How do you set measurable social media goals? Let’s break down that sentence.
- Goal = Knowing what you want
- Measurable = Having a way to track what you’re doing to get what you want
It seems pretty simple to us, but we are always surprised by clients that never considered setting goals for their social media.
All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do.” —Norman Vincent Peale
How to Set Measurable Social Media Goals
An easy way to set measurable goals is to use the SMART Goal formula. You may have heard of this method before and probably not in relation to social media.
But it TOTALLY applies to social media.
In our words, here’s how you can apply the SMART goal method to social media that guarantees measurable results.
SPECIFIC
This means that you should be clear about what you want.
For example, getting more people to come to your event is a great idea but what actions do you want people to take before this can happen?
Do you need to sell event tickets? How do you need to sell them? Does it mean you’ll need to drive more traffic to a website where people can buy tickets? Or does it mean that they need to come early to purchase tickets in person at the door?
What specific thing do you need to do to sell more tickets?
MEASURABLE
Give yourself real numbers or percentages as part of your goal.
Do you want to sell 20% more tickets than you did last time, or get 100 more Instagram followers this month? Writing down exact numbers that can be measured lets you know exactly how well you did.
ACHIEVABLE
Make sure the social media outcome you want is attainable. For example, getting a million Instagram followers with a $10 a month budget probably isn’t in the cards (at least not in any ethical way).
It’s also smart to avoid made-up or arbitrary goals.Don’t set yourself up for failure!
RELEVANT
Make sure the social media goals that you want to measure connect to your overall business goals.
Social media shouldn’t operate in a silo. If your goal is to increase event attendance, social media can work alongside your traditional media and PR efforts to achieve that goal as one piece of the plan.
TIMELY
Put time limits on your measurements. Have a specific time frame tied to your goal because you will need it for proper analysis. For example, look at your measurements every 2nd Friday, the last day of the month, or the end of every quarter.
Where can you find social media numbers to measure when implementing the above plan? Don’t worry, start here –
Facebook: A Beginners Guide to Facebook Page Insights
Instagram: How to Analyze Your Instagram Marketing: Metrics that Matter