Every business and venture has a mission, and they should all have mission statements. If you look at some of the biggest brands out there, they have clear descriptions of what they offer and where they plan to be in the future. If we take Coca Cola as an example, they’re mission statement is “To refresh the world…To inspire moments of optimism and happiness…To create value and make a difference.”
Now, we understand that The Coca-Cola Company is massive, owning a significant sector of the soft beverage market, but every business starts somewhere, and no matter the size of your venture, you need a statement that explains what you do and where you see your business in the future.
What’s a mission statement?
A mission statement is a short paragraph that signposts where your business aims to be in the future. It explains to customers and stakeholders exactly what business you are in and is motivational, creating a sense of purpose.
Having a mission statement is at the core of any business or marketing strategy because if you don’t know where you are going, how can you plot a route for it? By creating clear signposts for the future, you can provide a sense of direction for staff and customers and significantly improve your chances of success. Coca-Cola wants to refresh the world, which makes sense as a drinks manufacturer, but the statement also reflects on the Coca-Cola Foundation, which is committed to building a better-shared future for all. Refreshing, right?
The thing that’s important to remember is that a mission statement is very different from an objective. Your mission is where you want to get to, your objectives are steppingstones to getting you there. Sometimes it’s easier to look at a more personal example. So, you could have a mission that one day you’ll retire to Spain; that’s what you’re working towards. The objectives are the bits that will help you get there, so they could be taking Spanish lessons and becoming conversational in the language, building a pension pot to help you retire, and visiting the country to find the best place to live. They all help you to travel in the direction of relocating.
How to create a mission statement for your business
As we’ve mentioned above, a mission statement should always be directional instead of being specific. It needs to be realistic and believable, outward-looking, and focused on customer benefits, and it should also be motivational. For any business owner, looking at these aspects can be a challenge purely because you are intrinsically connected to your venture. Using a marketing professional can help you see the wood for the trees.
When we work with clients, we ask them three important questions:
1. What business are you in?
2. What are your aspirations for your business?
3. What keywords best describe the product or service that you are delivering?
At every step of creating a mission statement, there always has to be a focus on solving customer problems, moving away from the services you deliver. In more basic terms, you need to move away from “we”. Your customer groups are the people who will buy from you and use your service, so magnifying the solutions you provide in a way that they’ll recognise is vital. Let’s go back to the Coca-Cola mission statement; they want to refresh the world. They don’t say, “We’re a huge drinks manufacturer, and we want to have outlets in every country”; instead, they address the needs of their customers to be refreshed. Their statement is also credible and contains customer benefits, embracing what they are good at.
It’s time to decide your mission.
Creating a statement that defines what your business plans for the future whilst also factoring in the needs of customers, stakeholders, and staff can be a daunting process. Get it right, and you will have a broad but directional view of where you will be taking the company. Get it wrong, and you can find yourself with an inward-looking, unengaging, and overly wordy paragraph.
This is why it’s a good idea to ask a marketing professional for help and advice. Inviting in an outsider provides a far more holistic overview of your brand and can help you see signposts that you might not have noticed on your own. They can also help with future marketing strategies, saving you time and tears.
If you’d like to chat about how we can help you design and implement your plans for the future, drop us an email.
