Have you ever scrolled through a website or viewed an advertisement and asked yourself, “What does this company even do?” That’s a telltale sign that the company you’re discovering lacks a clear and central company mission statement. Here’s what this means, why it matters for B2B companies, and six steps to writing your own mission statement.
What Is a Mission Statement?
A mission statement explains your company’s purpose: what you do, how you do it and why. The “why” is just as important as the “what” and “how.” In short, the mission statement is an explanation of your company’s reason for existence.
Why Do Mission Statements Matter for B2B Companies?
Mission statements hold a lot of value for B2B companies. The “why” is what makes your company human and purposeful, which is especially important in the often cold and transactional world of B2B. But B2B buyers are still humans, after all, and a powerful mission statement makes all the difference in reaching them.
Well-crafted mission statements allow employees, clients and prospects to connect to your brand in a more meaningful way – keeping your team and existing clients on board and enticing potential clients to work with you.
Your mission statement should be crafted in a way that showcases the values of your company and make your brand stand out from the rest. Because it holds so much weight and requires full company buy-in, a mission statement can be an intimidating thing. But don’t worry: As your goals evolve and your company develops, you can always update your mission statement to reflect best who you are.
The Important Connection Between Your Mission Statement & Demand Generation
Demand Generation is a marketing approach that aims to drive awareness about a product or service and generate quality leads. To generate demand for your B2B company, you must first develop positioning and messaging for your target market. The mission statement is the culmination of that specific position and message – your North Star. It is a goal that helps clients understand what you do, and it becomes a shared goal among the people representing your brand.
If you’ve reached this point and realize your mission statement isn’t where it needs to be, or maybe you’re just starting a B2B business, you’re in luck. Just follow these 6 steps to craft a powerful mission statement (and jump to examples for some inspiration).
6 Steps to Writing a Mission Statement
- Identify Company Values & Goals
- Keep It Short and Clear
- Be Concrete Yet Compelling
- Know Your Target Audience
- Make It Multifaceted
- Get Company Buy-In
#1. Identify Company Values & Goals
Whether you are a well-developed B2B company or you’re just getting started, take some time to pinpoint your company’s values and goals, both long and short-term. Here are a list of questions you can ask yourself to get the ideas flowing:
- What does your company do or offer?
- How do you do it?
- What problem are you trying to solve for your clients?
- What do you care about as a company?
- Why did your founder create the company?
The answers to these questions are the heart of your mission statement.
#2. Keep It Short and Clear
Brevity is best!
Keep your mission statement short and clear. This helps with readability and makes the statement more memorable for anyone who reads it.
Anything longer could become convoluted or muddied – which goes against the point of a mission statement in the first place.
#3. Be Concrete Yet Compelling
Your mission statement should be clear and concrete but still compelling in tone.
When it’s too abstract or aspirational, people might not understand what you’re trying to say – again, providing the opposite effect of a mission statement. The more concrete, the more valuable your mission statement will be.
At the same time, your mission statement should encourage your employees and existing and future clients. This is done in the delivery and tone of the statement. The tone should be optimistic, consistent, inspiring and encouraging.
For your buyers, this tone can help ignite trust and interest. For your team, it creates a sense of unity by helping everyone work towards the same goal.
#4. Know Your Target Audience
As mentioned, your mission statement should be delegated to three audiences: your employees, existing clients and potential clients.
Remember, your employees will have to carry out the mission. Make sure that the mission is achievable.
At the same time, your mission needs to resonate with your clients and buyers. Ultimately, it is the summary that helps them decide if your product/service can meet their needs.
#5. Make It Multifaceted
Your mission statement should be much more than just a line on your website. It should flow through everything you say and do – and it can even be a strong statement for your social media bio, email signature, or document templates.
Bring your mission statement to life in everything you do, but also write it with the intention to use that statement in other channels or collateral.
#6. Get Company Buy-In
While you can always revise your mission statement as you grow and shift, don’t take it lightly. Because the mission statement represents the fabric of your company and what you stand for, you should make sure you get company buy-in when you’re creating for the first time or revising your mission statement. It’s a great idea to ask your company for input on the questions from step #1 for their perspective.
In small companies, be transparent with the entire team to ensure they agree with the direction. For larger firms, this is more of a corporate decision that the executive team will have to agree on. Either way, it’s critical that employees are on board. They are the ones executing that mission, after all.
5 Examples of Clear & Powerful B2B Mission Statements
“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.“
Microsoft
“To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.”
Slack
“Make work life simpler, more pleasant and more productive.”
Sprout Social
“Championing human to human social.”
Zoom
“Make communications frictionless and secure.”
Conclusion: Your Mission Statement Is the Bridge Between Brand and Humans
Make your mission statement unique to your company, memorable for users and applicable for employees. Then, it’s time to live it out.
FAQs
A mission statement is a message that expresses the purpose and value of your company – the very reason you exist.
Mission statements help B2B companies – often fraught with transactional, robotic interactions – be more human and connect to their human buyers.
To generate demand for your B2B company, you must first have well-defined position in the market and compelling messaging to go to market with. Your mission statement is the North Star that helps you do just that.
