November 2023

How to set (and achieve!) SMART marketing goals for your home services business

New year, new marketing goals?

If Q4 has you in a planning and goal-setting marketing mindset, we’re right there with you. We believe year-end is the best time to get ultra-clear on how far you’ve come, where you’re going next, and what it’ll take to get there on time and on budget.

And the SMART goal-setting framework can help.

Whether you’re a plumbing service aiming to reach more homeowners in a nearby town, an HVAC team ready to break into commercial services, or electricians needing a ‘spark’ of new business, SMART marketing goals push you to focus on the metrics that matter—and help you effectively measure your progress towards them.

If you’re not sure how to get from ambition to achievement or create goals your team can really rally behind, here’s how you can apply the SMART framework to your year-end planning—and turn your growth goals into meaningful and measurable momentum.

What is a SMART goal?

SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. And every goal you set, in marketing and otherwise, should pass this 5-point test before you throw it on your goal poster.

Using the SMART framework requires business owners and their teams to set clear, focused, and attainable aspirations. They push you beyond hunches and broad targets, giving you the defined objectives you need to build a high-impact marketing plan backed by quantifiable metrics.

With SMART goals in place, you have more than a defined path to follow. You have the ability to measure and track your ROI throughout every single step of your strategy, maximizing your marketing budget and building momentum behind the achievements that matter most to you.

What does a SMART goal look like?

Any initiative, objective, or ambition can be made into a SMART goal. Once you’ve determined what you want to achieve, like growing your leads or increasing sales, think about the metrics you’ll use to measure that goal and how you’ll know when you achieve it. To finish the SMART goal off, give it a realistic timeline, like a specific end date or a length of time you’ll focus on this goal.

To really drive the concept of SMART goals home, let’s take a look at a couple of examples that show just how powerful a precise and trackable goal can be.

“Using the SMART framework requires business owners and their teams to set clear, focused, and attainable aspirations. They push you beyond hunches and broad targets, giving you the defined objectives you need to build a high-impact marketing plan backed by quantifiable metrics.”

Say you want to get more leads for your home services ‌business in early spring.// when your sales tend to slow.

General Goal: Get more new customers

SMART Goal: Increase website contact form submissions by 25% within the next two quarters

While both of these goals lead to the same outcome (greater sales), the SMART goal offers a built-in method, timeline, and metrics, so you know exactly when you’ve nailed your goal. That makes this aspiration more motivating for you and your team, so you can focus your marketing efforts around it.

Here’s another example:

You want to increase customer retention, so you have more returning (and referring) customers.

General Goal: Increase our number of repeat customers

SMART Goal: Boost enrollment in annual preventative maintenance program by 15% in 2024

The SMART goal, in this example, is built around a specific and measurable strategy that will lead to the desired outcome (loyal and referring customers), so it’s achievable, trackable, and valuable to your business.

As we approach year-end, there’s no better time to get your marketing goals in order.

HomeBoost, powered by MediaSpark, transforms silent phones and empty inboxes into game-changing growth and market-dominating momentum. We specialize in building data-backed, SMART marketing goals tailored to your most critical objectives and unique local trends—so every dollar invested does its job, and then some.

Ready to increase your visibility, rev up your revenue, and reach more valuable customers? Connect with our team to find out what’s possible.