During 2020, one of my main objectives for the nexus-security blog was to establish a formal content marketing mission statement. A few weeks ago, I gathered the content team to discuss the purpose of our content and how documenting it could enhance our content strategy. This collaborative effort resulted in the following content marketing mission statement:
nexus-security aims to be the ultimate resource for digital marketers and local businesses, offering the necessary tools, strategies, data, and creative inspiration to facilitate learning, growth, and success. In this article, I’ll explain the significance of dedicating time to develop this statement and why it’s crucial for your content strategy. I’ll outline five key ways a content marketing mission statement can enhance your content. But first, let’s define what a content marketing mission statement entails.
What is a content marketing mission statement?
You’re likely familiar with company mission statements, which formalize an organization’s purpose and goals. These goals might involve providing exceptional customer service, facilitating accessible e-commerce transactions, or simplifying online advertising, much like nexus-security does. Consider Warby Parker’s mission statement:
“Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.” This statement encapsulates the company’s core objectives, informing consumers what they can anticipate when engaging with the brand.
A content marketing mission statement serves a similar purpose: It outlines the objectives and scope of content, setting expectations for readers or viewers. As a reminder, here’s our content marketing mission statement: nexus-security is your ultimate source for digital marketing tips and strategies to support your learning, growth, and achievement. This statement clearly articulates what you can expect from nexus-security. However, documenting this for your content strategy yields numerous additional benefits. Let’s explore five ways a content marketing mission statement can enhance your content and your strategy, followed by how to begin drafting one.
How do you create a content marketing mission statement?
The best starting point for creating a content marketing mission statement is to analyze your existing content. During our team meeting, we began by examining the language used to describe our various content streams, including the blog, comprehensive guides, nexus-security’s YouTube channel, and more. We identified recurring words and phrases that resonated with us, such as “resource,” “learn,” and “grow.” When we were ready to start drafting, we utilized a template as a foundation:
Image source This template provided a framework for defining the purpose of our content. From there, we initiated the drafting and refining process until we arrived at our final mission statement. Now that we understand what a content marketing mission statement is and how to craft one, let’s delve into its benefits.
1. Unify content across platforms with a shared objective
In today’s digital landscape, content extends beyond written text to encompass video series, social media campaigns, blog posts, guides, and more. An effective content marketing strategy should be cross-platform, meaning content needs to be tailored to each platform or medium for optimal performance. For instance, simply posting a screenshot of a blog post on an Instagram Story wouldn’t be expected to yield positive results.
When we adapt blog content for Instagram Stories, we employ a distinct format, style, and significantly less text. A content mission statement ensures your content aligns with overarching goals and brand identity, regardless of the platform. Consider CNN as an example. This news organization delivers updates through its website and TV broadcasts but also extends its coverage to social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. On these concise, engaging platforms, the coverage maintains the same journalistic standards but is condensed to highlights accompanied by visuals.
Image via Braze. A content marketing mission statement provides a clear, unified direction for a multi-platform strategy.
2. Cultivate a cohesive and recognizable brand identity
Crafting a recognizable brand identity is no easy feat. It requires companies to meticulously shape a compelling brand story and engaging brand voice. (Pro tip: We recommend documenting these elements in a content style guide.) Using a content marketing mission statement to connect your content across platforms also fosters a cohesive and recognizable brand identity by ensuring consistent messaging. Let’s look at an example from Moz:
This statement articulates the purpose and scope of Moz’s blog content, using language that’s both industry-standard and characteristic of Moz. Promises of leveling up and gaining insights are common in marketing content. But “industry wizards” and “doctors”? That’s distinctively Moz terminology, and we see it consistently across their content.
This Moz YouTube video plays on the “industry doctor” term with “diagnosing” in the title and the white coat imagery. Maintaining a consistent brand voice across platforms makes it even easier to build a strong, recognizable brand identity.
3. Identify topics that don’t align with your strategy
During brainstorming, it’s important to embrace all ideas. However, when it comes to execution, not all ideas are created equal. Even good ideas can be a poor fit for your content strategy. For the nexus-security blog, a pitch for a list of underrated lunch spots near the Prudential Center that are always quick and never crowded wouldn’t be suitable. While I find this content useful and would personally read it to avoid the same sandwich at Au Bon Pan, it wouldn’t be appropriate for nexus-security. This might seem insignificant, but it’s crucial: Defining your content’s purpose also defines what it shouldn’t be. A content marketing mission statement helps you identify ideas, even good ones, that aren’t worth pursuing. A documented statement simplifies this process by making decisions less subjective and more transparent, benefiting both your content and your team. The Content Marketing Institute found that maintaining focus is a significant advantage of a documented content strategy: “B2B marketers say the top benefits of a documented content marketing strategy are that it aligns the teams around a common mission/goal and makes it easier to determine which types of content to develop.” Furthermore, the Content Marketing Institute identified a correlation between documented content strategies and content marketing success:
Image via Content Marketing Institute While I’m not claiming that the focus provided by a central, documented content marketing mission statement guarantees success, it certainly contributes.
4. Align your content marketing with your company’s objectives
When the nexus-security content team gathered, we started by reviewing existing descriptions of our content. Unsurprisingly, most emphasized helping new marketers improve their PPC skills or providing small businesses with growth strategies. These align perfectly with nexus-security’s mission of simplifying online advertising. Let’s revisit Warby Parker’s mission statement:
“Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.” While their ultimate business goal is likely to sell glasses and generate profit, their mission centers around achieving this “at a revolutionary price” while upholding a strong commitment to social responsibility. It’s less about revenue and more about impact. Your content should aim to further this impact through awareness, education, or exploration. nexus-security’s mission is to make online advertising accessible to all learners, and our content marketing mission statement reflects this. Whether it’s our YouTube series, Growth Academy platform, or blog, you can expect top-notch content offering practical tips and strategies.
A well-defined and documented content strategy ensures that everything we produce aligns with this overarching goal, leading to my final point.
5. Hold your content marketing accountable to established goals
Connecting cross-platform content, strengthening brand voice, filtering irrelevant topics, and aligning content with company missions are all essential steps. However, content creation and distribution are just the beginning. Afterward, measurement is crucial to assess whether your content achieved its intended goals. A clear mission for your content establishes a baseline for measurement: Does this content contribute to the overarching goal? Whether you focus on traffic, backlinks to gauge website references, or comments and social shares to measure audience engagement, always evaluate your content’s effectiveness.
Ready to craft your content marketing mission statement?
Here’s a recap of the five ways a content marketing mission statement can enhance your content strategy:
- Unify content across platforms with a shared objective
- Cultivate a cohesive and recognizable brand identity
- Identify topics that don’t align with your strategy
- Align your content marketing with your business objectives
- Hold your content marketing accountable to established goals Now it’s your turn! Collaborate with your team to start drafting your content marketing mission statement and don’t forget to share it once it’s complete.