While having an outstanding visual identity for your brand is essential, the true foundation of your business starts with those aspects that tend to remain invisible. Like your mission statement, your vision statement works as a driving force behind your brand. After all, effective branding doesn’t start with a stellar logo or even a great color palette — it all starts with a vision.
What a Vision Statement Is: Unlike a mission statement, a vision statement has a more fluid and lofty purpose. True to its name, a vision statement works like a snapshot of your brand’s future. Your vision statement should serve as your inspiration, as well as the framework you use for any future endeavors. In short, what you are doing when crafting a vision statement is articulating your dreams and hopes for your brand.
Why You Need One and How to Use It: Much like your mission statement, your vision statement helps to provide a clear direction for your business planning. Also, it helps to provide a focus for your marketing efforts in that it serves as a system of checks and balances. Any marketing campaigns or messages you put forward can be checked against your vision statement to ensure that the two are in alignment. This can go a long way in helping to make sure your brand remains consistent.
How To Write It: Here are some things you should consider when writing your vision statement.
Your vision statement should be short and reasonable. While creating your vision statement is a chance for you to explore your business goals and dreams, try to narrow it down to just one goal.
For example, Google’s vision statement is: “To provide access to the world’s information in one click.”
If you have others working with you, your vision statement should be something that everyone in your business can support. Goals are always more attainable when everybody is on board and moving forward in the same direction.
Your vision statement should include a measurable outcome, as well as a timeframe in which to accomplish that outcome. Your timeframe can be anywhere from 5-10 years in the future.
For example: “Boho Darling is creating cleaner, more sustainable skincare options to reduce the beauty industry’s eco-footprint by 25% by 2025.”
In the example above, the measurable outcome is ‘reducing the beauty industry’s eco-footprint by 25%,’ and the time frame is “by 2025.”
Once you’ve given thought and consideration to these areas, you should be ready to compose your vision statement. To make writing your vision statement a bit easier, try putting it into this format:
“_________ (your business or brand) is going to _________ (your goal) by ______ (your timeframe).”
Your completed vision statement should offer a clear idea of your company's path forward. However, don’t feel like your vision statement needs to be set in stone. Brands and businesses change and evolve, so don’t be afraid to give your vision statement a few tweaks as you get further along in your journey. Most importantly, your vision statement should serve as a reminder of the inspiration and motivation behind your brand.
For more on building your brand’s foundation, check out these posts:
Your Brand Strategy: What It Is and How to Build It