If you are anything like me, you pour your heart and soul into your business, and it is essentially an extension of YOU. Infusing your values, history, and ideals into your brand is an important way to differentiate yourself and establish a strong brand identity.
One thing that is foundational to any business, and is so important when it comes to crafting your core messaging, is your mission statement. But how can you distill your purpose - the entire mission of your brand - into a one-sentence statement that is clear and inspiring?
If you want to have an authentic brand that makes a difference in the world, you need a strong mission statement. Follow along as we explain why your mission statement matters and how to write one for your brand.
What is a Mission Statement
At its most basic, your mission statement communicates the goals or purpose of your brand and how you intend to serve your audience. Your mission statement is focused on the here and now, and the objectives that you can achieve in the short term.
Mission statements differ from vision statements which are future-oriented. Your vision focuses on where you ultimately want to go and the impact you want your business to have. Both are important and should be formulated for any brand.
Mission statements can absolutely change over time, so if your business purpose or audience has shifted, it may be time to refine your statement.
Why Mission Matters
The biggest differentiator between businesses and brands is that brands are grounded in values. Instead of just being a business that sells products or services, brands transform the world around them. They are focused on a higher goal and a method of transforming their customer's lives in some way.
Connecting to that deeper truth, the purpose behind your business and why you want to dedicate your life to it, is what ultimately connects you with your target customers. If you want to have an authentic brand that makes a difference in the world, you need a strong mission statement!
Think of your mission as the foundation of a house. Is it essential because it is what all of the other building blocks will rest upon. So before you dive into value propositions, website copy, and social media captions… you need to start with your why.
What Goes Into a Mission Statement
Brands aren’t built overnight, and neither is a clear and compelling mission statement. It’s important to give yourself time to think through all of the important elements of a mission statement, write a few drafts, and get feedback from others. Share your mission with employees, friends and family, and even customers to see how it resonates.
The key piece of a mission is that it provides clarity into what you do, who you help, and why. If readers don’t walk away with these key components - it’s time to keep refining!
To get started, think about our journal on the following questions:
Why does your business exist?
Who do you help?
What problem or challenge do they have?
What result do you help them achieve?
What outcome/solution do you provide?
Your mission statement can take many forms, and it can be helpful to look at other brands for ideas and inspiration. The point here is not to copy or try to “become” another brand, but simply to get ideas for the ways you can structure your statement.
When you are ready, craft your mission statement using our sample structure below to get started.
At [COMPANY NAME] our mission is to help [WHO] that have [THIS PROBLEM/CHALLENGE] achieve this [RESULT] using [OUTCOME/SOLUTION].
Once you have your mission statement finalized, it’s time to share it with the world! Put it on your website, collateral, and even on social media. Your mission is something that should be shared with customers and it will help them connect even further with your brand.
