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A Simple Guide to Writing a Powerful Mission Statement + Customizable Templates

Published at Dec 29, 2022
A Simple Guide to Writing a Powerful Mission Statement + Customizable Templates

Consumers don’t just advocate for products and services. They also support the brand that provides these for them.

But to get their full-fledged support, you as a brand owner need to give them a reason why they should stand by you.
If your target audience believes in what you stand for and you uphold it to the best of your abilities, you’ll have a customer for life. And to attract loyal customers, you must establish your company’s mission statement.

If you don’t have one yet, you’re in the right place.

In this article, you’ll learn what a mission statement is, its importance and how it differs from a vision statement. You’ll also learn how to write a mission statement that resonates with your target audience with the help of Visme templates.

Let’s begin!

 

Table of Contents

 

What Is a Mission Statement?

A mission statement is a message that explains why a company exists. It’s a statement about its core values, products and services, customers and target market.

Here are some notable features of a mission statement:

  • About the company
  • Why the company was founded
  • Why it serves people and customers in a specific way

Often, people mistake a mission statement for a value proposition.

The value proposition discusses why potential customers should buy from you. It’s like product descriptions, except that a value proposition points out a specific solution and promises value that people can expect.

A mission statement is also not a business plan, which reflects your company’s objectives and goals. Business plans also explain how you plan to manage your company in line with your values, which is something that a mission statement doesn’t explain.

 

Why Is a Mission Statement Important?

A mission statement is valuable to a company because it offers guidance and tells its members how to execute their actions. Here are other reasons why you create your mission statement:

  • Gives a sense of direction - It shapes the company and the people behind it. Plus, it serves as the basis for them to perform actions that help emphasize their values.
  • Provides employees with clarity - Because it talks about foundational reasons, it prevents confusion and conflict. It also lets people understand the nature of their actions.
  • Helps uphold values and goals - Referring to your company’s mission statement is a way to make your values and goals stick. If you make it a regular habit and commit to it, your job performance will soon reflect this.
  • Differentiates you from others - It sets you apart from competitors and lets potential customers see your unique value.

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Benefits of Using a Mission Statement Template

Creating a mission statement from scratch can take hours or more. But that won’t be a problem if you use a mission statement template from us at Visme.

Just choose the template that suits your needs and fill in the blanks. It’s that easy!

Aside from the time you’ll save using a template, it lets you collaborate with your team in real-time. You can add team members who you want to work on the template, leave comments, resolve comments and more.

From here, they can work on your mission statement simultaneously, so you can finish even faster.

Once done, you can share and publish your work for everyone in your organization to see.

mission statement template - share and publish

Even after publishing, you can make easily changes to the mission statement. To do this, use Visme’s Dynamic Fields to enter custom fields into projects. Examples of custom fields you can use include name, year, email address and more.

You can use dynamic fields across all your projects aside from your mission statement. So, if you make changes to your custom fields, it applies to all the projects that use them. This way, you don’t have to edit each project individually.

Mission Statement Document
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

 

Mission Statement vs. Vision Statement

Another thing that a mission statement is mistaken for is a vision statement.

From an outsider’s perspective, they may even be considered the same. But a closer look at each one will tell you otherwise.

Unlike a mission statement, a vision statement is like a company’s legacy. It’s about what it wants to impress on people and what it hopes to be in the future.

Notable features of a vision statement include:

  • Its forecast
  • How it plans to commit to company goals
  • Where it sees itself in the years ahead

To help you see the difference between the two, let’s explore the mission and vision statements of IKEA, a company that markets home furnishings.

We’ll get into the statements of IKEA (of just one company), so you will have a good grasp of the differences between a mission statement and a vision statement.

What is an example of a mission statement?

IKEA’s mission statement says that IKEA exists “...to offer a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.” It’s a good mission statement because it explains what IKEA does.

What is an example of a vision statement?

IKEA’s vision statement says it wants “...to create a better everyday life for the many people.”

What makes it a good vision statement? It communicates what the company aims to achieve in selling its products. It is also clear, concise and straight to the point.

 

How to Write a Mission Statement

The goal of a mission statement is to align your values with your audience. By making your mission statement easy for people to understand, you can get them on board with your brand, products and services.

But to get to this stage in your business, you must learn how to write your mission statement properly. Below are the ways:

Step 1: Ask Important Questions

Put yourself in the shoes of someone outside your company. And from their perspective, ask questions that you want answers to. Then, include the answers in your draft.
Below are questions you should address in your mission statement.

  • What does your company do?- Explain what you do and describe the products and services you sell. The idea is to help the reader understand the actions you’re taking to uphold your values and goals.
  • How do you execute your work? - Inform the audience of your approach. And clarify how your work stays true to your core values.
  • Why does your work matter? - Let the audience appreciate your company and its work. Tell them about the causes you helped and how you continue to make a difference.

Step 2: Brainstorm Your Answers

As you address the questions above, gather your team for a brainstorming session. There, come up with the best answers.

Group brainstorming not only ignites the collaborative spirit in your company. But it also promotes creative thinking.

When brainstorming, you must rely on brainwriting. It’s a non-verbal brainstorming technique where the participants write down about three ideas on a piece of paper.

Then, pass it on to another person so they can build on new ideas based on those ideas.

Another technique you should consider using is figure-storming. Its objective is to inspire the participants to come up with bold ideas. To start, tell them to choose a well-known figure like Mahatma Gandhi. Then, ask, “What would Mahatma Gandhi do?”

