Setting goals isn't easy. You want to set your sights high, but not too high, because if your goals are too ambitious and you don't start meeting them right away, it's easy to get discouraged.

What's the best way to set goals, then? Make them SMART.

• Specific.
  • Yes: This year, each employee will attend 2 conferences.
  • No: Our employees will attend more conferences this year.
• Measurable.
  • Yes: We will get 100 qualified leads through our site each month.
  • No: We will get more leads.
• Attainable.
  
  • Yes: We will get 100 new visitors.
  • No: We will get 1 million new visitors.
• Relevant. (In this example, pretend you are a bank manager.)
  
  • Yes: We will open 2 new accounts each month.
  • No: We will make 200 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches each month.
• Time-bound.
  
  • Yes: We will complete our website by the end of the first quarter.
  • No: We will complete our website.

Want to read more about setting goals? Check out HubSpot's "5 Reasons Why Your Marketing Goals Suck" blog here.