How To Craft Your Content Marketing Mission Statement + 9 Examples

I love teaching workshops on content marketing and brand storytelling because there’s such a great opportunity to connect the dots for people.

One of my favorites is when we talk about brand storytelling and how it relates to the content marketing mission statement.

When I explain how this works, I truly feel like a magician revealing the secrets to the world’s most amazing magic trick.

What is the mission of your organization? And how are your marketing efforts contributing to that mission?

You’ve probably heard the famous anecdote about President John F. Kennedy visiting NASA headquarters for the first time. The president asked a janitor mopping the floors what his job was, and the janitor replied, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”

NASA’s primary mission at that time in 1961 was a successful moon landing. And, it made sure that every single employee not only understood what that mission was but also realized that their individual efforts played an important part in the success or failure of that mission.

So what does this have to do with marketing?

Now more than ever, every activity you do as part of your business should contribute to your company’s primary mission, including marketing.

Quick Takeaways:

• Every one of your business activities should contribute to your primary mission.
• Creating a content marketing mission statement can help to keep you on track.
• The overlap between the needs of your audience and the needs of your business is where content marketing can work its magic.

Why You Need a Content Marketing Mission Statement

Just as your business needs a mission statement to give purpose to your strategy and activities, so too does your content marketing strategy.

Your content marketing mission statement should define your goals, or what you want to achieve through content marketing, and outline the value you hope to provide to your audience.

While the goal of a television ad or paid digital campaign may simply be to drive more sales, content marketing typically has multiple purposes and brings multiple benefits to both your business and your audience.

Your content marketing mission statement brings together your business goals and the needs of your audience.

If your content doesn’t offer any value to your audience, then it won’t attract visitors, won’t drive engagement, and won’t offer any improvement on your bottom line.

It’s vital that your content offers benefits to your audience, and your content marketing mission statement should describe these benefits.

First, What’s Your Brand Story?

People confuse a brand story with branding, but they’re different. A brand story is a definitive statement about the difference a brand makes in the lives of their customers.

Here’s some examples:

• To champion positive social change that will enhance the quality of life for all as we age. – AARP
• Empowering students’ success for a better life. – Mentorina
• Helping people be better in the moments that matter. – Motorola Solutions
• Empowering marketers to do their jobs better and with less effort. – Numeric Analytics
• To develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good. – Texas A&M

A brand story shares a unified message about a brand. It articulates what the brand stands for, expresses what the brand believes in, emotionally connects with customers, put audiences in the role of the hero and serves as the “North Star” for everything a does. It sets the stage for voice, tone and style.

As you’ll notice, none of these brand stories talk about what products or services these companies sell. That’s because a brand story is flexible enough to be told in different ways over time.

It’s foundational, and guides everything that’s said – externally and internally – created, developed, sold and delivered by a company. The brand story should be developed alongside the brand platform but few companies create them together, if at all.

The brand story works as an umbrella for every message that comes from every corner of the enterprise. It drives how companies talk about the value they deliver to customers, what they sell and how they solve problems. It also guides new product development, customer experience, internal culture and employee recruitment. It’s the filter through which all decisions are made.

The content marketing mission statement supports the brand story by getting detailed about what content you will deliver on a regular basis that delivers value to customers.

If you don’t have a content marketing mission statement to back up your brand story, then you don’t have a disciplined, consistent and reliable way to add value to your customers.

Creating a Content Marketing Mission Statement

The content marketing mission statement is anchored in the brand story. The brand story comes first because it sets the tone for what matters to the brand and what it will focus on as a business. You have to know what matters to you first as a brand before you can define your audience. Once your audience is defined, then you will be able to articulate the value that you deliver to them through content – which is driven by the content marketing mission statement.

The brand story works as an umbrella for every message that comes from every corner of the enterprise. It drives how companies talk about the value they deliver to customers, what they sell and how they solve problems. It also guides new product development, customer experience, internal culture and employee recruitment. It’s the filter through which all decisions are made.

The content marketing mission statement supports the brand story by getting detailed about what content you will deliver on a regular basis that delivers value to customers.

You can’t have an effective content marketing mission statement without first defining your brand story. And if you don’t have a content marketing mission statement to back up your brand story, then you don’t have a disciplined, consistent and reliable way to add value to your customers.

