Setting goals for your business should be something you’re doing on a regular basis. Everyone will have those big long-term targets they’re striving for. But it’s also important to have some short-term business goals too. This way you can piece them all together like stepping stones towards your main goal.
Objectives set for the near future should be something you’re looking to achieve in 12 months or less – this way you can record your progress and easily see how much further you have to go. If you’re exclusively looking 5 or 10 years into the future, you might find yourself getting burnt out because you’re not appreciating the small wins. It’s very hard to implement clear strategies this way so it’s key you’re setting short-term objectives.
Keep your vision un-clouded by moving in smaller sections. It will give you the stamina you need to move forward with the bigger things and over the years you’ll stay motivated to grow and strive for the best. Any time-sensitive matters will be more apparent too, and you’ll have an easier time prioritising if things chop and change.
Why are short-term business goals important?
They provide you with fast feedback and quick results. This is really helpful for monitoring your business plan because it allows you to see what’s working and what may need to be changed – before you get too far down the line. Changing a strategy or implementing something new is far easier if you have only been doing it for a few months. If you get set in your ways, it makes it difficult to go back and amend them.
Also, by being able to see results sooner, you’re going to remain motivated to implement the things that will help achieve your short-term goals. Knowing that you have a set time frame to complete something pushes you to make it happen. You might even find that you and your employees are working more productively and efficiently because the end result is in-sight.
This also means you will all be thinking more positively. If you can see things happening and working quickly, it will reassure you that your business is growing successfully. It acts as a great morale booster and means you can take advantage by celebrating your achievements each time you reach one. Your employees will feel valued and you’ll see defined results for your business.
Short-term business goals you could set
1. Attend networking events/Improve your networking skills
Networking gives you access to opportunities you may not have found otherwise. It gives you a chance to gain insight into other industries as well as your own and you could meet people and learn about businesses that might help with your own growth. It’s a great way to get some valuable advice on what you could be doing to better your business.
Be proactive in the way you network. Just springing something upon someone you’ve never spoken to before may not encourage them to do anything about it. But by having a common interest or goal in mind, you can keep up the relationship and share knowledge/concerns about the industry on a regular basis. It’s a two-way street after all.
That’s why networking events or conferences are a great way to meet people. You’re all there for a reason and you share a common business interest. It might seem like a daunting place at first, but the more you attend, the more people you’ll get a chance to connect with. If you build strong relationships, you can start connecting other people too and you’ll gain respect in the industry.
2. Increase website traffic by X amount in 6 months
Depending on how big your business is and how well established you already are, that number will be different. But look back on how far you’ve come in recent months and set a realistic target for your website over the next half a year. It’s a short-term business goal everyone should be setting regularly because more traffic means more leads and more sales.
To achieve this, you should already have a content marketing strategy in place. What you’re uploading to drive traffic should be as optimised as possible. This way, search engines will prioritise your content to be seen by potential customers. If you haven’t already, you could try implementing an SEO strategy in these 6 months to see how much better you rank on search engines. This will direct more traffic to your website and help you produce more reliable results.
Don’t forget the importance of linking. Wherever you share your content, it should always link back to your website. This way you’re targeting a much larger audience and you’ll achieve higher click-through rates on your posts. If certain procedures aren’t working out, these 6 months are where you’ll figure that out and have a chance to change them.
3. Introduce a social media marketing strategy
If you’re not already on social media, you really should be. It’s where everyone is nowadays. In fact, over half the population is active on some sort of social media platform, so the chances are – your target audience will be too. There are different platforms for different purposes, so you can decide what’s going to suit your business the best.
Putting a strategy in place should start with outlining your business goals as a whole. This way you can work backwards to create content that’s going to reflect and promote them. Social media is a useful tool for directly interacting with your audience, so by creating customer-focused content, you’ll stand a good chance of reaching a large population.
It also allows you to get in touch with their pain points more easily. People will be voicing their concerns and issues online for you to see. Take advantage of this and even set some short-term business goals for social engagement. Get a team together to work on replying to comments and sharing other people’s content. You’ll be building your online presence and gaining the trust of thousands more potential customers.
4. Hire a business coach!
My job is to help you look more in-depth at your business and figure out some effective plans that will accelerate its performance and value. You’ll be able to see what progress you’ve already made as well as discussing what the next steps should be. Any coach will tell you that profit matters, so it’s important to focus on things that are going to boost your profit, ROI and get the ball rolling in the direction of your next short-term goal.
Sometimes, the biggest hurdle can just be what you don’t know! A business coach can help you close those knowledge gaps and make sure you’re constantly learning ways to grow and better your business. We can hold you accountable for achieving these short-term business goals, and any more you decide to make – offering guidance along the way!
While it’s important to think about your marketing and sales tactics, they’re not the only things that will achieve long-term, sustainable business growth. It’s key we look at all aspects of the business to really get a feel for what will impact you most. So by adding a short-term plan to hire a business coach, you will be seeing long-term benefits and results.
Further you business
It’s important to take time and celebrate business achievements. It boosts morale and ensures your employees feel valued and respected in a busy workplace. Don’t look too far into the future and cloud the possibilities because you’ll quickly come to realise that there are plenty of things you can do in a short space of time that will have some really positive results.
Using the SMART goal method is a good way of ensuring you’re not taking on too much or too little in one go. Your targets must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-based. This way you can keep up with growth and implement straightforward plans to move your way steadily through your business strategy.
It can be difficult to know where to begin with business goals and new strategies! With over 30 years in the industry, I’ve successfully worked with a range of businesses to develop effective customer routes that provide the right results. And, I can help you too. Together, we can transform your organisation and unlock its true potential. Contact me today at graham@grahamgarman.com or complete the contact form here and I’ll get back to your shortly to discuss your individual requirements.
