#MeasurementMinutes: Think SMART

Setting Goals in an Objectives-based Planning Model

By Eastwick’s Analytics & Insight Group (@anthrofoodie,@Social_IDo,@Alukomnik)

Many people in communications will tell you how important it is to think smart. Now we’re not talking about your IQ or street smarts, but rather the acronym “SMART”. For those of you unfamiliar with SMART, it stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-focused, Time-bound. It is of utmost importance to apply each letter of SMART when setting clear goals around your specific business and communications objectives.

• Specific: It is much easier to accomplish a goal when it’s specific. In order to make it so, answer the five “W” questions (who, what, when, where, why) when setting specific goals. A general goal would be, “increase my CEO’s thought-leadership.” A specific goal would be, “By the end of Q3 2016, secure 15 quotes in top-tier business press publications in order to increase my CEO’s thought-leadership and visibility.”
• Measurable: Make sure to ask yourself, “am I able to measure this goal?” If you are unable to measure it, you can’t benchmark it, monitor performance or evaluate the program’s progress and success.
• Attainable: Is this goal actually achievable? Are you setting yourself up for success? Securing 15 quotes of your CEO by the end of Q3 2016 is much more attainable than your CEO becoming an astronaut and flying to the moon…unless he’s Richard Branson.
• Results-focused: Is the goal you set focused on the outcomes you want to achieve? What are the benefits of this goal? What will the goal accomplish? The benefit of securing quotes of your CEO in top-tier business press publications is that it will improve their thought leadership and that in turn drives potential leads.
• Time-bound: Is your goal tied to a specific date or within a specific timeframe? Does the set date allow enough time for the goal for be achieved and create a sense of urgency to complete it? Having 15 quotes of your CEO by Q3 2016 provides an appropriate time-bound deadline.

SMART goal-setting is core to objectives-based communications planning. Goal-setting allows us to 1) know where we are coming from (benchmark), 2) monitor our performance against our objectives and 3) evaluate program success.

Having a SMART approach enables you to monitor performance, celebrate successes and course-correct where necessary. The bottom line is: having clear program goals and measurable communications objectives enable you demonstrate if your efforts have moved the needle.

#MeasurementMinutes is a monthly series from the Eastwick Analytics & Insight group. Be on the lookout for new #MeasurementMinutes each month!