A mission statement is far more than just a nice sentiment to put up on your website.
A well-crafted mission statement is a guiding force in every aspect of running your IT company. It establishes your company's purpose and the mentality you apply to every decision you make, giving your customers a chance to connect with your business mindset.
With a mission statement being such an essential part of defining your business, writing may seem daunting. If you need some help getting started, just follow these three easy steps below:
When writing your mission statement, you must start by identifying your company’s ‘why.’ Your why is essentially whatever drives you to run your business besides the prospect of sales. For an IT company, a possible ‘why’ would be ‘wanting to push technology forward’ or ‘wanting to make people’s lives easier.’ Whatever your ‘why’ is, it should be tied to your beliefs and values.
Your ‘why’ is crucial to your mission statement because it will be what your customers will connect with. Establishing an emotional connection will create a deeper bond between you and your customers because if they connect with your ‘why,’ they will want to participate in your vision.
If you can get people to believe in your ‘why’ the way you do, they’ll trust your logic for why you are in business far more.
Once you’ve nailed down exactly ‘why’ you do what you do, your next task is determining how you do it.
The ‘how’ portion of your statement can give your customers insight into how you plan to turn your ‘why’ into a reality.
Once you’ve nailed down exactly why you do what you do, your next task is determining how you do it. By answering this question, you’ll also be able to determine how your approach to providing a solution differs from how your competitors approach the same or similar issue.
For example, you might be in the business of customer service. In this space, the ‘hat’ behind your line of work would be helping customers arrive at solutions for their problems. However, the “how” behind what you do could take shape a few different ways:
Offer 24/7 live chat to meet your customers' needs when it’s convenient for them.
Assign dedicated representatives to high-value customers to ensure quality interactions.
Offer only email communication for troubleshooting customer issues.
Have a support line set up from 8 am - 5 pm to address incoming customer calls.
Conduct proactive outreach to ensure customers make the most of your product or service.
Notice the variety? That’s why we suggest that you spend some time answering this question. Many businesses don’t think strategically about their approach enough, and as a result, there are often gaps or improvement areas that need to be addressed.
Businesses exist to solve problems and meet demands—whether that means providing software to simplify your payroll, a gas pump to fuel your car, a bakery to satisfy your sweet tooth, or so on. Whatever your business provides, that is your ‘what’.
Some businesses solve big, complex problems that have the potential to change the world. In contrast, other companies provide a service that lends itself to a small subset of a smaller niche market. Regardless of what your company does, you must have a grasp on how to articulate it in a clear, concise way.
A good rule is to nail down an elevator pitch for your business. Imagine you’re on an episode of the business-themed reality television series Shark Tank, and you have to pitch your business to a group of investors with a low threshold for fluff, uncertainty, and unpreparedness. How would you go about summarizing your company in this setting? What aspects of what you do can you afford to leave out?
Aim for impact and keep it simple.
At Gorilla Marketing, we will help you craft a mission to define who your company is and craft your mission into a complete marketing strategy.