When you are creating content for social media, just as with any other important endeavor it is helpful to have clearly defined goals in mind. That’s where SMART goals come in handy.

If you’re unfamiliar with SMART goals, here is a quick explanation:

S – Specific. Clearly state the objective. What is it you want to accomplish?

M – Measurable. Define how the goal will be measured so that progress can be tracked. This helps you understand if you’re on track and how you might make improvements.

A – Attainable. Ask yourself if your goal is actually achievable. Are there factors that could hinder progress? Do you have the capabilities or resources and time to commit to the goal?

R – Relevant. Is this goal relevant to your long-term strategy (or other goals you may be creating?)

T – Time-bound. Set a clear start date and completion date so there is no confusion about when the goal needs to be met. This will help you stay on track.

Since often the first goal for any brand on social media is awareness, let’s use that as our example. After all, people won’t sign up for what you’re offering if they aren’t even aware of you!

A SMART goal might look like this:

Increase brand awareness by having 3 posts reach an audience of 500 by October 1.

You can see this goal is specific (increase brand awareness to 500), measurable (3 posts reaching 500 views), achievable (your current audience is less than 500 and you want to grow to 500 in a few weeks), relevant (you can’t offer services if they don’t know you), and time-bound (starting today and completing by October 1.)

Now that you have a SMART goal for your social media, the next time you sit down to work on marketing you’ll know exactly what you are aiming for. Even if you don’t reach your goal in the allotted time, you will have learned a lot and can create new goals based on what you’ve learned.

Start thinking about area businesses, nonprofits, influencers, networks, and other community organizations who may be interested in your services. Allow yourself to be creative and open to possibilities as you create your list. These organizations may have never collaborated with a service like yours—what can you offer them that helps them better serve their stakeholders (or shareholders?)

As you develop your list, here are some helpful considerations:

Understanding Your Target Audience

• Identify shared values: Do you have shared values? Do your services align with the mission and values of the organizations?
• What do they need?: What are their specific challenges and goals? What can you do to help the organization better serve their constituents?
• Can you tailor your offer? Can you customize your services to address their particular pain points?

Ideas for approaching them

• Can you offer a free consultation or pilot program? While offering something for free should be limited, there are times when it can make sense. Perhaps you simply need practice offering a newly honed skill, or maybe you see the potential for a long-term relationship and a free offer helps open the door for both you and the organization to test the waters.
• Do you have success stories you can share with them? Are there examples of how you’ve helped similar organizations?

Hopefully after 10 minutes you’ve gathered at least a few new prospects for whom you can effectively build meaningful partnerships.

Your subject line is your email’s first impression and often determines whether your email gets opened or deleted. If you’ve only got a few minutes, open up a document or grab a piece of paper and let your ideas flow for 10 minutes. Write down everything that comes to mind (no editing, just flow!) You can come back later when you have more time to add finesse.

When you’re read to edit from your brainstorm session, how do you craft a subject line that invites attention? Let’s explore.

Crafting Invitational Subject Lines

Here are some tips to help you create subject lines that stand out:

• Be clear and concise: Clearly state the email’s purpose.
• Create urgency when needed: Use words like “now,” “limited time,” or “exclusive.” This is not to manipulate, but to allow your readers to understand there is something that needs their attention within a specific time frame.
• Personalize: Use the recipient’s name or reference their interests to help reinforce your personal connection.
• Ask a question: Spark curiosity and encourage clicks.
• Use numbers: People love lists and statistics! It also helps set expectations for what they’ll see when they click through.
• Leverage emojis: Use them sparingly but effectively to add personality.
• Test, test, test: Experiment with different subject lines to see what works best.

Subject Line Inspiration

Need some inspiration? Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing:

• Service or Product-focused: “New course alert: You won’t believe what we’ve created!”
• Sale-focused: “50% off your favorite classes – don’t miss out!”
• Informational: “How to (solve a problem) in (timeframe)”
• Engaging: “Quiz: Which (product/service) are you?”
• Exclusive: “Secret offer inside: For VIP customers only”

Tools and Resources

There are several tools that can help you brainstorm and test subject lines:

• Email marketing platforms: Most email marketing platforms offer A/B testing features and AI suggestions. A/B testing allows you to create two different versions which your email platform disperses randomly. This will allow you to see which email got more opens and click-throughs.
• Subject line testing tools: Specialized tools can provide insights into subject line performance. Here are a couple: https://www.omnisend.com/subject-line-tester/ and http://emailsubjectlinegrader.com/. Want to see what AI suggests? Try this one: https://subjectline.com/.
• Competitor analysis: See what other providers in your space are doing. Maybe they’ll inspire you OR help guide to you do something different to stand out.

Most of all, remember the key to writing effective subject lines is to understand your audience and what motivates them.