What is a brand statement?
A brand statement, also known as a brand bio or positioning statement, is a 1-2 sentence statement about your brand.
It's a concise paragraph that tells your website visitors who you are, what you do, where you are located, how your business will solve their problem, and why your customer needs it. It’s basically your elevator pitch. When potential customers land on your website, you only have 3-5 seconds to capture their attention. Tell them exactly the purpose of your business, and place it prominently on your website.
Answer these questions:
What?
Where?
Who?
How?
Why?
Brand messaging can get confusing because there are so many marketing terms out there, but it’s important to know the difference between each term to ensure you’re making meaningful connections with your audience. First, let me tell you what a brand statement is not.
A brand statement is not a tagline.
A tagline is catchy and fun, but it does not necessarily imply the value that you offer to your customers. A tagline is driven by emotion, and gives your audience “all the feels”.
Here’s some examples you may have heard of:
Think Different – Apple
Just Do It – Nike
Be All You Can Be – The U.S. Army
We Have The Meats – Arby’s
A brand statement is not a mission statement.
A mission statement is an internal statement. It’s the “Why” of you started your business. Check out the book by Simon Sinek, “Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action”. He writes:
“There are only two ways to influence human behavior: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it. Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. By WHY I mean your purpose, cause or belief - WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care? People don’t buy WHAT you do, they buy WHY you do it.”
In a nutshell, your business should be built upon your mission statement or your “Why”. A mission statement explains the purpose of your business, a company’s culture, value and ethics. It’s a motivator for employees, and provides a snapshot of the company for any investors.
Here’s some examples of mission statements:
We’re on a mission to close the gender gap in tech. – Girls Who Code
Our mission is to unlock the potential of human creativity – by giving millions of creative artists the opportunity to live off their art and billions of fans the opportunity to enjoy and be inspired by it. – Spotify
We’re in business to save our home planet. – Patagonia
To provide Black and Latinx talent with the resources and support that they need to thrive as remote and freelance professionals. – Incluzion
A brand statement is not a vision statement.
A vision statement is intended to describe the future of your business. It can include elements of your mission statement, but it’s forecasting into the future.
Here’s some samples of vision statements:
To be the world’s most loved, most efficient and most profitable airline. – Southwest
To be always the desired place for great coffee beverages and delicious complimentary doughnuts and bakery products to enjoy with family and friends. – Dunkin Donuts
Realizing the full potential of the internet – universal access to research and education, full participation in culture – to drive a new era of development, growth, and productivity. – Creative Commons
A world without Alzheimer’s disease. – Alzheimer’s Association
Finally, what is a branding statement?
A branding statement answers the question: “What do you do?” or “How do you help?” in a clear and concise message.
It’s about how you get your customers from A to B. What do you offer? If you're a local business, where are you located? How is it different? (Think of adjectives.) Who is your ideal client? How will your product or service change their lives? What problem are you solving? Why do your clients need your product or service?
Your brand statement will look something like this:
[What do you offer? How is it different?]
for
[Who is your dream client?]
so they can
[How will your product or service change their lives? What problem will it solve? Why do your clients need it?].
Here’s some great examples:
The world needs a special gift that only you have. Hi, I’m Marie. An entrepreneur, writer, philanthropist and an unshakable optimist dedicated to helping you become the person you most want to be. — Maria Forleo
Loud introvert with a big mission: Teach 1B people how to make a living doing what they love. — Chris Do
Hi, I’m Amy. I teach business owners, educators and entrepreneurs the profitable action steps for building a highly engaged email list, creating online training courses, and using online marketing strategies to sell with ease. – Amy Porterfield
Thrive Market is an online, membership-based market making the highest quality, healthy and sustainable products available for every budget, lifestyle, and geography. – Thrive Market
One by one, we are leading a movement to a future where all beauty is clean beauty. – Beautycounter
Organic Bath Co. believes in self-care made simple: Mindful moments, peaceful thoughts and nurturing your skin from the outside in. – Organic Bath Co.
Strive to be clear, not clever. Then, refine and refine again.
Place your brand statement prominently on your website, and your consumer touchpoints like on your Instagram bio, other social media, email signature, business cards, and marketing collateral.
Need more tips or examples? Download our free resource: Guide to Creating an Effective Brand Statement to help you craft your message.
How did you do? I’d love to hear about it. Drop me a line, let’s chat. I’m here to help you.
Hi, I’m Monica. I’m a brand and website designer with a background in graphic design. I am a mom, creative, and entrepreneur. I started my side hustle about 10 years ago. When I became a mom, I knew it was time to leave my day job and take on my business full-time. The last 5 years of my business have been full of growing pains, but also many wins. I’ve been blessed with wonderful clients that have helped me survive the pandemic, and in turn, I’m here spilling design and business knowledge on these pages. My goal is to help small creative businesses thrive and accomplish their biggest dreams. What’s your dream?
