Want to spend less time on social media and get better results? You can. Start by setting social media marketing goals that align to business objectives.

The more specific your strategy is, the more effective the execution will be. The secret to success is taking time to define complete and meaningful goals. A good goal is more than a string of words. They are SMART.

Set SMART Goals

The first step to creating a social media marketing strategy is to establish your goals. Without goals, you have no way to measure your success. You will be spending time and money and have no idea of the impact.

Each of your goals should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

An example of a SMART goal might be “Post to Facebook once a week with a call to action that leads people to the website.”

Track Metrics

Your SMART goals should set you up to track meaningful metrics. In the example above, you can compare web metrics on days that you have a Facebook post. Do the numbers increase?

Every goal should lend itself to its own metrics.