Social Media Marketing Goals: What They Are and How to Set Them

Social media is a serious business, especially for businesses serious about success. Like every other marketing endeavor, it’s best to have a plan in place to succeed on social media. Goals give you the focus you need so that you aren’t aimlessly posting on various platforms. Let’s break down why they matter and what you should know in order to set meaningful social media goals.

Why Should I Set Social Media Marketing Goals

Think of your social media goals as a GPS. Goals give you the direction you need to get to your ideal marketing destination. They give you a starting point, a destination, and the route that you need to take to get there.

Conversely, operating without a GPS makes it harder to get to your end point. It’s like trying to get to a restaurant without knowing where it’s located – you’re just going to wander around with no idea where you’re going or any way to gauge if you’re on the right track.

Another benefit of setting goals is that they help guide your budget. You’re going to need enough gas to get to your ideal destination, so setting a goal can help you know how much you’ll need to spend to make sure your tank doesn’t run out of fuel.

Tips for Setting Social Media Marketing Goals

Now that you understand the importance of social media goals, it’s time to set some targets for your business. The only problem is that people don’t often know where to start.

One of the reasons that businesses don’t always set goals for their social media efforts is that they don’t know where to start. Follow these guidelines to make setting goals less intimidating so that you can put your business on the path to social media marketing success.

Start small

You don’t have to go big right away. It’s good to set up smaller, more manageable goals to build momentum and determine what is realistic until you have a better grasp of how goals work. Start where you’re comfortable and grow from there.

Base goals off existing data

Goals shouldn’t appear out of thin air. You should always review your own data to determine realistic goals that will make a difference. You won’t know if 10% growth is reasonable until you review your data to see where you stand (and if you don’t own your own marketing data, you should).

Make your social media goals are SMART

Not all goals are created equal. Use the SMART goal setting method to follow a specific framework that helps you build better, more focused marketing goals. Make sure your goals follow these five characteristics:

• Specific: Goals should not be vague. Aim for a specific goal tied to one area of focus.
• Measurable: You need to be able to properly judge success or failure. Tie each goal to a specific metric or something else that you can clearly track.
• Actionable: You need to have an action plan. Outline clear tasks and checkpoints to make regular progress.
• Realistic: You don’t need to hit a home run right away. Aim for a goal that is achievable within your timeframe.
• Time-bound: Goals should not go on forever. Every goal should have a dedicated time frame with a clear end date.

Don’t be afraid to change

Goals aren’t permanent. Where you want to go can and probably will change over time, so you don’t have to stress about making a perfect goal. Instead, identify something that helps get you move in the right direction until you can adjust accordingly.

What Types of Social Media Marketing Goals Can I Set?

We’ve explained why and how to set up goals – now it’s time to focus on what matters These goals can span your collective social media efforts or focus on a specific platform, so what you choose depends on what you want to achieve. Here are a few different areas to focus on along with some examples of social media goals.

Brand awareness goals

Want to make your target audience more familiar with your brand? You’re not alone. Nearly half of marketers say that increasing brand awareness is their top priority, and social media is a tremendous platform for boosting your digital presence. There are several steps toward expanding your audience and growing awareness about your specific products or services.

Target KPIs for brand awareness:

• Reach
• Impressions
• Follower count
• Audience growth rate

Driving traffic, leads, and conversions

If it isn’t making dollars, then it isn’t making sense. Social media is great for driving people to your website (and hopefully giving you money for whatever it is you provide). The following KPIs are all examples of metrics you can use to track these types of goals.

Target KPIs for driving traffic, leads, and conversions:

• Leads
• Conversions
• Website traffic
• Conversion rate
• Sales revenue
• Email signups

Increase community engagement

You can exist on social media, but does it really matter if people aren’t connecting with your content? Engagement is direct proof that people like what you’re posting. Tracking that engagement can help you figure out if you’re succeeding over time. Try creating goals around the following metrics so that you can reach your audience in a meaningful way.

Target KPIs for increasing community engagement:

• Likes
• Comments
• Shares
• Saves
• Link clicks
• Video views
• Reactions

Improve brand reputation

Social media is a tremendous tool for building relationships. 46% of people say that they’re willing to pay more to buy from a brand they trust, and social media can help you build that trust in your audience. Of course, you need to develop those relationships first. Interacting with your audience is essential, so focus on the following metrics when setting goals around brand reputation.

Target KPIs for improving brand reputation:

• Impressions
• Brand mentions
• Response time to comments and messages

Common Mistakes People Make with Social Media Goals

People can take some unfortunate turns when setting goals. Fortunately, a little information can help you get back on the right path. Make sure to avoid the following goal setting mistakes.

• They don’t consider the competition: Don’t forget to see how your rivals perform on social media. Doing so can help you see how your industry performs on social media and gather some new ideas that can help you achieve your goals.
• They don’t track and review their progress: Don’t be afraid to learn from the past. Review how you’ve performed in the past to help inform your next goals.
• They overlook the importance of community management: Interacting with your audience is crucial. A lot of goals are focused on leads or awareness, but don’t underestimate the impact of interacting with your captive audience.

Build a Successful Social Media Strategy Around Your Goals

A good goal can make a massive difference for your social media success. Even if you don’t hit your goals, they serve as a great learning opportunity so that you can adapt your strategy. Need some help developing a meaningful social media strategy around your goals? Reach out to Aztek today to learn how we can support your business’ digital marketing efforts.