How To Create The Best Mission Statement For Your Blog

When I first started blogging in 2014, my only real purpose was to share my experiences as the spouse of someone who suffers with bipolar disorder.

At the time, my husband had been stable for awhile and I wanted to give other spouses like me, a place to turn and feel like they were not alone. When I needed that kind of support, I couldn’t find anyone that understood what I was going through and I vowed that I would be that beacon of light when my life settled down.

I did not know it at the time because I didn’t write it down formally, but I did create the best mission statement for my blog.

So in the beginning, my focus was very clear. But soon, I ran out of things to share. My family life was stable and I found it difficult to constantly immerse myself in the mental health community when I was trying to enjoy our calm and happy home.

I began to write about everything and anything that struck my fancy. If you asked me what my blog’s mission statement was then, I probably would not have known how to answer.

I was having fun, so why did it matter? I had a close community of fellow bloggers and we read and shared each other’s posts. And that was good enough for me for awhile.

But we aren’t in Kansas anymore Dorothy.

Blogging has exploded since those early days. It’s unbelievable how many new people are asking to join my blog group everyday! And wow, the shift has totally turned to a blogging for money mentality.

People are jumping in and creating genuine businesses and careers. It is exciting to watch but also a little intimidating and frustrating for those that have been at it for awhile and have not been able to make that transition.

Or for those that aren’t looking for a monetary compensation from their blogs but still want an audience.

Whether you want to hear this or not, if you have a blog, or are thinking about starting one, it is much easier to develop a brand and followers if you know your blog’s purpose or mission.

Honestly, I have struggled with this ~~until recently~~ constantly. I push against this theory of having a niche. And I know that I will hear from some of you that have built a successful brand without a niche.

But hear me out.

Blogging without a target market or mission statement is more difficult. Unless you have a super big personality or a really interesting life, it will be harder to:

Find direction. You end up trying fifty million different things, change your name, your theme, your categories, your social media platforms. You aren’t sure where you are going so you end up throwing spaghetti at the wall, hoping something will stick. Or worse, you start to copy or mimic another blogger in hopes of duplicating their style and success. That never works which leads to…frustration, burn out and eventually…giving up.
Stay Motivated. If you feel like you don’t know what you are doing or at least why, your enthusiasm with fade.
Grow a following. Gone are the days when people subscribed and looked forward to every single one of your posts. Social media is throwing a million different things at your potential reader and they get attracted by click bait very easily. The only way to cultivate an engaging audience is to hone in on who they are and only serve them. Trying to be everything to everybody rarely works.
Get consistent traffic without constant promotion. You don’t want to have to live in Facebook blogging groups forever do you? Most of the bloggers in those groups aren’t even interested in your content, they are just reciprocating. Help your audience find you (through search engines or Pinterest) by being focused on who you serve and why.
Make Money. This one is a no brainer. If you can’t narrow down your niche, you will never know what to sell or promote to them because let’s face it, you don’t know them at all.

Niche and blog mission statement/purpose are not the same thing. One is who you serve. The other is why you serve.

For successful blogs, they are closely intertwined but you can have one without the other.

For example:

You have a fashion blog for older women. That is your niche or target market. You don’t know why you blog about this niche. You just do it because you are in that niche yourself.
You have a fashion blog to teach women how to style a body that has a heavier frame so that they can feel good about themselves. That is your purpose or blog mission. You target all women so you don’t really have a niche other than fashion.

To create the best mission statements for your blog, you need to combine the two: a niche and a purpose.

Trust me when I tell you that I know how hard it can be choosing a niche and creating a mission statement.

Especially when you are starting out.

You just want to write. I get you. I really do.

But I’m telling you, if you can master this, it will be easier to write and you will feel great about your blog.