Comments on: This week's bounty: Online mission statements

By: LEDstrips

LEDstrips — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:57:00 +0000

Good. thanks for this psost.

By: LED Spot Light

LED Spot Light — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 07:04:00 +0000

Good point. Some companies’ mission statements just sound so unreal that they impress customers in the contrary way as they are expected.

By: Secret Commission System

Secret Commission System — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 19:29:00 +0000

A mission statement can help your company and clarify what you intend to do both to you, your employees and your customers… It’s not a bad idea to think about a good mission statement, even just a basic one (shouldn’t take long) and put it in your company’s website…

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 04 May 2010 15:03:09 +0000

I'd say a mission statement is probably useless. A "tell me what you do in 20 words or less" statement on the home page is a must. Some folks call that a Value Proposition. I just call it common sense.

By: Steven Clark

Steven Clark — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:25:04 +0000

I think it comes down to the basic design question - what can be taken away without detracting from the value of the design... and in the vast majority of cases mission statements don't belong.

By: Ian

Ian — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:30:29 +0000

Marcus mentioned strap-lines in the podcast.

No one responded saying whether they were worthwhile or not. What are peoples views on this?

Also where do the boundaries between a strap-line and a mission statement cross?

By: Jason

Jason — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:37:00 +0000

I don't know the legality of having to display mission statements on non-profit websites, but I think the point of Relly's article isn't necessarily saying that mission statements should never, ever be available on a website. I think the point of this rant is that prime website real estate shouldn't be wasted for these statements. I think, if anything, the proper place for a mission statement may be a separate link in your site's footer. It's accessible for those who are looking for it, but you're not going to waste space on your homepage with it, and instead use that space for copy that is going to be much more meaningful to your users.

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:48:52 +0000

I might also add that, at least here in the US, any tax-exempt non-profit organization is not only required to have a mission statement that is publicly available, but is also liable to lose their status as a tax-exempt organization if they are found to have business practices which are counter to or outside of their stated mission. Corporate mission statements may be internal motivation or public fluffery, but for 501(c)3 organizations they are a legal requirement and driving factor, and therefore should almost definitely be on the website.

By: Votre

Votre — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:07:31 +0000

The primary function of a mission statement is to provide a point of focus and measurement for the 'associates' in an company. It's not designed to be a marketing tool, and I find it an unfortunate development that so many companies see it as one.

I think the trend started when somebody (Jay Abrams?)observed that there are really only three responses a company has at its disposal when dealing with an irate customer:

Return their money
Give them a replacement product
Otherwise make it right for them

In a nutshell, your only real option (in most cases) is to make good on your offer.

And since you're basically going to unconditionally guarantee anything you say or do as part of your normal business practice - why not just come right out and say so?

It became a popular idea back in a time when warranty disclaimers were getting totally out of control. Companies that got less defensive - and who went on record for being so - gained a great deal of competitive advantage.

Unfortunately, this bit of practical wisdom got extended (as such things often do)to cover mission statements, when it was really only meant to address the issue of warranties and guarantees.

Give a baby a hammer... ;-)

By: Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:03:14 +0000

Have to agree in part with Prisca in as much as it can be a really hard sell for some clients, but as you rightly said Relly (Web Source East), the only way is to lead by example, and show clients how much better their content can be.

I've just started my huntin' season. Gonna bag me some About pages, and CEO biographies... wish me luck...