How to Set SMART Business Goals, Objectives and Key Results

By Emma Crameri Emma Crameri has been verified by Muck Rack's editorial team
on 30 June 2021

At the start of each new financial year and calendar year, I like to create a list of business goals. I summarise these goals and write these down on my whiteboard.

How to Build Self Confidence Through Goal Settings

When you set goals and tick them off as you achieve them, you’ll build your self-confidence. You can break down your goals into smaller tasks, and check them off each day and week. You can use your analytics to measure your effectiveness with your target audience.

How to Set Business Goals, Objectives and Key Results

Remember that a SMART goal has the following characteristics: specific, measurable, achievable (or attainable), relevant and time-bound.

You might like to watch this TED talk by John Doerr on Why the secret to success is setting the right goals. He focuses on objectives and key results to creating a successful goal-setting system.

To make it a fun exercise, I like to pop some upbeat music on and do some brainstorming on a poster-sized piece of white cardboard. You might like to use coloured felt tip pens. Drawing and images are optional.

Freelance Writing Goals

For the next six months, as a freelance writer: I like to write down some of the companies I’d like to write about, what topics I’d like to cover and my wish list of products to review.

For example, I’d like to work with some of these technology companies: Alienware, Audio-Technica, Beats by Dre, Canon, HP, HyperX, Intel, Polaroid, Jabra, Lavazza, Leica, Nikon, Nintendo, PlayStation, Razor and Sonos.

I have an overarching personal goal to focus more on photography, gaming, marketing and apps. Then I have a wish list of products that I haven’t reviewed yet for Women Love Tech but would like to. These technology products include a new fitness tracker, gaming computer or laptop, webcam, greenscreen, Govee lights, toy cameras, blender, juicer, air fryer, bread maker, jaffle maker, sandwich press, stream deck and sewing machine.

Next, I’ll write down a writing goal of how many articles I’d like to write per month, based on how many I’ve written in previous months. It’s important to make sure my writing goals are realistic and achievable.

It’s important to remember that I need to write articles for the website’s target audience, who we know from Google Analytics are interested in beauty, fashion, style, trends, apps, news and more.

Companies will send over interesting media releases. I’ll discover intriguing products on my social media accounts, including Instagram and TikTok. As a result, I need to be flexible in my overarching content strategy.

Keiana Cave talks about the art of goal setting as a part of dreaming big. She suggests that in order to change the world, sometimes you have to be unrealistic.

At least once a month, I have a feeling of imposter syndrome, but by focusing on my goals I’m able to break down large tasks and make them more manageable and achievable.

Have you set your SMART business goals, objectives and key results for the next 6 months?

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