SMART goals are the key to creating achievable and measurable objectives, whether in your personal or professional life. What are SMART goals? How can you better use them to reach your desired results? In this post, we are covering how law firms can manage their marketing goals using the SMART methodology.

A Refresher: What are SMART Goals? 

SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. 

There are several components, all designed to work together to ensure you have a proper framework for accomplishing objectives. Instead of making goals that are essentially open-ended wishes,  you can create goals that involve a purposeful and thoughtful plan. 

For example, most law firms have an overall goal of increasing profits. That’s not very specific, though. Further down in the article, we’ll make over this goal using the SMART technique, and you will see the difference. 

Why Do SMART Goals Matter? 

Have you heard the expression “Fail to plan, plan to fail”? The truth is that planning is a large element of a marketing professional’s job, and creating real plans makes you much more likely to achieve the results you want. 

That means brands who implement SMART goals are going to be way ahead of those who don’t, simply because it involves making an intentional plan. A SMART goal means that you have actual numbers to measure against, that you have a timeframe for knowing if your goal is achieved, and that you’ve chosen something that can actually be done. Without those items, your goal is really just a wish. The more specific you can be, the more likely your team will all be on the same page and working toward those objectives. When you hit certain numbers, you’ll know. There is no ambiguity, which is especially helpful for marketing teams who constantly have to prove their value.

SMART Goal Examples

Take our “profits” example above. Almost any law firm – any company at all, really – wants to increase profits. Ok, but how exactly are you going to do that? A SMART goal would look more like this:

• Specific – Increase profits by 20%
• Measurable – Based on quarterly profit measurements
• Achievable – We hit 15% last year, so 20% should be possible
• Relevant – Profits matter a lot, so this is relevant
• Timely – We will review at the end of each quarter

Therefore, a new SMART goal would say: Increase profits each quarter by 20%, based on quarterly measurements pulled at the end of this quarter and every quarter. 

Here are some other examples of places large brands use SMART goals effectively: 

• Many companies measure their contributions to energy efficiency. For example, a manufacturing plant might say they have a goal of a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. 
• If you have a goal of increasing diversity and inclusion initiatives, you may have a goal like: a 50% increase in indigenous or multiracial employees in your US workforce by 2026. 

Talking about marketing specifically, you could look at these goals: 

• Enhance organic search traffic to your website by 25% by next year. 
• Increase the CTR of your welcome email series by 15% over the next 3 months.
• Obtain a 40% increase in Instagram followers over the next 12 months. 
• Increase website visits from social media from 300 to 600 per month over the next 6 months. 
• Decrease the bounce rate for blog posts from 60% to 40% this year. 
• Boost email open rates by 7% this quarter. 
• Leverage new influencer partnerships on Instagram to increase mentions on social media by 50%.
• Publish 50% more blog posts next month utilizing transcripts from your new podcast series. 
• Gain more visibility on TikTok to appeal to more Gen Z clients: obtain 50% more views in that demographic over the next year. 

To learn more about social media strategies, check out this complimentary ebook: Advanced Social Media Strategies for Law Firms

Takeaway: 

SMART goals are a game-changer for firms that are serious about achieving goals in the most efficient way possible. Creating SMART goals will help you to prioritize objectives and focus your resources on things that are realistic and time-bound. Make sure to create goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely – and then go achieve them!