SMART marketing

Digital Marketing is a relatively new concept but success relies on tried and true methods, including the SMART Model to determine objectives for any new campaign.

Defining any campaign's objectives should be the starting point for all businesses and marketers.

SMART is a helpful acronym for this particular model. It stands for:

S: Specific

It's important to define specific objectives using well-defined and clearly established goals. What exactly do you hope to achieve with your new digital marketing strategy? 

Your objectives should be very clear to anyone who reads them, including those who are outside of the marketing department, and include an action related to the customer.

Objectives should be simple, sensible and significant. 

Keep in mind the following when establishing your objectives:

• What do we want to accomplish?
• Why is that important?
• Who should be involved?
• Does location matter?
• What resources and limitations exist?

Keep in mind, too many objectives could cause confusion. A simple, unique and clearly established objective should get the job done.

M: Measurable

After establishing your objective, it's important to ensure that goal is measurable. Otherwise, how would you determine your success?

A measurable objective typically includes a statistic, such by increasing website views a certain percentage within an established timeline.

For instance, one objective could be to increase newsletter signups by 20% by the end of the next quarter (July 1, 2020).

Keys to verifying your objective include identifying key performance indicators (KPIs), establishing the digital data that can be leveraged, such as cost per click (CPC), and lead generation, and identifying the current situation and growth expected.

Upon completion of the campaign, success or failure should be easily identifiable.

A: Achievable

Realistically, not every goal will be met. That's why it's important to identify objectives and to put together a strategy that will enable the company to meet those objectives.

An achievable objective isn't necessarily setting the bar low.

In fact, it could be too high from the start but with the necessary resources and effort, even the most ambitious goals can be met.

Each specific and measurable objective also should be evaluated based on the available resources, both financially and for the tools necessary to complete the job.

Is the budget adequate? Do the employees tasked with the performance of the objectives have the necessary time and skills to complete their assignments? What limits exist?

Key points when determining the achievability of an objective include:

• How can this goal be accomplished?
• How realistic is the objective based on the limitations that exist?
• What is the budget?
• How many hours can staff spend on the objective?
• What hurdles exist and how can they be cleared?

R: Relevant

Goals are specific, measurable and achievable, but are they relevant?

What are the business goals? Does this new objective tie into the big picture? Will the results aid the business in moving forward?

Is the timing right for this objective? 

Evaluating a campaign's relevancy occurs throughout the marketing process. 

T: Time-Bound

Lastly, it's important to establish a timeframe for the campaign.

This timeframe sets a limit on the resources spent, enables the campaign to remain focused and to reach deadlines and key milestones.

Determining the timeframe of a particular objective should include key questions such as:

• When?
• What can be done today?
  
• What can be done six weeks from today?
• What can be done six months from now?
• Based on research, what is an appropriate timeline to meet this goal?

Effective use of the SMART model enables digital marketers and businesses to set specific and measurable goals that can be achieved within a timeframe while maintaining the campaign's relevance to the overall business goals.