Think of it this way…

We all know people whose interests change on a whim depending on what people around them find interesting or say is important. What’s the impression we have about those people? They don’t know themselves. They’re reactive. They’re trying to be the center of attention by saying what people want to hear.

People who know themselves well – from the inside – are people who others want to be around. They know what matters to them. They don’t have the desire to be everywhere all the time. And they don’t need to be popular with everyone.

They know their story.

The same applies to brands. Brands that understand what drives them from the inside don’t try to be everything to everybody and they know not everyone should be a customer.

That’s key, because companies have to know what matters to them first – what their reason for ‘being’ is – before they can deliver value.

In taking the brand story and using it to create a content marketing mission statement, the framework looks like this:

My brand is the destination for [target audience] interested in [topics] to help them [describe customer value].

Here’s an example of a content marketing mission statement in action:

Inc. Magazine:
Welcome to Inc.com, the place where entrepreneurs and business owners can find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for running and growing their business.

The target audience is entrepreneurs and business owners
The topics that Inc. covers are useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration
The value that’s delivered is to help this audience run and grow their business

It’s as simple as that.

Still unsure what your content marketing mission statement should look like? Take some inspiration from these examples:

• The Moz Blog – The industry’s top wizards, doctors, and other experts offer their best advice, research, how-tos, and insights – all in the name of helping you level up your SEO and online marketing skills.
• Lifehacker is the ultimate authority on optimizing every aspect of your life. Do everything better.
• The Hustle – business and tech news in 5 minutes or less.
• Apartment Therapy is a home and decor site, designed to inspire anyone to live a more beautiful and happy life at home.
• Inc. Magazine: “Welcome to Inc.com, the place where entrepreneurs and business owners can find useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration for running and growing their business.”
• American Express Business Class: “Insights, Inspiration, and Connections to Grow Your Business.”
• The Hartford’s BIZ AHEAD: “Visit Biz Ahead, powered by The Hartford, for the latest insights and advice to help you manage and grow your small business more effectively.”
• Marketing Insider Group: Content that converts
• AARP: To champion positive social change that will enhance the quality of life for all as we age.

While your business goals may well revolve around profits and business benefits, your content marketing mission statement should focus on how you can help your audience. Aim to provide as much value as you possibly can, and the rest will naturally fall into place.

Aligning Your Content Marketing Goals with Your Business Goals

Now, it’s time to see where your business goals and your content marketing goals overlap, and how you can align the two.

At this stage, it might be worth revisiting your company mission statement and revising it if necessary. Every business wants to make money. But what greater impact do you want to have on the world?

Your organization’s mission and purpose will not only help you to plan your business and marketing activities, but it will also provide a starting point for your marketing campaigns and guide you towards the topics your content should cover.

Outdoor clothing brand Patagonia updated its company mission statement a couple of years ago to reflect their commitment to sustainable practices and using their profits to make the world a better place: “We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Patagonia still wants to sell products, of course, but by focusing their content marketing around this mission, they attract an audience that shares similar values to the brand, and build customer loyalty with each piece of content they produce.

Some examples of recent content on the Patagonia blog include:

• A short film about the rigorous testing process that each Patagonia garment goes through
• A story about a climber connecting local food growers
• News about divers restoring a dying coral reef
• A long-form piece about protecting Alaskan forests from logging.

Patagonia understands their audience incredibly well, and they publish high-quality content that their audience will read, share, and bring them that little bit more in line with the brand with every blog post they read and video they watch.

Your company mission doesn’t have to be as altruistic as Patagonia’s. But, by producing content that aligns with your business values, you ensure you’re building a committed audience that will value your brand for the long term.

Reviewing Your Content Plan

Take a look at the content you have planned for the coming weeks and years. Does it fit with your content marketing mission statement and company values? Or is some of it purely created to provide keywords to fulfill your SEO strategy?

There’s nothing wrong with creating content around keywords. But, remember, you’re writing for a human audience, not a search engine.

Every piece of content you produce should be providing value for your audience and working towards your ultimate business goals. If it’s not, you’re wasting your time.

So What’s the Next Step?

If you are ready to get more traffic to your site with quality content that’s consistently published, check out our Content Builder Service. Set up a quick consultation, and I’ll send you a free PDF version of my books. Get started today and generate more traffic and leads for your business.