Everyone can set goals. But stick to them and actually achieve them? Well, that’s a whole different ball game.
Between procrastination, shifting priorities, changes in your organization, or maybe even thinking on vacation, there are a million things that stand in the way of you, your team, or our business achieving your goals.
But not if you’re armed with SMART goals. In this article, we’ll cover what SMART goals are and then share 11 examples you can model after.
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What are SMART goals?
SMART goals are goals which have a clear structure. These are goals you’ll be happy to set and your boss will appreciate seeing. Best of all, with this framework, you’ll be ready to achieve them.
SMART stands for:
- Specifically: Clear and detailed to remove ambiguity and provide guidance.
- Measurable: You need a way to track progress and determine success.
- Achievable: Your goals should be realistic, given your bandwidth.
- Relevant: In line with your broader goals and long-term business goals.
- Limited time: Set a deadline or time frame to encourage accountability.


Let’s look at some examples.
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SMART examples of goals for marketing
Let’s start with some examples of SMART goals for marketing.
1. Increase website traffic by 20%
Increasing website traffic is a common goal for many companies. Here’s how to do it SMART:
- Specifically: Increase website traffic through targeted traffic SEO content.
- Measurable: Increase by 20% (from 5000 to 6000 visitors per month).
- Achievable: Use keyword research tools and publish two SEO-optimized blog posts per week.
- Relevant: More traffic will result in more lead generation and brand visibility.
- Limited time: Achieve this goal in the next three months.


Track each piece of SEO content to see which helps you reach your traffic goals.
2. Increase engagement on social networks by 10%
There’s no better way to improve yours social media marketing strategy but with some measurable goals. For example:
- Specifically: Increase engagement on Instagram rate for 10% with user generated content.
- Measurable: Get a 10% engagement rate (up from 7%) and get 500 new followers.
- Achievable: Run two monthly campaigns with user generated content. Use existing design tools and encourage followers to enter contests.
- Relevant: Strong social engagement promotes brand awareness, brand loyaltyand trust.
- Limited time: Achieve these metrics by the end of the next quarter.
Learn more about creating SMART social media strategy here,
3. Generate 50 sales qualified leads per month
If email plays a role in your marketing goals (and very well should), here’s an example of a SMART goal to model towards:
- Specifically: Generate 50 sales qualified leads each month through a segmented email campaign.
- Measurable: Generate 50 sales qualified leads every month. Track performance via click-through rate (CTR) and lead form submissions.
- Achievable: Leverage an email list of 5,000 contacts and create compelling eBooks to use as closed content.
- Relevant: High-quality leads will improve conversion rates and revenue.
- Limited time: Keep this pace consistent for the next six months.


Email list segmentation is a common lead generation strategy.
⭐️ Free lead generation tool! The Ultimate Lead Generation Guide: 25 Ideas (+Tips & Examples).
4. Reduce Google Ads CPL by 25%
There are tons of them PPC metrics aim with SMART goals. Here is an example for cost per lead (CPL) reduction in Google Ads:
- Specifically: Reduce Google Ads CPL by 25% with optimization ad targeting and keywords.
- Measurable: Reduce CPL from $40 to $30.
- Achievable: Use A/B testing on your ads and improve them audience segmentation.
- Relevant: Improved ROI will directly impact marketing profitability.
- Limited time: Reach this goal in the next 4 months.
5. Improve online rating from 4.2 to 4.5
- Specifically: Improve Company profile on Google with a rating of 4.2 to 4.5 encouraging 20 satisfied customers leave reviews.
- Measurable: Aim for 20 new 5-star reviews.
- Achievable: Implement automated emails for customers who provide an NPS of 8 or higher.
- Relevant: A strong online reputation will attract more local customers.
- Limited time: Achieve it within a month.


You can add a link to your website to encourage more customer reviews.
More examples of SMART goals for work and business
You can use SMART goals for more than that performance marketing. Here are some more examples of SMART goals for other areas of business growth.
6. Increase your monthly income by 20%
- Specifically: Increase monthly income by 20% by upgrading strategies to increase sales.
- Measurable: Increase revenue by 20%, targeting five major sales per month.
- Achievable: Use targeted email and call account executive campaigns to achieve this goal.
- Relevant: Supports overall business growth goals.
- Time limited: Achieve it by the end of the next fiscal quarter.
7. Improve customer retention rate by 15%
- Specifically: To improve customer retention rate for 15% through loyalty programs and personalized email campaigns.
- Measurable: 15% improvement. Measure retention through repeat purchase rates and churn data.
- Achievable: Train the support team and implement a customer feedback system. Promote the loyalty program through email campaigns.
- Relevant: Addresses the need to maintain a loyal customer base and increase long-term customer value (LTV).
- Time limited: Complete initiatives within six months.


Many brands use loyalty programs to increase customer retention.
8. Improve team productivity by 10%
- Specifically: Reduce project completion time by 10%.
- Measurable: Track average project completion times and try to complete them 10% faster.
- Achievable: Introduce a project management tool like Asana or Trello. Conduct team training and document standardized processes.
- Relevant: Helps meet deadlines, improve efficiency and improve customer satisfaction.
- Time limited: Implement changes and track results within three months.
9. Expand your market reach
- Specifically: Enter three new local markets by the end of the year.
- Measurable: Enter three new markets. Measure success by market penetration rates and sales data. Get at least five new Google reviews in each new market.
- Achievable: Allocate budget and resources for market entry. Create localized marketing campaignsteam up with local distributors and run ceremonial opening peculiarities for each market.
- Relevant: Related to the goal of business expansion.
- Time limited: To achieve it by the end of the year.


Cross-marketing on different channels is an important part of expanding into new markets.
10. Improve customer service
- Specifically: Achieve a 90% customer satisfaction rate by reducing response times and improving training for support representatives.
- Measurable: 90% satisfaction rate, tracked through surveys and reviews. Reduce response times to five minutes or less, tracked through an internal ticketing system.
- Achievable: Arrange chatbots and increase live agent availability. Conduct training sessions and offer incentives to improve performance.
- Relevant: Aligns with a customer-centric strategy.
- Time limited: Complete the goal within six months.
11. Launch a new product
- Specifically: Successful launch a new product by finalizing the development, creating a market exit strategy and including 1000 new customers.
- Measurable: Measure success through pre-orders, sales and customer feedback.
- Achievable: Assign cross-functional teams and a realistic budget.
- Relevant: Expands product portfolio and diversifies sources of income.
- Time limited: Launching in the next eight months.
Get started with these examples of SMART goals
Goals without SMART characteristics are nothing more than dreams in disguise. So whether you want to generate leads, increase revenue, engage clients or something (anything) else, SMART is the way to go. This framework gives you a clear map to follow. Best of all, you’ll get the satisfaction of achieving those goals!
No matter what your marketing and growth goals are, we can help! Contact us and we’ll show you how.