Visualize Your Business Goals For 2021: Use Visual Tools To Predict The Challenges In Your Industry

How to prepare for the year that caught us off guard? Use visual tools to become more flexible and improve your response to unpredicted events.

source: Gratisography

The year behind us caught us off guard - our plans for business growth and customer reach had to change, be postponed, or adapted rather quickly. Even if the things we have accomplished seem to be off the tracks, it was all a big lesson worth taking. So, how do we set the goals for 2021 if we don’t really know what to expect?

What Makes a Well-Set Goal?

The word that is spreading loud and clear today is that the Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe has become the world’s youngest self-made billionaire by running a successful dating website business. Our desire to become as successful as Whitney is a part of our dream big attitude, but the question remains: How to set the right kind of goals and milestones to measure our company’s growth and make significant progress? 

New Definition Of SMART Goals

The classic definition of SMART goals is very well-known:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound.

In a contemporary society when everything changes at a rapid pace, another crucial value your goals must have is adaptability. As a customer-oriented business, you need to design your “goal timeline” accordingly, having in mind that things might not always go as planned. What you need to do is provide your actions with a plan b by answering this question: How can I offer nearly the same customer value if I am unable to achieve this goal? By setting an alternative that depends as little as possible on your previous milestones, you can prevent your business from running backward and keep the loyalty of your customers no matter what.

Sometimes things happen as we go, and we have no way of controlling them. Break down your goals into milestones in every sphere of your business, and try to think ahead of the game: lack of social engagement, link-building challenges, the arbitrary tasks that are slowing down your team flow, etc.


Visualize Your Goals And Actions

Humans are visual beings, which is why the essential part of your business is your brand and visual identity. When thinking of symbols, which ones are defining what your company needs to become? How would you visually describe your services, customer relations, support you are offering? If you can picture where you need to arrive as a brand, it would be much easier to get the rest of your team on track with you, and this is essential to move forward and reach the next milestones.

Think Visually - Products, Employees, Customers

Visual marketing is the new key to attracting customers, especially when it comes to new means of promotion such as digital marketing. Advertising your company online is more than just selling your product and promoting your service - it is about building a community around your brand. This is why people involved in building your brand are your allies in climbing the next mountain. When thinking of goals for your business, think about the perspective of growth from the point of view of your customers, but also your workers and partners. Think about what kind of a brand would people love to work with - loyal employees are one step closer to a community of loyal customers.

Create a Vision Board

Map out where you wish to go as a business - to spread to other markets, launch new products, offer new services. It is a long journey to design, so start with larger concepts: Who you want to be rather than what you want to achieve. Break down your conceptual goals and values into SMART goals: design step-by-step milestones and a web around it - each node representing the value this milestone brings to yourself, your team, your customers, your partners, and your investors. 

Do not take anything for granted: A lot might happen in a year period, and not everything is predictable. Think thoroughly about each step of your road by asking as many questions as possible. Share your vision board with your closest coworkers. Listen to their questions and improve your board accordingly.


Share Your Goals With Your Team And Your Investors

Now that you are finished with your visual map of goals you and your brand have ahead, you are ready to present them to the world. Create a stunning presentation expressing your ideas visually and understandably. Paint a picture of what your company will look like in one year’s time and make room for your audience to come onboard.

Tip: Begin your presentation by acknowledging how far you have all come together. Use the tough times’ experience to highlight how it made you stronger as a team and let everyone know how valuable they are.

Ready to conquer the world in 2021? Set up your goals straight and present them loud and clear to your community. Let everyone know where you are going and why they should be in the front seat for the show.