Regardless of your niche or sector, establishing a clear-cut brand mission is essential for business success.
In the digital age, branding holds a great deal of value. Aesthetically inspiring visuals appeal to consumers across sectors, but in today’s world, branding runs deeper than logos or slogans alone. It’s brand values that really count.
Harvard Business Review suggests that brand loyalty is forged when you share values with your consumers. It’s not the number of interactions that a person has with your business, but the relatability and value of each interaction that matters.
By gaining a deeper understanding of your brand mission, and by communicating these values to your target audience, you will increase engagement and catalyze the success of your business exponentially.
Here we explore actionable approaches you should take to help you establish a stronger brand voice and refine your organizational mission statement.
1. Determine Your Golden Circle
The concept of the Golden Circle was established by author Simon Sinek, who observed that “people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. The Golden Circle thought model revolves around a simple set of three concentric circles, starting with ‘why’ in the middle, leading to ‘how’ and, finally, ‘what’. Your Golden Circle should form the foundations of your brand mission statement, establishing why your business exists.
To determine your Golden Circle, set some time aside to gather key members from your team and consider, in a collaborative environment, why your business exists. What was your motivation for starting the business? What problems are you solving? Who are you helping?Answer these questions and you will gain the clarity you need to establish your core brand mission.
Once you’ve established the why of your golden circle, you should address the how. How will you help your audience? How will you set about achieving your goals?
Finally, approach the what. What are you offering to your audience? What are the benefits?
Once you’ve defined your Golden Circle, you will have a branding blueprint that will empower you to formulate meaningful strategies and make informed decisions to evolve your business.
2. Understand your customers
In the age of digital transformation, we are literally swimming in data. With an ever-growing number of platforms and touchpoints available (from social media to mobile apps, and beyond), there is endless potential for collecting the kind of metrics that offer invaluable insights into consumer behavior.
By leveraging data-driven tools like Google Analytics to understand the needs and preferences of your customers on a deeper level, you will be able to fortify your brand mission. Understanding why you exist will allow you to develop a clear picture of your key consumer demographics, and your brand mission will become crystal clear.
3. Write your mission statement or manifesto
Armed with your newfound knowledge you can produce a definitive statement. or manifesto, that outlines your brand’s core mission, as well as the values that will shape the direction of your business.
Writing a mission statement is a lot like telling a story—it’s a narrative that you and everyone within your organization will use for guidance, and that customers will look to in order to understand if your values are aligned. You should segment your mission statement into a concise beginning, middle, and end, including these key elements:
- Value: Outline the value of your business to both customers and employees.
- Inspiration: State why people should invest in your company, both as consumers and employees.
- Viability: Put your brand goals, aims, and values into a practical context, explaining how and why they are achievable.
- Specifics: Include information about your company culture and proposed organizational strategies. Conclude the statement with a positive, motivational sign off.
Once you’ve produced a definitive brand mission statement you will be able to make more informed, value-driven decisions that will set you apart from the pack. The next step is to put your brand mission into practice! Keep in mind that this is not a process you will go through once but that you should revisit periodically, to ensure that your brand truth and your actions are still aligned. As Jack Welch, former CEO of GE said; “An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage”.
Deepening Your Branding and Communications Knowledge
Gain the expertise you need to promote your business and communicate your brand values, or to access a career in communications, by enrolling in one of our Marketing or Communications & PR degrees. At EU we offer bachelor, master and MBA programs to equip you with the tools and information needed to take the next step. If you would like any more information, contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions.
