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Learn How Small Businesses Can Set, Evaluate, and Adjust Their Marketing Goals
Setting marketing goals is essential for small business success, but many entrepreneurs struggle with vague or unrealistic objectives that don’t lead to measurable results. Without a structured approach, marketing efforts can become scattered, making it difficult to track success or make meaningful improvements.
That’s where our “SMART-ER Model” comes in. Unlike traditional SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound), SMART-ER adds two crucial elements—Evaluate and Readjust—to ensure your goals remain adaptable in an ever-changing business landscape. Small businesses can maximize their marketing impact by continuously assessing performance and making necessary adjustments to stay ahead of the competition.
In this article, we’ll explain how to apply the SMART-ER framework to your marketing strategy, discuss the common pitfalls to avoid, and share how to use evaluation and realignment to achieve long-term growth.
Download Your FREE “SMART-ER Goal-Setting” Template
The SMART-ER Specifics Are Here!
- Set Goals
- Ensure They’re Attainable
- Establish a Time-frame
- Implement the Power of ‘ER’
- Get Help from a Trusted Marketing Strategist!
1. Setting Specific and Measurable Goals
A primary reason small businesses struggle with marketing is a lack of clear, well-defined goals. Vague objectives, like “increase brand awareness” or “get more
sales,”fail to provide direction, making it difficult to know whether your efforts are working. Fortunately, you can avoid this challenge by ensuring your goals are Specific and Measurable. In other words, setting a goal that is specific and measurable, from the start, will precisely define what success in reaching it will look like and provide a way to track progress.
Example: Instead of setting a goal like “grow social media presence,” refine it into something measurable: “Increase Instagram followers by 20% in the next three months and boost engagement by 15% through interactive content and giveaways.”
Key Takeaways for your business marketing goals:
- Accurately define what success should look like with clear, specific objectives.
- Use quantifiable metrics to track progress and measure success.
- If a target isn’t met, measurable data helps pinpoint what went wrong and how to improve moving forward.
- Tracking performance allows businesses to analyze results and make informed decisions.
2. Ensuring Your Goals Are Achievable and Relevant
Setting ambitious goals is essential, yet they must also be realistic. An Achievable goal strikes a balance between challenging and realistic, while a Relevant goal ensures alignment with broader business objectives..
Example: A small coffee shop with no online presence shouldn’t aim to compete with Starbucks in the next year. Instead, a relevant and achievable goal would be: “Increase online orders by 30% within six months by launching a local social media ad campaign targeting nearby customers.”
Key Takeaways:
- Ensure goals push your business forward without being unattainable.
- Keep objectives aligned with broader business priorities.
- Avoid frustration and wasted resources by setting goals that contribute to meaningful outcomes.
- Realistic and relevant goals consider the resources needed to execute the strategy. This strategy keeps small businesses focused on steady, meaningful progress.
3. Defining a Time-Bound Plan for Execution
Without a deadline, goals tend to lose urgency and direction. A Time-Bound objective adds accountability and keeps businesses on track.
Example: Instead of setting a broad goal like “increase email subscribers,” a Time-Bound version would be: “Gain 500 new email subscribers within the next six months by offering a free downloadable resource and promoting it through targeted social media ads.”
Key Takeaways:
- Set deadlines to maintain focus and momentum.
- Use milestones to track progress at specific intervals.
- Time-bound goals help prioritize tasks and ensure marketing efforts align with overall growth strategies.
- Deadlines provide businesses with measurable checkpoints to assess and adjust strategies.
4. The Power to Evaluate and Readjust Marketing Goals
The most overlooked part of goal-setting is the Evaluate and Readjust phase. Markets evolve, customer behaviors shift, and external factors can impact business performance. That’s why businesses need to regularly assess their progress and make adjustments.
Example: A small business running Facebook ads may initially set a goal to increase website traffic by 40% in three months. However, after one month, data might show that engagement is high but conversions are low. Instead of continuing the campaign unchanged, the business could Evaluate the performance, identify weaknesses (e.g., weak landing page design), and Readjust by optimizing the page or refining ad targeting.
Key Takeaways:
- Regular evaluation ensures your goals stay relevant in changing markets.
- Data-driven adjustments help refine strategies for better results.
- Being flexible in goal-setting allows for necessary pivots and business agility.
- Continuous evaluation and adaptation lead to long-term success and efficiency.
Making the “SMART-ER Model” Work for Your Small Business
Setting clear, structured goals using the SMART-ER Model ensures that your marketing efforts remain effective, measurable, and adaptable. While traditional goal-setting methods provide a solid foundation, Evaluation and Readjustment ensure that your strategies stay relevant and results-driven.
Your business can remain flexible and competitive in a fast-paced market by consistently refining your objectives based on data and real-world performance. Whether you’re growing your audience, increasing sales, or improving brand engagement, a well-structured and adjustable plan is the key to long-term success.
BUILDINGBLOCKS is Your Trusted Marketing Strategist
Ready to put the SMART-ER Model into action? Download our FREE SMART-ER Goal-Setting Template below to map out your marketing objectives effectively.
If you need expert guidance on implementing a results-driven marketing plan, contact us online to discuss more personalized support for your business! For immediate assistance, call 281-203-0529. We are ready to see your business thrive and experience sustainable growth this year!
