If you think back to your Marketing 101 class, you will probably vaguely remember the concept of setting S.M.A.R.T. objectives (if you need a refresher on objectives versus goals/strategy/tactics, check that out here), and if you’re lucky, you will even remember your professor telling you that setting S.M.A.R.T. objectives is the basis for any successful marketing campaign.
Despite the fact that most marketers treat social media and the internet as this mythical being that defies their ability to assess any objectives or markers, the opposite is actually the truth. Before we can dive into how we analyze what we do, let’s dive into a quick refresher on S.M.A.R.T.
Specific: Your objectives should answer the 5 w’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. This lets both your team and your client know exactly what is expected.
Measurable:This is where the “How” comes in. What are you going to look at to know if you completed your objective? (Please note, your number of social media followers is a HORRIBLE measurement because it tells you nothing.)
Attainable: The objective must be able to be realistically reached given the resources you have available.
Relevant: Your objective must make sense for your client, and it must align with their other efforts.
Time-Bound: Is there an endpoint for your social media campaign? This establishes a sense of urgency to do everything you can to reach your objective in the allotted time frame.
Now that we are all caught up on what S.M.A.R.T. objectives are, we can take a look at how we apply them to web campaigns. Thankfully, with tools like Google Analytics, being able to analyze these objectives has never been easier. However, instead of relying on the basic measurements that are presented in web analytics tools, like hits (HINT: you shouldn’t be using hits, it’s utterly worthless) visitors, and bounce rate, good marketers should be setting custom objectives based on the principles of S.M.A.R.T.
Let’s take a look at an objective that marketers commonly use and how we can make it S.M.A.R.T. Instead of measuring the number of social media followers you gain over a period of time (which fails the Relevancy test, since number of followers means nothing to the bottom line of your company or client), why not set an objective to drive x number of people to visit the website via a social media page and purchase a product from the company in the next 6 months. This is S.M.A.R.T. because it answers who, what, when, where, and how, as well as being attainable, relevant (it directly impacts the bottom line), and time-bound (you have 6 months to do it).
As we approach the new year, spend a few hours, days, or even a week and look at the objectives you have planned for the next 6 months to a year and see if you can make them S.M.A.R.T.er. It will not only make your clients happier, but it will ensure a sane start to the new year. Please feel free to leave any questions, comments, or concerns about S.M.A.R.T. in the comments section below.
If you would like more details about measuring S.M.A.R.T. with social, feel free to check out Metrics that Matter: Measuring Social Media, a post that first appeared right here on Bad Rhino Rumblings.
Photo credit: losasso.com
