Marketers who set well-defined goals are 376% more likely to report success. There’s no shortage of healthcare marketing challenges, so it is important for team leaders to get strategic about goal setting.
By utilizing a SMART goal framework, marketing teams can develop strategies that provide direction and motivation towards reaching organizational targets.
What are SMART Goals in Digital Marketing?
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This approach to goal-setting can be used by marketing teams to improve their campaigns' effectiveness, track progress, and achieve better results.
Let’s explore why marketing teams should use SMART goals and how they can benefit from this approach.
Specific Goals
Marketing campaigns can have many different objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, or driving sales. However, setting a vague goal like "increase sales" is not effective because it doesn't provide enough direction or clarity. SMART goals, on the other hand, require teams to be specific about what they want to achieve.
For example, a specific SMART goal for a marketing campaign might be to "increase website traffic by 20% in the next quarter." This goal provides a clear direction for the team and ensures that everyone is working towards the same objective.
Measurable Goals
SMART goals are also measurable, which means that they can be quantified and tracked over time. Measuring progress towards a goal is essential for determining whether a campaign is successful or not.
For example, if a marketing team sets a goal to "generate 100 leads per week," they can measure their progress towards that goal by tracking the number of leads they generate each week.
Achievable Goals
One of the benefits of using SMART goals is that they are achievable. Setting goals that are too ambitious or unrealistic can be demotivating for teams and may lead to burnout. SMART goals, however, are designed to be achievable, which means that they are challenging but attainable.
For example, a marketing team might set a goal to "increase email open rate by 8% in the next six months." This goal is challenging but achievable, and it provides a clear direction for the team to work towards.
Relevant Goals
Setting goals that are relevant to the organization's overall objectives is critical for ensuring that marketing campaigns align with the organization's strategic priorities. SMART goals require teams to set goals that are relevant to their organization's objectives, which ensures that their efforts are aligned with the broader goals of the company.
For example, if an organization's objective is to increase market share, the marketing team might set a SMART goal to "increase website traffic from our target market by 25% in the next quarter."
Time-Bound Goals
Finally, SMART goals are time-bound, which means that they have a specific deadline for completion. Setting a deadline for a goal is essential for keeping teams focused and accountable. It also provides a sense of urgency, which can motivate teams to work harder to achieve their objectives.
For example, a marketing team might set a goal to "generate 500 leads in the next month." This goal is time-bound, which means that the team has a specific deadline to work towards.
How Marketing Teams Can Implement and Reinforce SMART Goals
The first step towards implementing SMART digital marketing goals with your team is to clearly define them, which involves breaking down broad ambitions into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Once you have well-articulated goals, it's necessary to monitor and track progress regularly, allowing for adjustments as needed.You can do this by having regular monthly or quarterly check-ins with individual members of your team to review progress. You can also use tools such as Power BI or Google’s Looker Studio to create a dashboard to visualize key data pertaining to your team’s goals.
If you run into situations where your team is struggling to deliver on its SMART goals, it may be time to re-evaluate how practical your goals are. If they seem fair and realistic, then you should meet with your team members to identify roadblocks and determine how to best address them.
Marketing team leaders should aim to make goal-chasing fun and competitive. This can be achieved achieved by creating rewards, such as a team outings, whenever SMART goal milestones are hit. Celebrating wins and achievements will help maintain a positive, growth-focused team culture.
Set SMART Goals, Get SMART Results
Healthcare marketing teams can benefit greatly from using SMART goals in their campaigns. SMART goals provide direction and clarity, ensure that teams are working towards achievable objectives, and allow progress to be measured and tracked over time.
Setting specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals helps marketing teams stay focused and motivated, which can lead to better results and a more successful campaign. By implementing SMART goals, healthcare marketing teams can achieve their objectives and drive growth and revenue for their organization.