Olivia Atkinson
.jpg?width=711&name=Construction%20marketing%20strategy%20-%20what%20is%20your%20mission%20(1).jpg)
Mission statements can be tricky to produce. Where do you start? Who needs to see it? How will it help us to grow? These are the questions that you may ask yourself.
A well-crafted mission statement will unify your team around a clear objective that they believe in, bringing synergy and focus to your efforts.
To a customer or specifier, it will give them a true sense of what your business is about and why they should be working with you – it makes your brand or business relatable, more than just a bland, faceless corporate.
The mission acts as the touchstone for everything else you do as a business and provides direction for your sales and marketing strategies.
At a time where everything seems to be converging into a sea of sameness, a well-defined mission statement can make the difference and protect your brand value. Find out more about how to go about honing your mission statement
What Is A Mission Statement?
A mission or a mission statement is about two sentences long, it describes your company’s business goals, philosophy and what the company stands for. It explains to your prospects, customers and even your employees what the organisation is trying to do.
A mission defines what the organisation is and why it exists.
What Is Your Why?
The building materials market is crowded with purchasing options. Specifiers and installers are faced with dozens of choices for every single product; this is where a powerful mission carries weight in the decision process.
Modern buyers value a relationship with a company that shares the same values as they do, without sacrificing any quality. Buyers are increasingly looking to buy from companies that match their personal beliefs and that contribute to a mission that aligns with those beliefs.
Millennials say they are 60% more likely to buy from socially conscious companies.
For instance a company that produces heating insulation from reusable materials will have a mission that focuses on heat generation whilst being environmentally friendly. If a specifier has a passion for the environment and makes environmentally conscious decisions, this company will win their business.
Companies can struggle to develop a meaningful mission. Traditionally companies define their mission orientated internally, nonspecific and use overly simplistic terms that make the statements sound generic.
Some leaders can get tied down with focusing on short-term problems rather than creating a mission that reflects the long term direction of the company.
Others can be so filled with jargon and buzzwords that they become nonsensical or companies don’t even take the time to create a mission statement, leaving employees to make it up as they go along.
Inbound organisations differ hugely from this, they are very clear on the WHY of their business. This could include why the business started, the reason it currently exists or even what it hopes to do in the future.
In traditional organisations the WHY is often focused around doing more business, attaining a certain level of profitability or it can even reflect the personal interests of the owner. Will a mission to maximise the value of a business, ready to be sold in 3 years time galvanise the wider team?
Inbound Organisation Missions
An inbound mission starts with WHY and works backwards from there. By defining your company you make it very clear what your company stands for. This in turn then helps when recruiting the right employees who have the correct values, attitudes and the interest in working towards that purpose.
The result of this is the creation of a culture where everyone understands the core values, giving meaning to the work they’re doing.
Part of having an inbound mission is recognising that there’s a specific target market that the company serves. Within this target market is an ideal company profile (a good fit company) and an ideal person (buyer persona) who has a specific need.
The mission is how your company uses your services, people, prospects, products and resources to help a certain set of people in a specific target market solve a specific problem.
CIO of HubSpot Frank Auger quotes “Most companies have missions, but they are often fluff and propaganda. Inbound companies stand out and thrive because the mission is real and reflects the values of the organisation. They publish it, refer to it and use it as a guidepost in everyday work.
This is an evolution of the workplace over a generation. Back in the day, we were happy to have a job. Today's job seekers want much more than that. They want a mission and purpose. The challenge is that many companies haven't defined a specific reason for why they exist all the way through to the customer.”
Document Your Mission
After you’ve developed the mission, the next step of the process it to document and communicate it to everyone. Your inbound mission should be reflective of the way you treat your customers and the values of the company.
Not only should you shout about them but you should combine the statements about being socially conscious with clear actions that prove this commitment. Customers can tell if you’re authentic or not.
A good mission will include attributes such as who it is you intend to help, the issue or problem you seek to improve and how you will help your customers achieve their goals.
Your mission shouldn’t talk about a product or an internal process or even words that are confusing. It should however focus on how the company is helping both the businesses and employees that it serves.
Think of your mission as an extension of the way your company thinks and operates.
What Makes A Good Mission
Below is a list of the things your mission should be or include.
Accurate: The statement should describe what you do and be a bit aspirational.
Simple: It should be easy to understand with words people understand.
Distinctive: It should be yours and not copied from anywhere. Bonus points if its memorable.
Short: It should be a sentence or two and fit within a classic tweet of 140 characters.
Future-resistant: The mission should not only describe you today but stand the test of time.
Inspiring: It should describe a company that you are proud of and want to be a part of.
Testing Your Mission
To test the strength of your mission, ask yourself if any other company could use the same statement to describe their organisation.
If you think another company could use the same language, then your mission may be too general.
Another way to test your mission is to ask your employees to read it and see if they recognise it as being specific to your organisation and reflective of the way you conduct business on a day to day basis.
Conclusion
There has been a shift in the way that buyers seek solutions to their problems. Installers, specifiers and architects all turn to the internet to find the right solution.
Inbound organisations start with their WHY and build a mission to define and describe it. This is then communicated throughout the entire organisation so it becomes a foundation for the business.
The mission should unite everyone and provide an inspirational statement defining what everyone is working towards. It offers buyers a clear understanding of who you are and why they should care about you.
Mission or purpose driven companies see higher profit.
Inbound organisation start with their mission and work towards achieving it with passion and focus.
Insynth specialise in consulting and providing the right services to each building product company, adapting to changes in buyer behaviour.
If you want stay ahead of the competition and grow your business better then click below for a free consultation with one of our growth experts.
About Insynth
As the only HubSpot certified agency to major on construction marketing, we bring together construction marketing strategy, digital strategy, website design, SEO, content marketing, email marketing, sales automation, marketing automation and HubSpot CRM implementation to produce successful campaigns and great results for our clients.