The first step in creating your marketing strategy is to set objectives. Your objectives should be SMART:

S – Specific

Set specific objectives that are relevant to your law firm. Setting specific objectives in a law firm will look different from those in a family law firm. They will also look different than the objectives of a law firm that provides services to businesses.

Being as specific as possible paints a clear picture of what you aim to achieve and gives you the framework to better understand what works and doesn’t. Setting particular objectives will save you time and money down the road. Questions to ask yourself when coming up with specific goals are:

• What do we want to accomplish?
• What actions will we take to achieve these goals?
• What are our deadlines?
• Who is responsible for each task?

M – Measurable

Make sure you can measure your objectives so you can track your progress. If your objectives are immeasurable, you won’t be able to track your progress and determine whether or not you’re on track to reach your goals.

Measuring your objectives lets you see which goals are working and which need to be tweaked. Questions to ask yourself when making sure your objectives are measurable include:

• How will we know if this objective gets met?
• What metric will we use to measure progress?
• How much progress do we need to make to reach our goal?
• How close are we to accomplishing this goal?
• How well does this specific objective align with what we are attempting to accomplish?

A – Achievable

Set objectives that are achievable and realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are impossible to reach. Not only will this discourage you, but it will also make it difficult to gauge your progress.

Setting achievable objectives is essential to ensure they are also relevant to your overall goals. You don’t want to waste time, energy, and resources on pursuits that don’t help you move closer to your goals. Some questions to determine if your goal is achievable are:

• Is this action doable?
• Can it be maintained throughout the duration of the project?
• Do we have the resources necessary to complete this task?
• Who will be responsible for completing this task?
• Do you have the skills needed to complete the task?

R – Relevant

Make sure your objectives are relevant to your goals. Don’t set objectives that don’t help you move closer to your goals. As mentioned before, you want to ensure your objectives are relevant so you don’t waste time and resources. Some critical questions to consider when determining if your goals are relevant are:

• How does this objective help us achieve our goal?
• What are the potential outcomes of achieving this objective?
• Does this objective align with our vision and mission?
• Do we have the resources necessary to complete this task?
• Who will be responsible for completing this task?

T – Time-bound

Set a timeframe for each objective so you can stay on track. If you don’t set a timeframe, it won’t be easy to remain on track and know if you’re making progress. When setting time-bound objectives, it’s important to make sure they are realistic.

You don’t want to develop an unrealistic and unachievable timeframe and miss your deadline, which will only discourage you and make it challenging to stay on track. Though time is the last thing to account for when creating SMART goals, it is one of the most important. Time is the glue that holds the entire process together or the lack thereof that can tear it apart. Some questions to consider when making sure your objective is time-bound are:

• What is the deadline for this objective?
• How much time do we have to complete this task?
• Who will be responsible for completing this task?
• What are the milestones for this objective?
• When do we need to have this task completed?

Notice that at multiple levels of setting SMART goals, the question of who will complete the task pops up. Identifying who is responsible for specifically assigned tasks is crucial to establishing a timeline for completion, and knowing who will complete which task eliminates any confusion down the road.

It shows everyone on the team who to contact with specific inquiries to keep the project moving in a positive direction. It also ensures that the person responsible for the task knows that it is their responsibility to see it through to completion and that they have the skills and experience to do so.

Creating SMART objectives is a simple process that can help you achieve your goals. Following these steps ensures that your objectives are clear, attainable, and relevant to your goals. Each goal helps you take small steps that move you closer to your overall purpose. And by setting a timeframe for each objective, you can stay on track and know when you’ve achieved your goal.

Some examples of SMART objectives for a law firm marketing plan could be:

• Generate 100 new leads per month from your website by the end of Q1.
• Generate 50 new leads per month from your blog by the end of Q2.
• Get ten new clients per month from your social media channels by the end of Q3.

As you can see, these objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Now that you understand what SMART goals are and how to set them, it’s time to start creating your own. Use the ideas and examples in this guide to develop SMART objectives for your law firm marketing plan.