A Mission Statement – a short statement of a company’s purpose – is an important part of your brand (or corporate identity). It helps distinguish you from the competition by articulating your value-added proposition in an intriguing and engaging way. A good Mission Statement makes the reader want to read more about you and your services.
It should be short – especially if people see it for the first time on your website – because if it isn’t, people won’t read it. As in your elevator speech – if you can’t articulate your value succinctly – it’s time to go back to the drawing board!
Having said that, there are three additional important components of a good Mission Statement:
1) It should clearly define the product and/or service that you provide;
2) It should clearly define who the target audience for your product and/or service is; and
3) It should contain a measurement metric so that you can evaluate its effectiveness.
It might sound daunting to accomplish these goals in a short statement, but it’s definitely possible. To view some samples of Mission Statements please click here. Slides 5-6 of this presentation provide general examples as well as a few specific ones from the financial services industry. (Contact me if you want to know the companies whose Mission Statements are listed on slide 5.)
Send me a draft of your Mission Statement and I’ll give you my two cents.
