I love big dreams and audacious goals. I love purpose and meaning and anyone who has a gleam in their eye, dreaming of better things. I love a daring blog mission statement.
If you’re gonna blog, blog big.
I think blogging is an amazing avenue for dreams and goals to come true.
Blogging makes you a writer.
Blogging makes you a communicator.
Blogging makes you a mentor.
Blogging makes you a specialist.
Blogging makes you a word smith.
Blogging makes you a dream weaver.
There is nothing like a blog to make you what you want to be. The problem is, many of you are afraid to be what you want to be. You are afraid to take hold of what you want and say, with authority, “Yes, I am a ______.”
Don’t let it be so. It’s time to take hold of your dreams and goals and claim them with a daring blog mission statement.
This is your chance to go big or go home. Don’t waste it. Don’t think small because you are afraid. For a brief moment break out and be everything you ever wanted to be then stake your claim with your mission statement.
For some of you I’ve already gone to far. But some of you are like fillies at the starting gate. You are raring to go. So let’s do this.
Who are you?
When you think about yourself, what 2-3 words would you use to describe yourself as a blogger. You wear a lot of hats. Some are for mothering. Some are for being a spouse. Some are for your professional or ministry life.
But specifically as a blogger, who are you?
It’s okay if some of those other areas bubble over into your blogging, for sure. However, as a blogger your main goal is probably not to have dinner on the table every night. It may instead be to help other moms get dinner on the table with healthy, nutritious foods. So you are a champion of good eating habits.
Write it down.
Who do you help?
Look back at your audacious goals page. Who do those goals help? Women? Kids? Writers? Decorators?
Determine who will benefit from you having these goals.
Listen, this is very important.
You do not help everyone in the world. Do not say – I help people. You don’t. You don’t help men in Italy. You don’t help upper management at Apple. You don’t even help all women.
You serve a target audience. Who are they? What is their age, gender, and area of interest?
My target audience is made up of busy women with small blogs. It’s not all women. It’s women with a lot going on, such as jobs, and kids, and life. But, I don’t even target all bloggers who are women. I zone in on small bloggers. The ones with limited time, limited energy, and limited resources; women who need extra help but can’t afford it, yet. I’m the one who weeds out the noise and gives them the cream of the crop when it comes to information and tips. I’m very specific.
You need to be specific too. Really hone in on who you serve.
How do you help?
You know who you are. You know who you help or serve. Now list how you help them with your blog.
Is it with advice? Do you post recipes? Are you a licensed counselor? Do you have expertise in home decorating? Are you passionate about homeschool and have insights you can share?
Maybe you bring business savvy or legal advice to the table. Perhaps you are a photographer who can teach others to take better pictures.
Write down 2-4 specific benefits you offer your target group as they pertain to your writing and your blog.
Here are some examples of helps you might offer your readers:
- Get organized
- Live with less
- Decorate simply
- Educate passionately
- Learn new skills
- Understand scripture
- Practice hospitality
- Believe in themselves
- Comprehend their worth
Remember, these are your bread and butter blog topics. They may not be all your categories, but they are some of the most talked about on your site.
If you think you teach others to practice hospitality you’d better be writing about it. The core of how you help is also what your blog is all about.
So what?
The “so what” question asks – What will your readers get out of the deal? What positive impact will your expertise and knowledge have on this group you have pinpointed? How will it specifically help them in their lives.
This is one of the hardest parts about writing a daring mission statement because it is here most bloggers are too afraid to go all in. They hold back. They refuse to hit hard. They take a soft approach and the whole thing turns to mush.
This is not the time to be wishy-washy. This is where the rubber meets the road and you commit to own all the questions above – who you are, who you serve, and how you do it. Now is where you specifically list the results. Now you claim the outcome in no uncertain terms.
So what?
What specifically will your readers be able to do because they read your blog?
Be encouraged is not good enough. Find comfort is not gonna cut it. This is not time for a group hug. It’s time to stand with confidence on who you are and what you have to offer and tell yourself more than anybody what your readers will be able to do because they read your blog.
So, instead of be encouraged you might say – live with confidence.
Instead of find comfort it might be – discover tools to move forward through the dark times.
Be specific. Very, very specific. The “so what” has to be tangible and real.
My mission statement is
I am a blogger, speaker, and community facilitator (who I am) who helps busy women with small blogs (who I help – very specifically) get savvy about their time, energy, and resources (how I serve) SO they can maximize their reach and grow a successful blog they love (so what).
Your blog mission statement is going to be very different from mine. That’s good. Work on it until you get it just right.
A word to the wise, you cannot write this in one day. It’s going to take a while to get it just right. You might write it, leave it, come back, tweak it, leave it, tweak some more and then leave it again. When you get this right it will make a huge difference in your blogging life. So don’t try to rush on this one.
As with everything in blogging, you mission statement can be changed at any time. If you feel your passions changing, change your mission statement. Let it grow and mature with you.
I keep mine written on a white board above my desk. I look at it all the time. It helps me to keep my posts on track. It focuses me. Use yours the same way.
Finally, be bold. Blogging is an amazing medium for sharing ideas and putting a voice to your experiences. Don’t lurk in the background with half-baked ideas and dreams. Step out, believe your voice matters, and share it with confidence. Write a daring mission statement and live it for your benefit and the benefit of your readers.
What is your daring blog mission statement?
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