Let's Talk Goals

One of the very first things you have to do in setting up a social media strategy is to define your social media goals. 

It’s important to outline how you want social media to support your overall business goals.  Just having a Facebook business page or an Instagram account isn’t enough.  You need to have a plan and setting goals is the best place to start.
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A number of frameworks exist and using a framework is a great idea as they help set you up for success. will push you further, give you a sense of direction and help you organise and reach your goals.

The first step in our 5 Steps to Creating a Social Media Strategy, ​is all about setting goals around your social media objectives. in this blog we're going to explore 3 goal setting frameworks for you to choose which may suit your business:

There’s the OKR framework, it is very simple and is based around setting objectives and key results.

1. Objectives. You start by defining 3-5 key objectives on business, team or personal levels. Objectives should be ambitious, qualitative, time bound and actionable by the person or team.
2. Results. Under each Objective, define 3-5 measurable results. Key results should be quantifiable, achievable, lead to objective grading and be difficult, but not impossible. OKR results can be based on growth, performance, or engagement. Often they are numerical, but they can also show if something is done or undone, so a binary 0 or 1.

Secondly, there is the BHAG model which is the big hairy audacious goals which tend to be big-picture with a visionary aspect. 

According to creator and author, Jim Collins the BHAG concept is clear and compelling and serves as a unifying focal point of effort– often creating immense team spirit.  It has a clear finish line, so the organisation can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines.  A BHAG engages people– it reaches out and grabs them in the gut.  It is tangible, energising, highly focused.  People "get it" right away; it takes little or no explanation.  

Lastly, I'd like to introduce you to is the SMART goal-setting framework. This is the one we use in our business.

What are SMART goals?

• Your goals need to be Specific: They need to be well defined, clear and unambiguous. You’re going to give yourself a greater chance of achieving them if you include specifics.  The who what where & why
• ·They need to be Measurable: Every goal needs some kind of metric to help you track your progress.  Including numbers provides a way for you to measure your improvement.
• Your social media goals should absolutely require you to stretch, but they should be within reach if you put in the required work.  So ensure they are Achievable.
• Relevant: As part of your goals setting process ask yourself how relevant are the goals to the rest of the business.  There’s no point setting a goal if it’s at odds with the rest of the business. Setting relevant goals helps align your focus with your overall business objectives.
• Time-Based: Deadlines keep everyone accountable. You MUST include a specific date for when your goal is to be finished by.  Having a completion date also means you’ve got a date to check in on your success. You might also want to include some monthly or quarterly milestones along the way to review how you’re going and if you’re on track.

So that’s some framework for setting goals. According to Hootsuite, these are the top 5 most common social media goal categories, the areas that you might want to develop specific goals for your business.

1. Build brand awareness
2. Manage brand reputation
3. Build and manage an engaged community
4. Increase conversions/sales
5. Gain insights​​

We are presenting a social media strategy workshop for small business owners in the Brisbane area during Qld Small Business Week, come along and learn about all 5 Steps.  Places are limited, so book early.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GOALS

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