How do you set and track SMART goals for your content?

1 Define your specific goal

The first step in setting a SMART goal is to be clear and specific about what you want to achieve with your content. A vague or general goal, such as "increase traffic" or "improve engagement", won't help you plan your actions or evaluate your outcomes. Instead, you need to define your goal in terms of who, what, when, where, why, and how. For example, a specific goal could be "to increase organic traffic from female millennials in the US to our blog by 20% in the next six months by creating and promoting content that addresses their pain points and interests".

2 Choose a measurable indicator

The next step is to choose a way to measure your progress and success. A measurable goal has a quantifiable indicator that you can track and analyze with data. This could be a number, a percentage, a ratio, or a score, depending on your goal. For example, if your goal is to increase organic traffic, you could use Google Analytics or another tool to monitor the number of visitors, sessions, page views, and bounce rate of your target audience segment. You should also set a baseline and a target for your indicator, such as "from 10,000 to 12,000 visitors per month".

3 Assess your achievability

The third step is to assess whether your goal is realistic and attainable, given your resources, constraints, and challenges. An achievable goal is one that you have the skills, knowledge, tools, budget, and time to accomplish. It should also be challenging enough to motivate you, but not so difficult that it discourages you. To evaluate your achievability, you need to consider factors such as your current performance, your competitors, your audience behavior, and your industry trends. For example, if your goal is to increase organic traffic by 20%, you need to ask yourself if you have enough content, keywords, links, and promotion channels to reach that level.

4 Ensure your relevance

The fourth step is to ensure that your goal is relevant and aligned with your overall content strategy and business objectives. A relevant goal is one that supports your mission, vision, values, and priorities, and that contributes to your desired outcomes. It should also be consistent with your audience needs, expectations, and preferences, and with the current market situation and opportunities. To ensure your relevance, you need to ask yourself why your goal is important, how it fits with your other goals, and who benefits from it. For example, if your goal is to increase organic traffic, you need to explain how it will help you generate leads, conversions, sales, or loyalty.

5 Set a time-bound deadline

The final step is to set a specific and realistic deadline for your goal. A time-bound goal has a clear start and end date, and a defined duration. This helps you create a sense of urgency, accountability, and focus, and also allows you to plan your actions and milestones. It also helps you review your performance and results at regular intervals, and make adjustments if needed. To set a time-bound deadline, you need to consider how long it will take you to achieve your goal, what are the best times to execute your actions, and what are the potential risks or delays. For example, if your goal is to increase organic traffic by 20% in six months, you need to break down your goal into monthly or quarterly targets, and schedule your content creation and promotion accordingly.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?