"Where do you see yourself in five years?"
It's a question you may have asked applicants a hundred times during the interview process, but when's the last time you asked yourself that question? It's just as important to know where you want your company to be in the future as it is to have your own personal goals and aspirations. After all, if you're not looking forward, you could easily find yourself stuck in the past.
Throughout history, great leaders have been visionaries -- people who understand what they're trying to achieve, who they're working for, why they're doing what they do and how they'll accomplish their feats.
In the business world, this combination of what, who, why and how is why company mission and vision statements were born.
Why Should You Have a Company Mission & Vision Statement?
Let's start with a quick tutorial. While these two statements are often delivered together, they're actually two different things that serve separate functions.
The company mission serves as the 'what' and 'who' that causes you to do what you do.
The vision statement explains why and how you plan do get it done.
Often, these two phrases are combined, as they ultimately serve a single purpose: to define your company's culture so everyone has a unified goal and understanding of the things your business is trying to achieve.
It's important to note that company culture isn't something that's kept within the walls of your business. When you build your culture correctly, your employees exude your mission and values. This, in turn, becomes the foundation for building customer loyalty, as your brand will personify certain emotional, logical and physical elements people will associate with the type of place they want to support.
The Anatomy of a Great Company Mission Statement
HubSpot recently curated an incredible collection of great mission and vision statements. Although each one is unique and special for its own reason, there are a few unifying themes woven throughout several of the statements:
- Positivity. Most companies are smart enough not to walk a negative route when they're creating their mission and vision statements; that's a given. That said, boring and bland statements can be just as off-putting as outright negative ones.
No matter what your company does, find a way to impart positivity into your message if you want to create an emotional experience your audience.
- Incorporating Customers' Own Values. It's one thing to talk about how you want to make the world a better place; it's another to talk about how you and your customers can simultaneously be do-gooders as a unified team.
Know why your customers value what you do and build that into your mantra.
- Speak to Your Internal Stakeholders. External customers respond well when your internal customers are highly regarded. Boast about your true company culture, but don't blow smoke! People will easily detect mission statements that don't really mean anything.
At ADTACK, we're on a never-ending company mission to ensure we provide optimal integrated marketing solutions to each and every one of our customers. Take a look at some of the ways you can boost your online presence by downloading our free guide Defining: Digital Marketing today!
