What is Your Home Builder Mission Statement?

Are you looking to communicate your home builder mission statement in a way that doesn’t feel like paying lip service? Or perhaps you’ve been questioning whether you even need to have a mission statement at all.

In a condensed yet powerful way, a mission statement is a prime opportunity to share what your company stands for. And the quick answer to whether your business should have one is "Yes, you should." But only if you do it right. When written with intention, mission statements makes a huge difference—both internally and externally.

It’s not business to consumer, it’s not business to business, it’s people to people.

Brian Solis, best-selling author, and marketing expert

With your mission statement, you want to tell a story that the people reading can feel a human connection with. Whether they are people who work for you, are collaborating with you, or making a purchase from you, every word you say is an opportunity to forge a deeper connection. People are much more loyal to those they care about, are inspired by, and can believe in. 

Let’s take a look at what exactly a mission statement is, why you need one as a home builder, and how to write one that actually holds value. 

What is a mission statement?

If you’ve been told you should have a mission statement, whether by an expert or through a how-to-make-a-business-plan guide, it’s essential to ask yourself a few questions:

• Will this mission statement bring clarity to what I’m offering?
• Does a mission statement make sense for what I’m trying to achieve?
• Can I stand out from the crowd with a mission statement?

With that in mind, let's get into it—what is a mission statement? 

A mission statement is exactly what it sounds like: a statement about a company’s mission—the who, what, and why—as well as the roadmap that will help that company achieve its vision and purpose. It’s a moment to grab your prospects' attention and stand out. This is not the time for generic buzzwords or any other string of sentences that your competitors could use.

Do you pick up a coffee at the same place everyday, travel with the same airlines, or fall back on your favorite clothing line? People are first attracted to, and then loyal to a brand because of their values and the type of experiences they create. There is rarely a more front-and-center place to share your company’s values than in the mission statement. 

Read more here to learn about why emotional branding matters, and how you can use it to encourage loyalty from the people in your circles, internally and externally. 

Why do mission statements matter externally?

Often, mission statements are communicated externally—to customers, partners, and other external players. It gives those on the outside an insider’s point of view. It's as if to say, “This is why you should care about our company.”

Today more than ever, potential customers will make choices about supporting a brand based on that brand’s values and mission. Therefore, a clearly defined mission is imperative. 

86% of consumers prefer an authentic and honest brand personality on social networks.

Source: Hubspot

A clearly defined mission allows potential customers to become a part of something meaningful—to help make a difference or positive change. The message you communicate about why you do what you do has a significant impact on the buyer’s perception. So, naturally, getting the message right, while also being authentic and unique, is critical to successfully branding your company.

Why do they matter internally?

Mission statements are also heavily communicated to internal players such as employees, potential new hires, and other stakeholders. Employees and potential talent would much rather work for a company with a powerful mission they can get behind or makes them feel something. 

96% of companies believe employer brand and reputation can positively or negatively impact revenue, yet less than half (44%) monitor that impact.

Source: CareerArc

Creating a powerful and relevant mission statement offers a story your internal community can rally around. You want your team to wake up excited and ready to grow your business. That excitement is achieved through offering your team purpose.

Internally and externally, the mission statement is meant to evoke an emotional, logical, and intellectual response that makes them care. When people genuinely care about a mission, anything is possible. 

Examples of Powerful Mission Statements

To understand what makes a good mission statement, it can be helpful to analyze the missions of highly established companies. Below are a few examples, followed by some tips on what this process might look like for you. 

A few effective mission statements worth analyzing include:

• Nordstrom: To give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.
• Toll Brothers: To go beyond exceptional value, quality, and customer service to create a lifestyle that is rich in beauty, comfort, and luxury.
• JetBlue: To inspire humanity—both in the air and on the ground.
• Tesla: To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.
• Starbucks: To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
• Spotify: To unlock the potential of human creativity.
• Google: To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
• Kickstarter: To help bring creative projects to life.
• Uber: We ignite opportunity by setting the world in motion.

Of course, home building and home buying is a much different game than what's played by brands like Nordstrom and Starbucks. For one, big B2C brands have much more frequent sales and connection opportunities with consumers.

However, it’s still possible to build meaningful connections even within our space of lower frequency. No matter the industry, the days of “I give you my money and you give me a product” are over. Consumers are inundated with choices and highly engaging marketing. With that, comes power and expectations.

Tips For Writing a Home Builder Mission Statement

Every moment of every day, humans are making assessments and forming judgments and opinions. When you add in the internet, instant gratification, fast loading times, and novelty at the click of a button, you are left with people who will effortlessly turn to the competition.

If a person doesn’t take away a good impression from your mission, logo, website, or any other interaction, you’ve missed out on an opportunity. 

But when done right, with the right words and the right emotional connection, you can build interest within a few moments. A mission statement, like some of the examples above, can be short and sweet. They are something that a person can scan and think, “Yes! This is the kind of person I want to be. This is the kind of company a person like me would work with.” 

You want your words to: 

• Tell customers something about themselves—however implicitly. 
• Inspire them to be the best version of themselves.
• Encourage them to trust your brand instantly.
• Evoke their emotions and their memory in a positive way. 

Let’s take a look at a few tips and strategies that can make this mission statement ideation process a little easier. 

1. Keep it simple with just a sentence or two.

A mission statement should be brief. Page-skimmers (i.e. most of us) don’t make the time for that kind of reading in that specific context. They would rather know immediately what your company is about.

If you can’t narrow down your mission into a sentence or two, then consider revisiting each topic idea you have for the statement. Some topics will naturally be stronger and more relevant than others—those are what you are searching for.

2. Don’t think too small, but don’t be too general.

As first impressions go, you don’t want to back your business into a corner with a too-specific and exclusive statement. However, you don’t want general fluff taking up space because you aren’t quite targeted enough, either.

This can be challenging. There’s a delicate balance with home builder mission statement writing, and you want to be narrow where it's most impactful. Where might that be for you? 

3. Allow an authentic human voice to shine through.

As with most copywriting, you want to let the personality of your brand shine through. For an example, let's look at a slightly expanded version of Google's mission statement. For one of the most technological and sophisticated companies in the world, it reads like a conversation between friends:

“Our company mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. That's why Search makes it easy to discover a broad range of information from a wide variety of sources.”

Whoever your brand is, be true to it. If you don’t yet know what your brand personality is, take some time to discover it.

Final Thoughts

Brand identity is a major component of a well-rounded brand. This seems logical, but understanding how to create a solid brand identity isn’t always obvious.

But the fact is, it’s crucial to prioritize your brand identity—with a home builder mission statement being a big part of that identity. If you don’t know where to begin, find a partner who does. If you’re ready to connect your why to your audience, contact us today!