From Overwhelmed to In Control: Your Guide to SMART Marketing Goals
SMART goals turn marketing from scattered tactics into a clear, measurable roadmap for growth.
Corresponding Google Worksheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wH8Sc1JgCxHdjEzAzpk5pI7jUjzkg5NXYWruF0VJES4/copy
Why Goals Are the Secret to Marketing Success
Let’s start with the facts:
Marketers who set goals are 376% more likely to report success than those who don’t.
Of marketers who set goals, an incredible 92% report being successful.
But here’s the catch—setting goals is just the beginning. To truly unlock your marketing potential, you need to take it one step further. The most successful marketers don’t just set goals; they document them along with their strategies and workflows.
Why? Because documented strategies amplify your chances of success by 313%, and adding documented workflows makes you 466% more likely to report being successful.
If you’re ready to leave guesswork behind and elevate your results, SMART goals are your first step.
What Are SMART Goals?
SMART goals are more than just buzzwords. They’re the foundation of a results-driven marketing strategy. Here’s what they stand for:
Specific: Goals should focus on one clearly defined metric.
Measurable: Your progress should be trackable with data.
Attainable: Goals need to be challenging yet realistic.
Relevant: Each goal must align with broader business objectives.
Timely: Attach a deadline to every goal to create urgency.
Let’s bring this to life with an example for JC Skateboards for Dogs:
"By June 30, 2025, increase website traffic by 20% through targeted Facebook ads."
This SMART goal is:
Specific: Focuses on website traffic.
Measurable: Tracks the 20% increase.
Attainable: Achieving this with Facebook ads is realistic.
Relevant: Supports JC Skateboards’ broader business goal of increasing sales.
Timely: Must be completed by June 30, 2025.
Why Goal-Setting Is Non-Negotiable
The stats don’t lie: marketers who fail to set and document their goals are leaving success on the table. Without clear goals, your marketing efforts risk becoming aimless. Here’s why goal-setting is so powerful:
Clarity: Goals give you a roadmap for where to invest your time, budget, and energy.
Focus: With SMART goals, you eliminate distractions and focus on what moves the needle.
Accountability: Documented goals make it easier to measure progress and adapt strategies when needed.
Still not convinced? Consider this: only 57% of marketers say their efforts are successful. By setting and documenting your goals, you can break out of that average and join the ranks of the 92% of goal-setters who are thriving.
Common Marketing Goals to Drive Success
What kinds of goals should you set? It depends on your priorities, but here are examples tied to each stage of the marketing funnel:
Top of Funnel (Awareness):
Increase Instagram followers by 15% through daily skateboarding dog reels.
Boost website traffic by 20% via targeted blog content.
Middle of Funnel (Consideration):
Generate 1,000 new leads monthly with an email lead magnet titled “How to Train Your Dog to Skateboard.”
Bottom of Funnel (Conversion):
Increase sales conversions by 25% through personalized email campaigns.
Using the Worksheet
If you haven’t already, make a copy of The Marketing Goal Tracking Worksheet.
Look at the Assumptions area in columns A–C, and fill in the goal numbers and time frame in which you’d like to complete the goal. Enter your Start Goal number in cell C6. This is the amount you influenced toward your goal either the prior month, or you may opt to average several prior months of data.
For our marketing goal example, the Start Goal is 600, which is the average number of marketing-qualified leads generated in the months of October, November, and December. Enter your Final Goal number in cell C7. This is the number you want to influence by the end of your time-bound deadline.
Back to the marketing goal example, the Final Goal is 6,000. That’s to say, you want 6,000 marketing-qualified leads by December 31, 2018, which is the end of the time-bound deadline you defined in your SMART marketing goal statement. If you’d like to define a Stretch Goal, enter it in cell C8. This is basically 10x-ing your 10x goal.
In the example, the Stretch Goal is 7,000. That means you want 7,000 marketing-qualified leads by the end of 2018. The Months To Complete Goal indicates how many months you’ll need to complete the goal. The example spreadsheet is set up for 12 months, suggesting you’ll start working toward completing the goal in January and reach the goal in December.
At this point, you’ll notice the Final Goal and Stretch Goal numbers in the December column Q match what you entered in the Final Goal and Stretch Goal cells in the Assumptions area. The months leading to December amortize toward that goal, suggesting continuous growth every month leading toward the end of the time-bound structure of your goal setting process.
The marketing goal amortization formula looks like this:
(Final Goal – Start Goal) × (month number / months to complete goal)^ 2 assumption + start goal = goal conversion goal for a specific month.
You Did It!
Congrats! You just set marketing goals for every month for an entire year.
Ryan Edwards, CAMINO5 | Co-Founder
Ryan Edwards is the Co-Founder and Head of Strategy at CAMINO5, a consultancy focused on digital strategy and consumer journey design. With over 25 years of experience across brand, tech, and marketing innovation, he’s led initiatives for Fortune 500s including Oracle, NBCUniversal, Sony, Disney, and Kaiser Permanente.
Ryan’s work spans brand repositioning, AI-integrated workflows, and full-funnel strategy. He helps companies cut through complexity, regain clarity, and build for what’s next.
Connect on LinkedIn: ryanedwards2