In this blog, you’ll learn about each stage of the SMART model for digital marketing and explore real-world examples from brands using them in their marketing activities.

What are SMART Objectives in Digital Marketing?

what-are-smart-objectives-in-digital-marketing

[[p]]No matter what [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/a-guide-to-digital-marketing-career-paths"]]digital marketing career path[[/a]] you&rsquo;re on, there can be a lot to juggle to keep on top of things.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]That&rsquo;s where clever planning comes in. By setting the right goals you can stay focused and prioritize tasks and projects that meet business objectives.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]But choosing the right goals can be tricky. Fortunately, marketers can use the SMART model to define goals or objectives that are [[strong]]S[[/strong]]pecific, [[strong]]M[[/strong]]easurable, [[strong]]A[[/strong]]chievable, [[strong]]R[[/strong]]elevant, and [[strong]]T[[/strong]]ime-Bound.[[/p]]

[[p]]In this blog, you&rsquo;ll learn about each stage of the SMART model for digital marketing and explore real-world examples from brands using them in their marketing activities.[[/p]]

[[p]]The first thing to understand is that the SMART framework is not just for marketers. It&rsquo;s used across departments and sectors to give professionals at all levels a clear roadmap for success whether that&rsquo;s for a huge project or a small scale campaign.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]So let&rsquo;s start at the beginning - what are the 5 SMART objectives?&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]SMART objectives are:[[/p]]

[[ol]]
	[[li]]Specific[[/li]]
	[[li]]Measurable[[/li]]
	[[li]]Achievable[[/li]]
	[[li]]Relevant[[/li]]
	[[li]]Time-bound[[/li]]
[[/ol]]

[[p]]The aim of working under these five specific areas is that you have direction and can use them to measure progress.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]But before starting work on your goals, it could be useful to discuss business objectives with your team, manager and any relevant stakeholders.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Once you understand how and where objectives are achieved on the business side, then you can plan your digital marketing strategy to align with this and feed back into the business objectives and [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/4-essential-digital-marketing-kpis-to-track-for-your-next-campaign"]]key performance indicators (KPIs)[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Be aware that you can also call on artificial intelligence (AI) to help with developing your SMART objectives by using ChatGPT prompts at each stage of the process. Just download our [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/toolkits/chatgpt-prompt-guide-for-your-digital-marketing-plan"]]ChatGPT Prompt Guide for your Digital Marketing Plan[[/a]] to find out how.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]So let&rsquo;s look at each of the SMART objectives so you understand what each of them means and what&rsquo;s involved.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]First and foremost your objective should be specific. This means you need a well-defined and clear goal stating exactly what you aim to achieve. Think about the 5 W&rsquo;s when doing this (i.e. Who, What, Why, When, Where?) to cover all bases.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]This means that anyone who reads your objective, even outside the marketing department, should understand what you are trying to achieve.[[/p]]

[[p]]Here are some tips to get your objectives specific:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Think simple, sensible, and significant[[/li]]
	[[li]]When defining goals, think about the following questions:
	[[ul]]
		[[li]]What do I want to accomplish?[[/li]]
		[[li]]Why is it important?[[/li]]
		[[li]]Who is involved?[[/li]]
		[[li]]Where is it located?[[/li]]
		[[li]]What resources or limits are involved?[[/li]]
	[[/ul]]
	[[/li]]
	[[li]]Write down a summary of your goal and reshape it to be as specific and clear as possible[[/li]]
	[[li]]The goal should describe an action that involves the customer[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]A single unique objective is clearer and more realistic than too many objectives that will dilute your impact and focus.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Specific goal example[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Suppose you begin with an objective: &#39;[[em]]Sell more products&#39;[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]That objective doesn&rsquo;t really meet the SMART criteria, does it? Let&rsquo;s look at how to improve it.[[/p]]

[[p]]It needs to be more specific, such as : [[em]]&lsquo;Sell more of our new product range to an 18&ndash;30-year-old audience through Instagram Ads&rsquo;[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]Once you&rsquo;ve specified the aim of your objective, the second step is to make the objective measurable.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]When you&rsquo;re creating measurable objectives, they should include metrics, milestones, results, and budget, so that the objective is quantifiable.[[/p]]

