How to Set SMART Goals for Influencer Marketing (With Beauty-Specific Examples)

Ask five marketers to describe the goal of their last influencer campaign, and you’ll likely hear five versions of the same thing:

“Create buzz.”
“Get people talking.”
“Reach more followers.”

They’re vague outcomes, not true goals. And they don’t give your team or your creators anything concrete to work toward.

Saying ‘Let’s create buzz’ isn’t a strategy. Campaigns succeed when every post, brief, and decision ladders up to a clear, measurable outcome.

That’s why SMART goals are essential to any influencer campaign goal setting strategy, especially in beauty, where results can otherwise feel unpredictable.

And when you look at how brands like Glossier plan their launches, clarity and structure are everywhere.

SMART goals don’t just guide your campaign, they give you a benchmark to measure what worked, what didn’t, and how to grow from there.

Types of Influencer Campaign Goals

Before you dive into SMART goal-setting, make sure you’re clear on the kind of outcome you’re targeting. Most influencer campaigns fall into one of these buckets:

• Awareness – Reach, hashtag mentions, video views
• Engagement – Saves, comments, poll responses, DM
• Conversions – Purchases, email signups, app installs
• Retention/Loyalty – Repeat purchases, referral redemptions, post-purchase UGC
• Advocacy – Creator-led content, long-term ambassador partnerships, organic tagging

What Are SMART Goals in Influencer Marketing?

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Yet for many brands, the SMART framework is still missing from their influencer marketing strategy framework, which makes it harder to track ROI or improve campaign outcomes.

What’s an example of a SMART goal for influencer marketing?

Example: “Partner with 3 skincare creators to generate 2,000 clicks to our landing page within 10 days using UTM tracking links.”

Here’s what it looks like in practice:

Specific

Instead of saying “We want more visibility,” set a goal like, “We want 500 new followers from under-30 skincare enthusiasts in Los Angeles.”

Measurable

If you can’t track it, you can’t learn from it. Performance tools only help when there’s a clear result to measure.

Achievable

Goals should be realistic based on your timeline, audience size, and influencer tier. Asking a micro-influencer to deliver 10,000 clicks in one week probably isn’t reasonable.

Relevant

Goals should tie back to your campaign’s purpose (like launching a new product, increasing retention, or testing a new creator tier), not just surface metrics like reach or likes.

Time-bound

Without a timeframe, even the best ideas lose momentum. Add a deadline so you know when to assess and optimize.

Glossier is a strong example of this approach. When they launch a product, the goal isn’t “get seen.” It might be: “Secure 20,000 Reel views from NYC-based beauty creators within 48 hours of launch.”

That kind of clarity shapes everything from the influencer brief to the content calendar. It also sets creators up for success by showing them exactly what impact their work is expected to have.

Next, we’ll break down how SMART thinking supports each phase of a launch.

SMART Goal Examples for Beauty Campaigns

Below are real-world SMART goals for beauty brands you can adapt to your own influencer launches, organized by common campaign objectives.

SMART Goals by Campaign Phase

Let’s explore how they apply across the three key stages: pre-launch, mid-launch, and post-launch.

In the beauty and wellness space, this often plays out in three phases:

1. Pre-launch: You’re creating anticipation.
   
   
2. Mid-launch: You’re capturing attention and deepening engagement.
   
   
3. Post-launch: You’re converting interest into measurable results.
   
   

Here’s how SMART goals shape each stage from building anticipation to driving action.

Pre-launch: Build Anticipation with a Clear Target

This is where buzz begins, but it has to be intentional. Clear objectives matter during early promotion. SMART goals ensure your tactics stay focused especially when setting goals for beauty influencer campaigns. You’re warming up the audience, not just throwing out teasers and hoping they catch on.

Example SMART goal:
“Increase campaign hashtag mentions by 40% among women under 35 in the U.S. within 10 days.”

