SMART goals are something used very often in all areas of life – personal, professional, or educational. SMART goals help define what the problem is, how to approach it, and how to solve it. However, SMART goals dig deeper than just the surface appearance of what they are created for. In order to breakdown the pieces of what makes up a SMART goal, everything must start at the beginning. Goals, strategies, and tactics are often used interchangeably in today’s culture. However, each of these three words has such a deeper meaning behind it. To begin, goals are a thought or idea, designed to be achieved within a period of time. Goals = primary outcomes. Following the creation of a goal, tactics are actions that are taken in order to reach a certain point within the goal. Strategies = approach taken to achieve a goal. On the other hand, strategies are defined as plans which are used alongside tactics to help reach a goal. Tactics = tools used alongside a strategy.
When looking at the use of SMART goals in business, they are often used when creating marketing campaigns. In fact, SMART goals are key to creating marketing campaigns. By setting SMART goals, a business will be able to clarify what its ideas are, while being able to put more focus on its efforts in attaining them. These goals are meant to be realistic and attainable, while also challenging one to stretch beyond his or her limits in order to achieve success. When looking to establish SMART goals when creating marketing campaigns, there are six questions that can be asked. These questions deal with the who, what, when, where, which, and why aspects.
- Who is involved?
- What are you seeking to accomplish?
- Where will this be taking place?
- When will this be happening and in what time frame?
- Which requirements are you seeking to achieve? Which constraints are holding you back?
- What is your purpose? What is your reasoning?
After examining all the different questions about what should be examined within a SMART goal, the next step should be examining how marketing tactics align to strategies in order to support the proposed goals. The first example would be looking at balancing and aligning management. If a business wishes to succeed in their marketing campaigning efforts, the goals need to be established right away, followed by proposed strategies and tactics. However, not only do all three of these areas need to be established, but they also need to be aligned with one another. Those involved in the marketing campaign need to be able to understand each other, see eye to eye, and be working towards the same goal. The second example is making sure everyone involved in the marketing campaign communicates the goals. Creating a marketing campaign involves multiple departments and many employees. In order for the proposed campaign goal to be understood by everyone, effective communication is key. Without it, the strategies and tactics would be lost. Alignment is only truly achieved when the goals, strategies, and tactics reach deep down into each department, yet each department works together to achieve the business’ goal.
In order to be sure than SMART goals are met, businesses need to use key performance indicators, otherwise known as KPI’s. Key performance indicators are a type of business metric which are used to track and measure performance in relation to a business’ specific goals. An example would be a business seeking to provide the best services to ensure customer satisfaction, and the business would use customer surveys as their form of KPI’s. By using these customer surveys, the business would be able to collect and track all the received data and analyze what truly works and what the customers want and need.
MKT 229 - Skyler Schuelke 