Brand Builders Part 15: Do You Have SMART Goals?

Part of your strategic brand plan has to be about setting some goals. I mean, you’re not just heading out there doing stuff here and there and hoping it works, right? You’re setting some goals. You need to have some milestones. You need to make sure you’re getting a good return on your investment. So, SMART goals are the best way to go. We use SMART goals, because I think it keeps everybody on the same page. So this is how they break down. “S”; it’s got to be specific. You can’t just say, “I hope to grow the business”. You need to specifically say what the growth goal is. Now, it also has to be measurable. You don’t want to be just general and vague. You want to say 10% or 15%. And it’s got to be something that you can track and really keep tabs on. It needs to be achievable.

If you just say “I’m going to double the business in a month!”, well, that’s not very achievable. So, you want to kind of be realistic about it, right? And that’s the “R”; realistic. And then last but not least, timely. Your goals have to be in a timely manner. You don’t want this to be over the course of a decade, but also probably not going to achieve it over the course of a day. So, make sure that your goals are SMART goals, that they’re specific, they’re measurable, they’re achievable, they’re realistic, and they’re timely. That’s how you’re going to build a brand.