Why it works: It’s specific about the audience, measurable through social listening, realistic based on brand size, directly tied to launch readiness, and time-limited.

Other pre-launch SMART goals might include:

• Secure five Instagram Story mentions from creators in the skincare category before the official launch date
• Add 2,000 new email subscribers via influencer swipe-up content in one week

Mid-launch: Engage and Educate the Right Audience

This is where genuine interest starts to show. Saves, shares, and comments reveal more than views ever could.

Example SMART goal:
“Drive 8,000 combined saves and comments across three Reels created by wellness micro-influencers within two weeks.”

Why it works: It focuses on high-intent actions (saves and comments), uses a defined creator tier, and sets both a quantity and a deadline.

You might also consider:

• Reach 15,000 swipe-ups from creator content directing users to the product page within 7 days
• Generate 200 shares on UGC videos using branded audio

Post-launch: Track Conversion and Retention

This is where many teams lose steam. But post-launch performance is where real ROI shows up.

Example SMART goal:
“Reach 1,000 skincare kit purchases driven by influencer UGC within 30 days of campaign start.”

Other options:

• Convert 10% of influencer page visits to free trial signups via promo code tracking
• Generate 100 five-star reviews from customers who discovered the product through creator content

Planning across all three phases with tailored SMART goals keeps your campaign focused. It also helps teams and creators work from the same playbook.

Glossier’s SMART Launch Strategy

Glossier doesn’t just hand out products and hope creators say nice things. Their campaigns are tightly coordinated, with clear goals, strong briefs, and performance benchmarks baked in from the start.

Take their product waitlists, for example. When Glossier launched Boy Brow, they didn’t rush it to market with a handful of creator posts and a few broad hashtags. They built controlled anticipation. That included sneak peeks from trusted creators, early access codes, and clear conversion targets tied to each stage of the rollout.

Creators weren’t just told to “build hype.” They were given promo codes with trackable links. They were briefed on messaging that matched Glossier’s core brand promise: skin first, makeup second. And they had clear performance expectations tied to actions like swipe-ups, product saves, or comments.

Why It Worked (and What You Can Steal)

This approach didn’t just help Glossier measure ROI. It helped creators succeed.

When influencers know exactly what success looks like, they can shape content that’s not only on-brand but also high-performing. For example, instead of saying, “Post a video about the new cleanser,” the brief might include something like:

“Create a 30–60 second Reel showing your morning routine using Milky Jelly Cleanser. Aim for 3,000+ views and 200 saves within the first five days.”

Steal This Tactic: Don’t just ask for a post. Select the content format intentionally to reach your goal and a performance target.

Example: “Create a morning routine Reel using our cleanser. Aim for 3,000+ views and 200 saves in 5 days.”

It gives creators direction without boxing them in.

This kind of guidance keeps the creative process authentic while still grounded in results. And because Glossier tracks performance by creator and channel, they can double down on what works and adjust quickly when something doesn’t.

The takeaway isn’t that every brand needs Glossier’s budget. It’s that SMART goal thinking makes campaigns more focused, more measurable, and more likely to hit the mark.

How to Measure Influencer Campaign Performance

Even the best SMART goal falls flat if you don’t pair it with the right metrics. That doesn’t mean tracking everything. It means picking the numbers that actually match your campaign’s purpose.

Awareness Goals: Don’t Stop at Impressions

When your objective is visibility, impressions are just the starting point. Add context by looking at reach, share counts, hashtag mentions, and video completions.

Example metrics:

• Unique reach by demographic
• Video view duration
• Hashtag mentions and trending rank
• Shares or reposts from non-followers
  
  

How to track:

• Instagram or TikTok analytics
  
• Influencer dashboards (e.g., Influencity dashboard)
• Social listening tools (e.g., Influencity social listening)
  
  

Engagement Goals: Look for Signs of Real Interest

Likes are easy. Saves, comments, and DMs take effort. These are the signals that someone paid attention and saw value in the content.

