New Year, New Goals – Make them “SMART”
It has officially started! Many start the New Year by assessing what they have done in the year before and how they did it. We, at Bekoz Marketing, have done just that! If the goal was not accomplished – we considered what can be done now to get to where we need to be. If you haven’t started at all, let’s set some goals right now! Experts say it takes approximately 15 days before something can become a habit. Have you missed the mark of meeting a goal? It’s ok, just start again! You have a whole year to make it work. As we embark on a New Year, here are our resolutions to you!
1) Stay abreast of the latest and greatest in marketing to help keep you informed.
2) Share ideas that will help you take your marketing efforts to the next level.
3) Help you experience all the great things we are doing here at Bekoz Marketing to spark new ideas.
4) Serve you, our customers, supporters and partners, the best way we can.
However, simply stating the resolution or goal isn’t enough. How will you know what worked? What didn’t? Or what needs to be adjusted? Set monthly or even quarterly check-ins to focus on where you are with your goals. By making them “SMART,” you will be able to see where adjustments need to be made and what changes are needed to ensure at the end of the year the goal(s) has been reached. Check-ins will also help refresh the goals in your mind, rather than have them sit stagnant from one year to the next. “SMART” goals ensure the goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. But how does all this work? Take our first resolution to you;
“Stay abreast of the latest and greatest in marketing to help keep you informed.”
Now…let’s turn it into a “SMART” goal so we can tell if we kept our promise when its time to evaluate.
- S = Specific
First, we will insert action words that will help us determine how we will achieve the goal, while stating what we will do.
“Stay abreast of the latest and greatest in marketing by attending training, conferences, webinars and reading industry articles that will educate our staff so they can keep you, the client, informed.”
- M = Measurable
While the goal sounds great, how can it be measured? How do we know if our team is taking action? Let’s add some key data points or metrics that can be evaluated. Also, if/when they get the information how will we know it was shared? Here are some things we can look at:
1. The number of training/conferences/webinars attended.
2. The number of blogs posted or updates shared via our newsletter, along with the open rates or post views.
- A = Achievable
Remember, try not to make the goal and measurements so large that it is no longer obtainable. Make the goals realistic; this includes financially and physically. Make sure items will fit in your schedule and that you can afford to do what it is you said you would do. Fortunately, there are several FREE webinars and can be viewed right from your office!
1. The number of training/conferences attended.
a. One a month, totaling 12 a year
2. The number of blog posts or updates shared via our newsletter, along with the open rates or post views.
a. Write at least one blog post a month on the information gained regarding updates in the industry or what may be on the horizon.
- R = Relevant
This one is easy. Simply make sure the goal makes sense to you, and it is relevant to what you are doing. Think about how it will improve your organization or life and what you are trying to achieve. For us, keeping abreast of industry trends help both our customer and our team. It allows us to stay on the forefront of what is happening so we as a business will not be left behind. By sharing it in the ways stated, blog post or newsletter, it keeps our website relevant for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) purposes. It also, keeps people coming back to our online office (website) so it’s not just sitting and outdated, and it gives us a voice which helps position us as subject matter experts. Additionally, customers (past, present, and future) will know where to come when they need information or marketing support, which can lead to potential opportunities for our team.
Think of what your goal will do for you and how it is relevant to what you are really trying to achieve.
- T= Timely
The great thing about goals is that they are made, to be achieved. When will you achieve yours? Add a due date, so your goal will not continue to linger. Be specific on the date. Will it take you 15 days, 6 months, or a year? Our goal is set for one year, 12 months, 365 days and the clock is ticking. Of course, that doesn’t mean we will look at it now and not again until 2020. Even though the goal is set to be achieved at the end of the year, we have included bi-monthly evaluation days to see if adjustments need to be made. Maybe we get so much information from a three-day conference, we can write two months’ worth of blogs and may not need to attend anything the following month. Maybe we missed a month due to whatever the reason and we need to step it up! In either case, we are always continuously evaluating.
Now that your goals have been set, and you have made it “SMART,” it is time to achieve! We know making the change to achieve a new goal can be hard, but adjustment takes time. It will be ok, and remember, we are here to help!
New year with new goals or let’s just simply revamp some old ones into SMART goals. Then let’s make it happen!