Article: How to define digital strategy goals

Your digital strategy is a roadmap. First you need to think about where you want to get to, then you need to plan your route.

 

That’s why goals are so important. They give you direction and focus to be able to accomplish what you set out to do. They help you prioritise where to put your energies to achieve your overall ambitions.

 

Setting goals can also be a great way to motivate your team, focusing them on the same end point and building enthusiasm for change.

 

 

Before you start

 

Before plotting your goals, it can be useful get a sense of how you’re performing digitally. The NCVO’s digital maturity matrix is a simple way to do this and any improvement areas that it highlights can be a useful starting point.  

 

It’s also helpful to get a clear picture of your strengths and weaknesses. The tried-and-test SWOT analysis is good for this. Simply working through your charity’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats can help to direct your goal setting.

 

You might want to work with an external consultant to craft your strategy, someone who not only has specific expertise, but can offer a fresh eye on your organisation.

 

 

The bigger picture

 

The big question to consider is what do you want to achieve? Are there areas that need improving? Do you want to introduce cashless donation tools? Or are there internally focused goals, such as making an online recruitment process more efficient?

 

Figure out what your overarching goals are and then fine-tune them using the SMART criteria.

 

SMART goals

 

SMART goals have been around for a while, and for good reason. Using this approach means that your goals will be measurable, so you can check if you’ve been effective or not.

 

SMART goals are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Timely

 

Specific

 

A tightly defined goal will be much more effective than broad brushstrokes. Ask yourself who, what, why, and when. For example, just saying you want to ‘raise your charity’s profile’ or ‘increase your followers on Twitter’ won’t give you a clear aim. But saying you want to ‘gain another 2,000 Twitter followers by June 2022’ does.

 

Pinning down the ‘why’ is really helpful in getting buy-in from the wider team, and will make sure that all goals feed into your overarching strategy.

 

And when deciding who will do what, play to the strengths within your team. Delegating tasks to other team members and expanding the number involved in reaching the goal will again get you wider buy-in, and a larger pool of expertise to draw from.

 

 

Measurable

 

How do you know if you’ve been successful? If your goal is quantitative then it can be relatively easy to measure. For example, if you’re aiming for another 200 people to sign up for your newsletter, or increasing traffic to your website by 10%. These are often known as key performance indicators (KPIs). And for stats on your digital platforms there are plenty of metrics to choose from.

 

Qualitative goals, such as improving your reputation, can be trickier to assess. You might need to put some additional measurement tools in place, such as surveys, to get a sense of what you’ve achieved. 

 

Measuring your success at the end of a project is crucial. Whether you’ve achieved what you set out to, or not, you can often find useful learning. This can help with future goal setting, in knowing where will be most effective to put your time and energies next.

 

 

Achievable

 

While it’s great to shoot for the moon, you’ll need to consider any budget restrictions you may have and if there are obstacles that could get in the way. You want to set yourself up for success so think about the resources available, what comparable charities have achieved, and what your starting point is. Having achievable, yet ambitious goals will help to keep you motivated and focused.

 

 

Relevant

 

Your goals need to be relevant to your overarching mission. It’s also important to consider whether now is the right time to work towards them, both within your organisation’s priorities and in the current socio-economic environment. Irrelevant goals can cost you time and money.

 

 

Timely

 

Having a clear deadline will help you to meet your goal. Knowing when the goal is due for completion, gives a point to work backwards from when putting together your project plan. And it also gives you a marker in the sand when, for example, assessing the success of a campaign.

 

 

Above all, be flexible

 

Even though you’ve carefully crafted your goals, don’t get too attached to them. Be ready to adjust your plan if need be. The digital world is constantly shifting and you might want to change tactics part-way through. Go for an agile approach.