Whether it is a simple sentence or a group of paragraphs, a mission statement is essential for establishing the purpose of a company or brand and suggesting potential directions for future growth. It sets the course for how a brand will treat its customers, giving employees a common set of goals to work toward, making it the driving force behind the brand and what sets it apart from the competition. The most effective mission statements not only help define a company's actions, but they also inspire customer loyalty. There's certainly an art to writing a mission statement that your employees will embrace and your customers will praise.
Here are 5 essential steps that can help you develop a meaningful mission statement:
1. Define Your Prime Business Goals: Identify what drives you and what the purpose of your business is.
2. Live up to your word: Fulfill your promise and be true to yourself and others.
3. Keep It Simple: Use simple words instead of jargon and buzzwords.
4. Make It Inspirational: Include an inspirational element to encourage your team members to work toward your vision.
5. Adapt As Your Business Evolves: Change your mission statement to align with your evolution.
This can start by asking yourself why your brand exists. Does it exist to inform? to empower? to connect? to help in some way? What outcome do you want your customers and teammates to have after interacting with you? How do you want them to feel? Identifying your service is a great starting point, along with defining for whom this service is for, how you plan to deliver it and why it's valuable. Together, these elements communicate your purpose to consumers and team members.
For example, Voila’s mission is “To deliver best-in-class B2B Lead Generation Services That Drive Business Growth for Major & Challenger Brands In The Middle East.” Our staff works toward this goal every day, and our customers experience it via the tangible results that make them stick to working with us.
Creating a killer mission statement that sounds perfect to your audience, but that your brand can't deliver on, is certainly not the way to go. If you are not authentic and honest about your promises, your customers are likely to take actions that go against your mission. For your mission statement to be sincere, you don't have to take a hard stance on any position (unless that's the core of your brand). Your mission statement should reflect your values. Then, as your brand acts - and reacts - in the outside world, you can examine how that aligns with and reflects your mission.
Simplicity is key. Whether your mission statement is short or long, make sure you use language that everyone can read. You don't want the sentence that defines your brand to be filled with vocabulary that only your employees can understand. The same goes for jargon and buzzwords, which are generally ineffective in a mission statement. If you tell people that you "deliver business efficiency through streamlined software products," it's unlikely they'll remember that phrase. When your mission is hard to remember, it's difficult for team members to align their daily activities with the goals you've outlined. Choose your words wisely, and use terms that are easy to understand and relevant to your business.
While it's important to make your mission statement plausible and achievable, it can also be powerful to include an inspirational element to encourage your team members to work toward your vision. You may also find it useful to tie your mission statement to specific activities or behaviors, which can move it from the conceptual realm to the practical world.
Your mission statement can be as adaptable as your business. Just as your brand can flex and change over time, so can your statement. While it's not effective to change your mission statement every few months, your statement isn't serving you well if it's outdated and doesn't align with your brand's culture and values. Facebook, Snapchat, and Microsoft, for example, have all changed their mission statements as their business models and values have evolved.
Need Help Crafting The Right Mission Statement For Your Business?
VOILA is here to help you. Don't hesitate to contact us!
