Why You Should Consider Using S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Your Hotel Marketing Plan

Hotel Marketing

November 13, 2023
Why You Should Consider Using S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Your Hotel Marketing Plan

S.M.A.R.T. goals are an effective way to set and achieve your objectives. By taking the time to break down your goals into specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based components, you can increase your chances of success while also gaining greater clarity and focus. Additionally, S.M.A.R.T. goals can help to keep you accountable and on track as you work towards your objectives.

If you're looking to set goals that will help you achieve success, consider using the S.M.A.R.T. goal framework. By taking the time to create S.M.A.R.T. goals, you can increase your chances of achieving your objectives while also gaining greater clarity and focus. Give it a try today!

What are S.M.A.R.T. goals?

S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Based. S.M.A.R.T. goals are specific objectives that are designed to be measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.

The Specific component of a S.M.A.R.T. goal refers to the need for your goal to be clearly defined and unambiguous.

Specific Goals for hotels example:

  • Generate 100 more bookings
  • Grow our instagram audience to 20k followers
  • Launch a new website
  • Increase guests' average length of stay

The Measurable component of a S.M.A.R.T. goal refers to the need for your goal to be quantifiable. In other words, you should be able to measure your progress in order to know whether or not you are on track to achieving your goal.

Measurable Goals for hotels example (based on example Specific Goals):

  • Number of hotel bookings is easily measured
  • Number of Instagram followers is easily measured
  • Has the site launched or not?

All of these are quantifiable so you know your progress at any point.

Examples of bad measurable goals:

  • Make our guests feel even more welcome (is this easy to measure)
  • Make our website better (not defined and too broad)
  • Make everyone happier

You can measure the above but they are not 'clearly measured' and are more etherial in nature.

The Achievable component of a S.M.A.R.T. goal refers to the need for your goal to be realistic and achievable. If your goal is not achievable, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and frustration.

Achievable Goals (based on example Specific Goals - unique to your hotel):

  • Generate 10 more bookings
  • Grow our instagram audience to 1k followers
  • Approve website designs at board level

The Relevant component of a S.M.A.R.T. goal refers to the need for your goal to be relevant to your larger objectives. A goal that is not relevant is a goal that is not worth pursuing.

Relevant Goals for hotels:

  • More guests means more sales
  • More followers allows us to reach a bigger audience
  • New website will improve User Experience and increase bookings

The Time-Based component of a S.M.A.R.T. goal refers to the need for your goal to have a specific end date. Having a deadline for your goal will help to keep you motivated and on track.

Time-Based example:

  • Generate 100 more bookings in the next 3 months
  • Grow our instagram audience to 20k followers in 12 months
  • Launch a new website within 6 months

When you set goals using the S.M.A.R.T. framework you are much more likely not only achieve your goal but also have everyone around you aligned on what you are trying to achieve.

One of the other benefits is you can stay focused and know exactly what you need to deliver and for each activity that you do this for you are feeding directly into the overall hotel objectives.