Your brand’s mission statement ensures that you and your team align your business objectives and behaviors in one direction. It aims to describe the purpose of your brand, and most notably, what distinguishes it from its competitors.
On top of that, an impactful mission statement can also serve as a guideline for your staff, which can work wonders for encouraging them to stick to the company’s values.
Interestingly, mission-driven workers are 54 percent more likely to stay at a company for at least five years. They’re also 30 percent more likely to become high-performing employees. For these reasons alone, it’s worth giving your mission statement some careful consideration.
But, such a statement can come in many forms. For some companies, it’s only a sentence, while for others, it can run over multiple paragraphs.
With all that in mind, in this article, we’ll dive into how to write a mission statement. Let’s dive in!
What’s a Mission Statement?
Before we get started, let’s take a more detailed look at what a mission statement actually is, and what it hopes to achieve.
In short, a mission statement should define the objective and purpose of your brand, providing answers to these three key questions:
- What does your company do?
- How does your company do it?
- Why does your company do it?
Unlike a vision statement, a mission statement describes the concrete make-up of your company. It defines what you’re currently doing, making the essence of the brand perfectly clear to employees, customers, and stakeholders alike.
The mission statement is anchored in the present. A vision statement, on the other hand, may delve into the long-term goals of your company.
The Role of Your Mission Statement in Brand Positioning
Merchants nowadays operate in a market saturated with competition, where changes are swift, and companies flop when they don’t offer anything unique. So, now more than ever, it’s imperative to focus time and effort into positioning your brand.
…and your mission statement can help you achieve precisely that. Namely, because a solid mission statement can help strengthen your brand by instilling a shared value system amongst staff.
Not only that, but 89 percent of shoppers remain loyal to brands when they share their values. That’s why transparency with regards to your brand’s positioning is crucial for long-lasting success.
With a carefully written and authentic mission statement, you may also benefit from a boost in revenue. As many as 13 percent of customers say they’ll pay between 31-50 percent more for a product when they believe the business positively impacts the world.
How to Write a Mission Statement
Before you start to craft your statement, keep in mind:
- Your target customer
- Your niche
- Your brand’s promise
- Why customers should trust you
Now we’ve covered the basics, let’s explore how to write a mission statement, step-by-step:
1. Describe What Your Company Does
This may seem like a simple question to you as the business owner, but it’s not always immediately apparent to the outside world.
Don’t overcomplicate this part of your statement. Simply state what product or service your company provides without any unnecessary filler. Your company’s purpose might be to sell sunglasses, grow house plants, or provide legal advice.
2. How Does Your Company Do It?
At this stage, we’re not looking for detailed descriptions of your operations and procedures. Instead, summarize how your business runs as a whole. Use this opportunity to incorporate your core values into your statement.
These might include superior customer service, innovation, sustainability, and so on.
Think of your mission statement as the introduction to a webinar. Your goal is to get a room full of strangers on the same page in just a few sentences.
If your visitors are interested, the mission statement is the gateway for them to find out more information about your products, services, and operations.
4. Delve Into the Why
Once you’ve outlined the bare bones of your company, it’s time to infuse it with the passion behind your product or service. Why was your business created in the first place?
Describe the origins of your company and the spark that led to the ignition of your brand.
Expand Into a Vision Statement
Once you’ve clarified your mission statement, to strengthen your brand’s positioning further, it pays to look towards the future.
A vision statement helps your company determine its long-term goals. Similar criteria applicable to creating a mission statement is relevant here, too: conciseness, clarity, and inspiring.
To write a great vision statement, keep a time frame in mind for achieving your goals. Be future-oriented and seek attainable, realistic objectives that are in line with your brand’s current trajectory.
Examples of Successful Statements
To end this guide, let’s take a look at some examples from well-to-do brands. These can serve as inspiration, demonstrating just how simple mission statements can be:
- Ikea’s mission is to create a better everyday life for many people.
- Apple’s committed to bringing the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services.
- Tesla: ‘to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.’
These are three of many effective mission statements – but you get the idea!
Evolve With the Times
Now you know how to write a mission statement! But even once you’ve defined your mission and vision for the future, your work isn’t done. Brand positioning remains significant with every change that occurs in your company.
Your mission should be a breathing, evolving aspect of your brand’s identity; as such, it’ll continue to evolve as the world around you grows with you.
Do you have any questions about what you’ve just read? If so, contact our friendly team today to see how they can help!