Example metrics:

• Saves per post
  
  
• Comment count and quality
  
  
• Link clicks
  
  
• Story replies and poll completions
  
  

How to track:

• Creator-provided screenshots
  
  
• UTM tracking tools
  
  
• Instagram branded content reports
  

Glossier often tracked comment sentiment mid-campaign. If people were asking questions like “What shade is that?” or “Is this good for sensitive skin?”, they knew the content was hitting home.

Conversion Goals: Make It Easy to Attribute

If your goal involves purchases or signups, you need clear attribution. That means using tools creators can plug into easily.

Example metrics:

• Promo code redemptions
  
  
• UTM-tagged link clicks
  
  
• Product page visits
  
  
• Revenue from affiliate links
  
  

How to track:

• Use platforms like Influencity
• Google Analytics
• Creator affiliate platforms
  
  
• Shopify or ecomm dashboards
  
  

Stick to one or two reliable KPIs per goal. It keeps reporting focused and makes it easier to act on what’s working.

When Campaigns Fall Short: Common SMART Goal Pitfalls

Even a well-intentioned campaign can miss the mark if the goals aren’t solid. Most of the time, the issue isn’t with the content. It’s with the structure behind it.

1. The Goal Is Too Vague

“We want engagement” doesn’t mean anything without context.

Try this instead:
“Drive 1,500 combined saves and comments across three Instagram Reels from wellness creators within 10 days.”

2. The Target Is Unrealistic

Don’t ask a micro-influencer to generate 50,000 clicks in a week. That’s not realistic.

Reality check:

• Does the creator’s audience size support your numbers?
  
  
• Are you giving them enough lead time?
  
  
• Have you done something similar before?
  
  

3. The Timeline Doesn’t Fit

Even great goals fall apart if timing conflicts with other campaigns, creator availability, or external events.

Fix it by:

• Confirming timing with creators before finalizing plans
• Giving a buffer for edits, revisions, and post-approval delays
• Plan well in advance for seasonal pushes like Q4 and New Years. 

4. Success Isn’t Shared or Understood

If your brand team and your creators define success differently, the campaign will go sideways fast.

Ask before launch:

• Can everyone explain what we’re aiming for?
  
  
• Does the content brief match the campaign goal?
  
  
• Are the KPIs clear and agreed on?
  
  

If the answer is no, pause and recalibrate.

Pro Tip: Let Influencers Shape the Goals

SMART goals work better when creators are part of the process.

You don’t need to hand them your full strategy, but inviting them to help shape the execution, including KPIs, leads to stronger content and better results.

Glossier builds this into their process. Their briefs include campaign direction and clear goals, but also ask creators for suggestions on how to bring the message to life. That keeps the content authentic while staying aligned with what the brand needs to track.

Simple Brief Structure

• Brand goal: Increase trial signups by 20%
  
  
• Creator suggestion: “I’ll show my skincare routine and include a signup link in my caption”
  
  
• Performance metric: 1,200 tracked link clicks within 14 days
  
  

What to Include in Your Agreement

A sample clause could look like:

"Creator agrees to include trackable links or promo code in all sponsored content. Success is defined as 1,000 or more product page visits within 30 days of post-launch."

When influencers understand what success looks like, and help define it, the results tend to follow.

SMART Goals Make Campaigns Work

The most effective influencer campaigns aren’t random wins. They’re the product of thoughtful planning, clear goals, and strong execution.

SMART goals give your campaign a clear path from day one for both your team and the creators who bring it to life. Whether you're growing revenue, sparking conversations, or driving conversions, the best outcomes start with strong, shared goals.

Want to go deeper? Explore our guides on Tracking Influencer Marketing ROI and Choosing the Right Influencer Metrics.

When you're ready to launch or level up your next campaign, Influencity gives you the tools to plan smarter, track what matters, and scale what works.