In order to grow your business, you need to make yourself accountable—and that means setting goals.
With the right goals in place, you can track your performance throughout the year and quickly make adjustments if you start falling behind.
The new year is right around the corner, so now is a great time to start thinking about the types of results you want to see in 2023. But how do you set goals that encourage growth while also being realistic?
Here are our 4 top tips to help you set the right business goals for the new year:
Look Back
Start by looking at your performance in 2022
Before you start looking ahead you need to have a long honest look at the past year. Here are a few important questions to ask yourself:
What went well?
Where did you fall short?
What changes do you need to make to take your business to the next level?
After you review your results from 2022 you should be in a better position to decide what you want to see from 2023.
Perform a SWOT analysis
Using the learnings you uncovered in your 2022 review, perform a SWOT analysis on your business so you know exactly where you stand.
SWOT stands for:
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Create a list for each section of the analysis, as it relates to your business. This will help you uncover the areas of your business you really need to focus on.
Set SMART goals
Of course, you want to be smart about your goals, but also want goals to be SMART:
>>Specific (think about who, what, where, why, and how)
>>Measurable (are you able to track your progress?)
>>Achievable (is the goal realistic?)
>>Relevant (why is this goal important to you?)
>>Time-bound (set a deadline for your goal)
By using the above rules, you’ll be able to craft meaningful goals that have a positive impact on your business.
Create a plan to measure and track your results.
Setting goals is great, but how do you make sure you actually achieve them?
To start, you’ll need the right analytics. Google Analytics is free and offers a number of data points that are valuable to small businesses. However, depending on your goals you might need a more advanced solution, like Hotjar (both of these platforms integrate seamlessly with Leadpages).
Next, schedule check-ins throughout the year to review your progress. This way, if you start missing your targets you can catch it early and make the necessary adjustments.
Ready to start setting your goals?
Now’s the time! Start planning for 2023 to make sure it’s your best year yet!