When you make a decision to publish a newsletter, you are, in essence, making a commitment to provide information on a regular basis to interested readers. This commitment is your Mission Statement.
Whether you choose to keep it to yourself, or publish it in your newsletter, your Mission Statement should be written down "somewhere." It will help you to keep yourself focused on your goals and not stray into fifty different directions. Your Mission Statement will also help guide you in making important decisions affecting your business. It should also define the value of your business and clearly state your "reason for being."
The good news is your mission statement can be summed up in as little as two words such as the example from the folks at Pepsi -- "Beat Coke!" or it can be a short paragraph. The original statement need not be written in stone as it will likely evolve over time as your business grows and changes. This is one of the reasons your Mission Statement should be “achievable;” it should have some sort of starting point with a definite ending point.
Whatever you decide, though, your Mission Statement should answer the following questions:
1) Purpose: What is the overall objective of your business? (What do you hope to accomplish?)
2) Business: What resources/products/services will you use in your objective?
3) Value: What principles or beliefs guide your work?
4) Target Audience: To whom would you like to make this commitment?
Here are some examples that can be easily found online:
Google.com:
"Google's mission is to organize the world's information, making it universally accessible and useful."
Amazon.com:
“Amazon.com's mission statement is quite simple: to be the best bookstore on the Internet, and accomplish this task by offering the largest selection and the highest level of customer convenience and service.”
The American Red Cross:
“The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its congressional charter and the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement, provides relief to victims of disaster and helps people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies.”
As you read each of these statements, keep in mind “their purpose,” “their business,” and “their values.”
EXERCISE:
Look around the internet or in a printed publication and find a mission statement. Using the information found in this lesson, see if you can identify the parts in the mission statement that answer the questions that relate to “their purpose,” “their business,” and “their values.” What is YOUR mission statement? Please send it to Ezines@bellaonline.com and we'll publish some of your examples. Thank you!
Don't miss Part 1 in this series: Starting a Newsletter - Why Publish a Newsletter
And Part 2: Starting a Newsletter - Anatomy of a Newsletter
Part 3: Starting a Newsletter - Naming Your Newsletter
Part 4: Starting a Newsletter - Hit 'Em Hard with Headlines
