What content should you create? The Content Mission Statement

Simply defined, a Content Mission Statement is a clear declaration of intent for your content...a breakdown of what users can expect to learn from you consistently and how it will help them.

Operationally, it’s the best focusing tool you’ll ever have for determining what kind of content to create for the short and long term. As soon as you get an idea for a piece of content, you can immediately come back to your Content Mission Statement. If an idea doesn’t fit within that statement, you should not be wasting your time with it. Period.

3 Essential Elements of a Content Mission Statement 

Your Content Mission Statement is not something you want to complicate. Its focusing power comes from its simplicity. Your Content Mission Statement has 3 essential elements:   

1. Identification of your core audience.
2. What will be delivered for that audience? 
3. The ultimate outcome for that audience. 

And that’s it! For financial advisory firms and wealth management enterprises, the creation of content is a critical component in gaining awareness and trust from prospects before they ever speak with one of your advisors. Because of this, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of a media company as you’re thinking through your Content Mission Statement. What kind of content do your readers most care about? 

INC. Magazine, for example, has this as their Content Mission Statement: 

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 businesses. 

Pretty clear, right? The identified audience is entrepreneurs and business owners. What will be delivered is useful information, advice, insights, resources and inspiration. And the ultimate outcome for the audience is to grow their businesses. 

Let’s look at HomeMadeSimple.com. They also have a clear, concise Content Mission Statement that follows the same approach: 

Whether it’s a delicious recipe, an inspiring décor idea, or a refreshing approach to organizing, we strive to help on-the-go moms create a home that’s truly your own. 

The identified audience? On-the-go moms. The content that will be delivered? Recipes, décor ideas and organizing tips. The ultimate outcome the site is helping the audience achieve? Creating a home that truly feels like her. 

The Orbiter blog focuses on digital marketing best practices. They take the same approach to their Content Mission Statement: 

The Orbiter blog is where digital marketers find expert, practical advice on web design and content marketing. Our goal is to help you get better results from the web.  

The identified audience? Digital marketers. The content delivered? Expert, practical advice on web design and content marketing. The ultimate outcome? The audience gets better results from the web.

You get the idea. Now, with a clear idea of your ideal client and what they care about, your Value Proposition and Positioning Statement, you have everything you need to create your Content Mission Statement. 

Using your Content Mission Statement 

Unlike your Positioning Statement, your Content Mission Statement is absolutely public. This is a declaration and promise that you’re making to your users, and you should make it visible in the right places, including:

• As part of your blog’s masthead (and as the search description for your blog page) 

• Your header image on your YouTube channel 

• At the bottom of each blog post 

• In a prominent spot on your email newsletter 

• On the sign-up page for your email newsletter 

• At the beginning of each podcast episode 

• To kick off your webinars

And don’t worry, you don’t have to get clever with your Content Mission Statement for each place you use it. This is an instance where repetition will do you good. Copy. Paste. Move on!