Finally, there’s the step-ladder technique. This is where you ask facilitators to introduce a topic. Then, limit the team members who brainstorm ideas based on that topic. After, let the facilitators bring in the other team members so they can contribute.

Supercharge your brainstorming sessions with Visme’s online whiteboard tool. The tool comes preloaded with professionally designed templates and features that make collaboration easier.

Step 3: Keep it Short & Impactful

Get straight to the point. The goal is to entice readers and help them learn about your company.

To keep your statement short and impactful, focus on your company’s mission. Wrap up everything about your company in a few words and share what you want to achieve.

You can also communicate your mission statement by making it visual. Use stock photos and videos to add more impact to your statement.

mission statement template - add images and videos

Also include charts, graphs, maps, widgets, and other data visualization tools.

Finally, show your company’s mission statement and not just say it. Show examples of your accomplishments and achievements that are in line with your statement.

If you haven’t achieved them yet, share with people how you plan on doing them.

Step 4: Putting It All Together

Now, make your draft coherent. An incoherent mission statement prevents you from getting your message across to your audience.

To prevent miscommunicating your mission statement, keep these things in mind:

  • Don’t make it too limiting - While you’re encouraged to write a short mission statement, it’s not ideal to leave out the necessary details. If you need to include more information for a more powerful effect, do it.
  • Support your points - Use concrete details and strengthen the reasoning behind your statement. Else, readers will feel like you’re making bold claims — even if there’s truth to your words.
  • Find balance - Avoid focusing on a single theme as it makes your mission statement seem coherent, For example, don’t write something too optimistic. Instead, include a dose of realism, too.

Step 5: Ask for Feedback from Employees or Friends

Show the draft to your work friends, who are your employees or colleagues. Then, ask them for feedback and suggestions for improvement.

To keep things organized, design a feedback form and share it with your employees and friends personally.

Ask quantitative (multiple-choice answers) and qualitative (open-ended) questions about the draft. This should give you a well-rounded set of answers from participants.

If they have strong opinions about the statement, encourage them to come to your office and talk to them about your draft.

Remind them of your goals as a company and ask them if they think your proposed mission statement reflects them.

Step 6: Revise and Polish What You Have

Once you have a draft ready, revise it. Don’t be afraid to make changes to your mission statement—add the finishing touches and you’re done!

Below are ways to revise and polish what you have:

  • Rewrite - Tighten your writing, avoid using redundant words, and remove fluff.
  • Use active voice - Passive voice makes your mission statement exhausting to read. So, revise the original work as necessary.
  • Mind context - Think about your mission statement’s message as a whole. Ensure every word adds to that message.

 

Four Mission Statement Templates to Make Your Own

Using a mission statement template will make the task of creating a mission statement easier. Just make sure you follow a template to help you deliver your message.
Below are mission statement templates you can use:

1. Business Mission Statement Template

Use this template to communicate what your business represents. It’s the ideal template to choose if you want to present your business at formal events.

Business Mission Statement Worksheet 2
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

2. Marketing Mission Statement Template

It’s an excellent template to help you flesh out your marketing initiatives. If you want something simple yet professional, edit the color combinations (to match your brand) and craft your mission statement here.

Marketing Mission Statement Worksheet
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

3. Nonprofit Mission Statement Template

Convey what your non-profit organization stands for with this template. It can help you highlight your team’s causes, what makes you unique, and more.

Nonprofit Mission Statement Worksheet
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

4. Personal Mission Statement Template

Use this template to share your personal mission statement. It can help you sort things out and help others realize your goals.

Personal Mission Statement Worksheet
Customize this template and make it your own! Edit and Download

 

What Makes a Bad Mission Statement?

If you created and published a mission statement and want to know who saw it, you can use Visme’s Analytics tool.

It helps you see how many people (including your target audience and even people in your organization) viewed or interacted with your mission statement.

The goal is to always get everybody to at least view your mission statement, so they familiarize themselves with what your brand is about.

If your mission statement didn’t receive lots of views, there’s probably something wrong with it.

One of the common reasons for its poor performance is unfamiliarity. Avoid presenting a mission statement that doesn’t reflect your company.

A simple fix is to use Visme’s Brand Wizard to add your brand’s assets to your presentation automatically.

mission statement template- brand wizard

You may have also used false information. For example, did you include claims and statements your brand can neither back up nor support? If so, remove them. At the same time, use statistics to support your claims and strengthen your case.

Finally, there’s a chance you might have to rework your statement.

Let’s say that the views are low despite already using a Visme template to build your mission statement. In this case, try rewriting the text and choosing better visuals. Then share it with people again and hope for better results.

 

Supercharge Your Mission Statement with Visme

A mission statement can also help you make the most of your company’s energy. Because it serves as a reminder of your mission (including your goals and core values), it encourages you to focus on what matters most.

To let your mission statement have a similar impact on others, why not share it regularly? You can send it via email or share it through blog posts and social media.

Sign up to use Visme to start creating your mission statement. Apart from supplying you with an excellent mission statement template, the tool also works as a social media content creation and scheduling platform.

Christopher Jan Benitez is a freelance writer who specializes in digital marketing. His work has been published on SEO and affiliate marketing-specific niches like Monitor Backlinks, Niche Pursuits, Nichehacks, Web Hosting Secret Revealed, and others.

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