How to write a content marketing mission statement

You’ve heard of a company mission statement – but have you also heard of a content marketing mission statement?

This is an important piece of text that should drive your content strategy.

Outlining your content marketing mission statement gives your content efforts greater purpose. It will steer you in a specific direction that aligns with your goals and the impact you want to make.

Needless to say, knowing how to create this particular mission statement is really important. Creating should be one of the first things you do when creating a content strategy.

Let’s dive into all the details.

What is a content marketing mission statement?

A content marketing mission statement is a short statement that describes the overarching Purpose Your content marketing efforts and activities.

This statement answers the question: What do you want to achieve overall for your company and your target group with your content marketing?

• What type of content (format + topics) are you becoming known for?
• Why are you going to create this content?
• How will your audience benefit?

A content marketing mission statement can serve as a banner or mission statement that your team follows to ensure that every action you take on behalf of your content stays true to your brand values ​​and audience.

And if you’re confused about the difference between your business mission statement and your content marketing mission statement, think of it this way:

Your mission statement explains why your brand exists. Your content marketing mission statement explains why you do content marketing.

Why should you create a content marketing mission statement?

Creating a content marketing mission statement is key to building a content strategy. And without a content strategy, your content efforts are far more likely to falter.

Up to 78% of marketers said their marketing was very successful Also say they have a documented content strategy, according to a Semrush survey.

“Documented” simply means “written down somewhere”. This distinction is important. You can talk about strategy all day, but when you record it, it becomes real and present.

With a document in hand you have something essential to refer to and follow, an agreed set of guidelines versus the idea this strategy floating around without form or function.

In summary, your content marketing mission statement sets out the overall purpose of your content marketing. (Without that purpose, your strategy will be aimless.) It can guide:

• The types of content you create.
• The kind of stories you tell.
• Your goals for content marketing.

And once you write that mission statement, it becomes a solid, shared, agreed-upon guideline that your entire team can follow and unite.

How to write a content marketing mission statement in 3 steps

There are three main components to writing a content marketing mission statement: audience, subject matter, and value.

1. Know your target audience

Who do you create content for? Here’s what you need to know before creating your content marketing mission statement.

In short, these are the people who get the most value and benefit from your content.

They are not necessarily people who know your product or service exists, or who have an urgent need. Instead, your content audience includes people with Information needs you can meet. They are the people your brand can help with expert knowledge.

For some of these people, enough nurturing and positive experiences with your content could eventually lead them to become your customers. That’s what content marketing does—but it’s not the point of your content marketing mission statement.

So when you think about your audience, focus on who needs your content and who lacks your brand’s unique expertise.

2. Find your main topics and content formats

Next, determine what information you share in your content.

The intersection of brand expertise (your unique blend of knowledge and experience) and what your audience wants is the sweet spot you need to find:

• brand competence: What do you sell? Why are you qualified to sell it? What knowledge/experience do you have about what you sell that makes you stand out? What issues are associated with what you sell? Which of these themes is most important to you as a brand and aligns with your values?
• What your audience wants: What does your audience want to know about your topic(s)? What problems and questions are they dealing with? What do they need to learn to achieve their goals? What knowledge gaps do they have?

After you’ve narrowed down your subject areas, you should also outline the main content formats you will be focusing on. This shows how you deliver the information your audience wants.

Blog posts are a given, but what will they look like? Tips and Advice? Helpful guides? Step-by-step tutorials? ideas and inspiration? stories?

Also consider formats other than blogs. videos. podcast. Original research. Interviews with experts.

For example, my brand delivers value through content through weekly blog posts, bi-weekly podcast episodes, and bi-weekly videos.

3. Explain how you will help your audience use content

It’s time to combine points 1 and 2 to create your content marketing mission statement.

How do you help your unique audience with your unique content? How will your potential reader benefit from the information you provide?

Explain the biggest benefits as simply as possible. Think about what makes your content different from what you already have and how you deliver different value.

Here is a formula on how to formulate your content marketing mission:

• We help [audience] through [type of content] help them [goal they want to achieve/benefit].

For example: “We help small business owners by providing insightful financial tips and advice so they can run their businesses better and achieve their career dreams.”

Need some real-life examples of how other brands have created their content mission statements? Here are seven of them.

canvas

• “Achieve your design goals with Canva’s in-depth articles and resources.”

The kitchen

• “Inspiring cooks and nourishing homes through daily recipes, tips, kitchen design and shopping guides.”

Open forum

• “Insights, inspiration and connections to grow your business.”

Harvard Business Review

• “Find new ideas and classic advice on strategy, innovation and leadership for global leaders from the world’s top business and management experts.”

WordStream

• “WordStream is your one-stop shop for digital marketing tips and strategies to help you learn, grow and thrive.”

nerd wallet

• “Millions of people turn to the nerds to find the best credit cards, improve their credit score, get the perfect mortgage, and more.”

apartment therapy

• “Lifestyle and interior design community that shares design courses, DIY how-tos, buying guides and expert advice for creating a happy, beautiful home.”

Write your content marketing mission statement with confidence

Your content marketing mission statement is a guiding principle that gives deeper meaning to your content efforts.

You don’t just create content to increase leads or get more traffic — you create content to help a specific type of person achieve a specific goal with your brand’s unique blend of knowledge and expertise.

And when you write down your content mission and share it with your team, it’s a unifying factor that makes everything you do more meaningful.

Join your content mission, rely on it as you develop your content strategy, and return to it as you create content and execute your plan. In turn, it helps you achieve the results you want.