Increase Twitter Followers to 50,000 – SMART Goal Setting

In an effort to set some objectives for the upcoming year, I have decided to publish my SMART Goals that I am working to define. Using SMART goals will help me stay committed and focused on building solid and sustainable passive income streams over the next year. I think it is a good working exercise to define these goals here to help others understand the process. Maybe I can help pass along a few things to others looking to define some goals and hopefully I will learn some things along the way.

For those of us who have a career with an employer, chances are you are required to formerly state your goals and objectives each year. These goals are typically used to rate your overall performance and measure your value to the company. While the process may vary from company to company, any successful operation tracks the goals and objectives of their employees.

So what about those who are on their own? For those who create passive income streams or run their own business, one of the tasks that often is overlooked is setting good goals and objectives. That is not to say that goals are not set, just that they may not be clearly stated and manageable.

In an effort to take my passive income business to the next level, I will be defining several detailed and manageable goals as my objectives that I plan to meet. Keep reading to check out my first SMART goal definition for the upcoming year.

Tip – SMART Goals should have the following 5 attributes to be considered useful.
Specific + Measurable + Attainable + Relevant + Timely

Twitter Followers

I believe (and have shared my views many times) that Twitter can provide an excellent opportunity to create and build passive income streams. I can use use Twitter to drive more traffic to PFI or other niche websites I run, use it to help build credibility, or even earn some additional income through programs like Sponsored Tweets. Based on these beliefs, I plan to drastically increase my presence and following on Twitter which is the basis for my first goal defined below.

2010 SMART Goal #1
Increase my number of Twitter followers to 50,000 by December 31st, 2010. I will commit to adding at least 3,500 followers every month until I reach my target. New followers will be added by leveraging several FREE tools and Twitter apps as well as increasing my use of the site. Adding a significant number of followers will allow me to increase my monthly passive income earnings and meet additional goals for growing my business.

Is my Goal SMART?

The goal I defined to increase my number of Twitter followers contains a lot of details, but does it follow the SMART guidelines? Let’s take a look -

Is my goal Specific?
YES – The goal clearly uses some action statements like “Increase my number …” and “… commit to adding …. It also answers Why reaching this goal is important – to improve my monthly passive income earnings and grow my business. You may also notice that the goal answers How I plan to reach this goal – by leveraging FREE Twitter apps and increasing my use of the site.

Is my goal Measurable?
YES – I have quantified this goal by defining that I plan to have 50,000 Twitter followers and will add 3,500+ each month to reach that target.

Is my goal Attainable?
YES – I have set my goal so that it can be achieved in the amount of time I have set (over 13 months from today). You may also notice that I decided to include smaller attainable actions by stating I plan to add at least 3,500 new followers each month. I think this helps to break up the larger goal so that it is more easily attainable.

Is my goal Relevant?
YES – This goal is definitely relevant to building passive income. Since I will be leveraging several FREE Twitter apps there are no monetary costs involved. I am only out my time (which is still important) that I devote to this goal.

Is my goal Timely?
YES – I clearly have put a deadline to reach my goal – December 31st, 2010. It can’t be any more clear than that.

Final Thoughts

Even though this is a 2010 goal, I have decided to start it a little early. Starting today, I plan to put this goal into motion and have given myself about 13.5 months to reach my target. As time goes by, I will provide periodic updates (probably monthly) on my status and how I am doing. I will also be providing details on the tools and Twitter apps that I am leveraging to reach my goal. Finally, I have added the Twitter counter to this post so that I have an up to date count of my status when I check back in.

Tell me what you think – Is my Goal to attract 50,000 Twitter followers a SMART Goal?

For more information on SMART goal setting, check out – How to Create SMART Goals

Tagged as: smart goal setting, SMART Goals, Twitter