[[p]]You can identify the quantitative aspect of your objective from the following questions:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]What are the current KPIs for the business?[[/li]]
	[[li]]What digital data can you leverage (e.g. website visitor numbers, cost per click (CPC), leads generated, revenue, conversion rates, social media engagement, email open rates etc.)[[/li]]
	[[li]]What&rsquo;s the current situation for your objective and what progress do you expect? Can this be measured with milestones or metric changes?[[/li]]
	[[li]]How will you know when the objective has been accomplished? What does success look like?[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]At the end of the campaign, you should be able to look back and quantify the impact in relation to your business target.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For instance, if your goal was to generate a certain number of new leads, how much revenue did each lead bring and how does this translate into profit for the business?[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Measurable Smart goal example[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Remember the objective above - [[em]]&#39;Sell more of our new product range to an 18&ndash;30-year-old audience through Instagram Ads&#39;[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]To make it more measurable, let&#39;s change it to: &#39;[[em]]Sell 12% more of our new product range than we did last quarter to an 18&ndash;30-year-old audience through Instagram Ads&#39;[[/em]]&nbsp;This means you now have a target of 12% more sales to measure performance against.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]SMART objectives need to be achievable. If you have unrealistic expectations, you&rsquo;re setting yourself and your team up for failure and disappointment.[[/p]]

[[p]]For your objective to be achievable, you must have the appropriate skills and resources available, and be able to work within any other constraints such as budget, time, and tools.[[/p]]

[[p]]At this stage, you need to think about the execution of this objective. Is it too ambitious? Do you have the resources necessary to achieve this goal? Consider it a reality check.[[/p]]

[[p]]The important thing to consider is to set stakeholders&rsquo; expectations as you will have insight into what can be achieved within the given constraints.[[/p]]

[[p]]To define the achievability of your objective, think about the following points:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]How can I accomplish this goal?[[/li]]
	[[li]]How realistic is the goal, based on other constraints, such as financial factors?[[/li]]
	[[li]]What is the allocated budget that I currently have for this? Check this blog out if you need some help [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-to-plan-a-digital-marketing-budget" target="_blank"]]planning a digital marketing budget[[/a]].&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/li]]
	[[li]]How many hours a week can the team work on this? Who will be the point of contact responsible for achieving the goal?[[/li]]
	[[li]]What things may prevent the team from reaching their goals?[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Achievable Smart goal example[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Let&rsquo;s return to our objective: [[em]]&#39;Sell 12% more of our new product range to an 18&ndash;30-year-old audience through Instagram Ads&#39;[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]Is this objective achievable? What happened the last time you had a similar launch or campaign? What was the uplift through your activities? If you were able to boost sales by 7% in the second quarter, a 12% increase should indeed be achievable.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Objectives can give your efforts focus. However, they must also be relevant to what you&rsquo;re trying to achieve.[[/p]]

[[p]]A relevant objective is one that is valuable to the business and aligns to business priorities.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]For example, having an influencer recommend your product to followers might be valuable but it might not be a priority right now, so it&rsquo;s important to balance value and priority to focus on the most relevant goals.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Ask yourself these questions to check your relevant objective against the overall goals and business priorities:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]Will it add value to the business?[[/li]]
	[[li]]Does this seem worthwhile?[[/li]]
	[[li]]Is this a priority at this time?[[/li]]
	[[li]]Does this align with our other efforts or needs?[[/li]]
	[[li]]Are we the right team? Am I the right person to reach this goal?[[/li]]
	[[li]]Is it applicable in the current socio-economic environment?[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]][[strong]]Relevant Smart goal example[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Let&rsquo;s look at our objective: [[em]]&#39;Sell 12% more of our new product range to an 18&ndash;30-year-old audience through Instagram Ads&#39;[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]This objective is already relevant as the company wants to increase sales of new products and attract a younger audience.[[/p]]

[[p]]Setting time limits helps create focus, while providing deadlines and milestones to ensure you stay on track.[[/p]]

[[p]]It&rsquo;s important that objectives are time-bound to set limits on the time spent on a project, campaign or strategy. Otherwise, time can pass and costs can escalate as you work towards something without an end date.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]Remember, any project will use up as much time as you give it. With this in mind, setting a reasonable timeframe is hugely important when creating your SMART goals.[[/p]]

[[p]]A time-bound goal can be identified by answering these questions:[[/p]]

[[ul]]
	[[li]]What is a reasonable timeframe to achieve my goal?[[/li]]
	[[li]]What risks are associated that might need additional contingency time?[[/li]]
	[[li]]What are the expectations of stakeholders and managers? Are these expectations reasonable within the expected timeframe?[[/li]]
	[[li]]How much work is involved in delivering the goal over the agreed timeframe? Does this align to what is achievable?[[/li]]
[[/ul]]

[[p]]Selecting the length of time that you think it will take to reach your goal will help you figure out how aggressive you need to be with your marketing efforts.[[/p]]

