke emotions such as joy, nostalgia, inspiration, or empathy. Structure your story like a hero’s journey, and tell real stories putting your brand or customer as the hero overcoming obstacles.
     • Showcase your values in action: Highlight your brand’s values by telling stories around what those values look like in action inside your business.
     • Share UGC: User-generated content is content about your brand created by your audience. Share it on your official channels to show appreciation and build community.
   • Build community: Build connections between audience members to further increase the value they gain by interacting with your brand. Create online groups or forums where customers can interact with each other or host events, meetups, or workshops to build stronger relationships. Take things to the next level by giving exclusive/early/insider access to new products, special discounts, and exclusive content.
   • Create an omni-channel presence: To increase brand engagement what systems can you create to share content and engage with customers seamlessly across multiple platforms (website, social media, email, etc.) 
   • Map your your user experience (UX) Do you understand your entire customer journey and are you able to track it effectively? Once you do you can create automated workflows/campaigns to nurture leads through the sales funnel with targeted content and offers. You can even implement lead scoring to prioritize people based on their likelihood to convert into paying customers.
7. Increase revenue.
   • Industry partnerships: If you have a goal to boost your revenue the fastest way to do that is through partnerships with other businesses, organizations, influencers or affiliates in your industry who have a strong following in your niche and can collaborate with you to promote your products or services.
   • Customer referral programs: Your existing customers are also a great way to help you increase your revenue. They’re already your biggest fans so create systems to encourage them to refer new high-quality leads.
   • Increase customer lifetime value. How else can you serve your existing customers? Identify other pain points they might be experiencing. What do you currently offer or what can you easily add to your product mix that would further help your current customers overcome their challenges and reach their goals? How can you offer those additional services in a timely way? 
   • Data Analysis: If you’re not tracking your data you’re just guessing. Make sure you regularly analyze key data points in your business and the performance of your marketing efforts so you can adjust strategies based on key insights.
8. Improve brand internally.
   • Be clear and transparent. To make sure your employees are engaged, aligned with your brand values, and motivated to promote in the best light you need to make sure your internal messaging is as clear and engaging as your external messaging. How will you measure and monitor your communication?
   • Involve employees in the process. How can you better align your brand values and goals with your employees’ personal values and goals? What regular actions can you take to involve your employees? Incentivize them to take actions that are aligned with your values, and recognize them for doing it through brand storytelling. 
   • Create brand ambassadors. You can even identify employees who would make great internal brand ambassadors and work with them to create internal systems and corporate social responsibility programs aligned with your values.
   • Create tools and systems for people to follow. Don’t assume everyone will interpret your brand the same way. Create brand guidelines with clear direction around what your brand values look like in practice and offer collaboration tools and systems that facilitate communication and alignment among employees.
   • Ask for feedback. Make sure you have open lines of communication and mechanisms in place for getting real-time feedback. Show employees how you are using the information gathered to make the organization and team culture better.

Want help setting your marketing goals and creating your marketing systems? 

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