Small Business Marketing Strategy: Setting Smart Goals

Small Business Marketing Strategy: Setting Smart Goals

After you create your small business mission statement, you need to set some small business marketing strategy objectives.

Setting Smart Small Business Marketing Strategy Goals

The first step to setting goals is to make them SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely.

Specific
The more specific your small business marketing strategy goal, the higher the likelihood of you achieving it. Include the four “W Formula” to make it more specific:

Who – Who is involved.
What – What do I desire to achieve?
Which – Which requirements, constraints or parameters are important?
Why – Identify why you want to achieve each of your small business marketing strategy goals (i.e. what will the benefits be)? If you can’t determine your why, remove the goal and create a new one.

An example of a general marketing strategy objective would be: I will earn $200,000. Where as an example of a specific goal would be: I earn $100,000 per year with ease. I serve 100 affluent women and generate $2,000 per year from each traditional, affluent women client.

Another way to make sure your small business marketing strategy goals are specific is to make them tangible. Try to experience your goals with your senses – taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. Also, experience them with your emotions. Does contemplating your goal make you feel calm, happy, grateful, excited? Or scared, nervous, angry, or sad?

If you feel a negative emotion, allow yourself to experience it. When we feel it, we can release it. If you experience issues of low self-worth or negative emotions, review the section “How to Release Mental Blocks and Core Beliefs” in The 7 Principles of Becoming a Millionaire for Life, Powerful lessons to create wealth, health and happiness.

Measurable
You must be able to measure the progress of achieving your small business marketing strategy goal. For example, a method to measure your progress of earning your desired income is to track it weekly. Keep a log of your activity including referrals and repeat business. A measurable objective tells you how much and when (by what day) you need to achieve it. It also provides a measuring stick to keep you on track so if you get temporarily off course with your small business marketing strategy and plan, you have a framework to get back on course.

Attainable
The small business marketing strategy goal must be possible to achieve. Objectives should motivate you to action, but not immobilize you by fear. When you are motivated, your subconscious mind ignites an internal process that allows you to figure out unique solutions and ideas that propel you forward. Amazing things happen including coincidences, opportunities and much more. It is like switching on the inner light and watching your life change instantly.

A goal should be written in positive, present tense, as if it were happening right now (even if it isn’t). So if your objective states “I earn $1,000,000 per year” and you currently earn $100,000 that may not be attainable. While your small business marketing strategy goal is positive and present tense it is unlikely it will occur within a reasonable time frame. This goal would pass the attainable standard if changed to “I earn $150,000 per year.” While the ultimate goal might be to eventually earn $1,000,0000, when you set an initial financial advisor goal that is unattainable, the risk is that you get discouraged before you achieve it.

Realistic
For a small business marketing strategy goal to be realistic, it needs to represent an objective that you are both willing and able to achieve. A goal needs to be challenging so that it is both motivating and exciting, but also attainable. Interestingly, sometimes bigger objectives are easier to achieve because they require greater momentum, motivation and action than a smaller one.

If, in your heart, you believe the goal can be achieved, it probably is realistic. Taking time to identify what has to happen or change for you to accomplish your goal will help you to determine how realistic it is. If you currently weigh 140 pounds and work out sporadically, it would appear that the objective to weigh 125 pounds is realistic assuming you have the discipline and desire to commit to a workout and diet plan. When a goal becomes realistic there is a much higher probability of attaining it.

Timely
To make a small business marketing strategy objective timely, you must give it a realistic deadline. For instance, if your goal is to make a million dollars a year and you currently make under $50,000, begin with a goal like “I earn $100,000 this year with ease.” You can also have a stretch goal, such as “By December 31st (year), I earn $250,000.” This allows you to state your intention and begin the manifestation process. When you put a more realistic time frame on it, it takes some of the pressure off. But make sure to set a time line for achievement of your small business marketing goals; with a deadline, there a motivation to begin moving toward your goals, right now.

In my next post, I will cover the simple process for setting affirmative goals combined HVFDAs, high value fixed daily activities, which is the key to a successful small business marketing strategy and plan.

Until then, write out your business marketing goals!

If you want to attend our next marketing webinar and learn how to create your small business marketing strategy go to Marketing Strategy.