[[p]][[strong]]Time-bound Smart&nbsp;goal&nbsp;in action[[/strong]][[/p]]

[[p]]Remember the objective [[em]]&lsquo;Sell 12% more of our new product range to an 18&ndash;30-year-old audience through Instagram Ads&rsquo;[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]To make this objective time-bound, let&rsquo;s set a three-month timeframe to achieve the objective.[[/p]]

[[p]]This results in a new SMART objective:[[em]] &lsquo;Sell 12% more of our new product range in Q2 than in Q1, to an 18&ndash;30-year-old audience through Instagram Ads&rsquo;[[/em]].[[/p]]

[[p]]Now that you know what each of the SMART objectives are and how to create them, let&rsquo;s look at five examples of well-known brands that have used them in their marketing activities.[[/p]]

GM Motors faulty ignition scandal Credit: Vox

[[p]]In 2014, General Motors faced a significant crisis due to faulty ignition switches, leading to the recall of 2.6 million vehicles worldwide. This defect, which could cause engines to shut off unexpectedly and disable airbags, was linked to at least 97 deaths, according to [[a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/10/3/18073458/gm-car-recall" target="_blank"]]Vox[[/a]].&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]To address this, CEO Mary Barra implemented a specific objective: enhance product quality and safety across all models. This involved overhauling internal processes, establishing a new Global Vehicle Safety organization, and promoting a culture prioritizing safety and quality.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]These targeted actions aimed to restore consumer trust and prevent future safety issues.[[/p]]

[[p]]RAIN Group, a sales training company, sought to boost revenue by increasing the number of sales-ready leads. They set a measurable goal to generate 120 high-quality leads per quarter through enhanced marketing efforts.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]By implementing this objective, RAIN Group experienced a 33% increase in revenue according to [[a href="https://www.clearvoice.com/resources/defining-marketing-goals/" target="_blank"]]Clear Voice[[/a]], demonstrating the effectiveness of setting clear, quantifiable targets.[[/p]]

[[p]]In the early 2000s, [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/resources/case-studies/starbucks-connecting-people-through-coffee" target="_blank"]]Starbucks[[/a]] aimed to expand its presence in the Chinese market, recognizing the country&#39;s growing middle class and increasing coffee consumption.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]The company set an achievable objective to open 500 stores in China by 2015. This goal was based on thorough market research and a strategic approach to localization, including adapting store designs and menus to align with Chinese culture and preferences. Starbucks not only met but exceeded this target, operating over 1,500 stores in China by 2015.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]This successful expansion contributed significantly to Starbucks&#39; global growth and established China as one of its most important markets.[[/p]]

[[p]]IBM&#39;s "Smarter Planet" initiative aimed to develop intelligent systems across various sectors, such as energy and water management.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]This goal was relevant to IBM&#39;s mission of leveraging technology to solve complex global challenges, aligning with their core business objectives.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]By focusing on areas where they had expertise, IBM was able to create solutions that addressed pressing issues, reinforcing their position as a leader in technological innovation.[[/p]]

[[p]]In 2019, facing mounting pressure over plastic pollution, Unilever committed to reducing its virgin plastic footprint by 30% by 2026 and 40% by 2028 - a previous commitment of cutting virgin plastic by 50% by 2025 had to be reviewed and changed in 2024.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]This deadline gives the company a number of years to innovate packaging solutions, increase recycled material usage, and transform their supply chain.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]By establishing this specific timeframe, Unilever showed they were serious about sustainability goals, making it possible for the public and stakeholders to track their progress and hold them accountable for delivering real environmental improvements.[[/p]]

[[p]]By using the SMART framework you can create goals and objectives that help plan and optimize your digital marketing activities.&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]By taking each stage into account you can create a plan that is focused, achievable and measurable. These will not only help in your daily work but also show your peers, team and manager how committed you are to executing a project or campaign successfully.&nbsp;&nbsp;[[/p]]

[[p]]There&rsquo;s no better or faster way to break into the digital industry than with a digital marketing certification. DMI&rsquo;s certified and industry aligned [[a href="https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/students/courses/professional-diploma-in-digital-marketing" target="_blank"]]Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing[[/a]] course will teach you the fundamentals of digital marketing, show you how to leverage AI in your marketing activities and simple ways to cultivate soft skills. You&rsquo;ll also explore key channels such as email marketing, social media, SEO, content marketing, and display and video advertising to execute successful marketing campaigns in any industry.[[/p]]

What are SMART Objectives in Digital Marketing?

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