What are SMART goals?

SMART Goals are the cornerstone of inbound marketing and sales strategy. It's spoken about a lot by HubSpot, and it's crucial to understand what SMART goals are and why we need to set them. 

Why do you need SMART goals? 

SMART goals ensure that what you're trying to achieve is doable and relevant to your business. The SMART methodology forces you to think about your goaland take the right steps to achieving it. 

The SMART goals definition

SMART goals are:

Specific - they outline exactly what you want to achieve, in numbers, by when. "I will produce more content" isn't a SMART goal, while "I will write 10 blog articles in the next 2 months" is a SMART goal. 

Measurable - your goals need to have actual metrics, such as website visits, leads generated, or social media follows. 

Attainable - set a realistic goal. Don't aim for 60 new customers in the next 3 months if you're only average 2 a month right now.

Relevant - make sure your goal is actually useful for your business. If your aim is to generate 1000 new Facebook followers in the next month, but your lead base primarily uses LinkedIn, then your goal is irrelevant. You might generate the new followers, but they won't do much to help your business much.

Timely - Set a time limit to your goals. It will force you to assess and adjust. Without a deadline, you'll find that the goal becomes less and less of a focus. 10 leads in 1 month is a lot more valuable than 10 leads in one year. Setting a deadline also makes you accountable.

Setting SMART goals is a major feature of Inbound Marketing. You can find out more about inbound marketing by downloading our guide.