A clear and well-defined purpose is not just for personal use. In fact, the most successful entrepreneurs understand how important it is to tie their purposes into the core of their businesses. It’s not enough to simply jot down any old purpose into the business plan, it needs to be the purpose — the one that will mobilize the business and, subsequently, profits.
Create value outside of your products.
Of course, profits are important, and products should add value to consumers’ lives, but there is a distinct and even necessary BONUS in providing shared value. Shared value can be found at the intersection of economic and social values, where the benefits go far beyond a customer receiving a product in exchange for handing over cash. Go back to your business’s purpose, then use it to host a seminar, offer helpful how-tos and DIYs, or create a forum where consumers can come together to discuss and create content.
Keep it real.
Your purpose should never be paraded as something that it is not. Consumers who appreciate or perhaps even share your business’s purpose want to see it in action, not hiding behind a competitor’s purpose. In the end, authenticity will triumph.
Don’t skimp on the copy.
Chances are that you have an outside contractor or perhaps even an employee who is responsible for creating copywriting content on the web and elsewhere. While a copywriter certainly does not have to share your purpose (in fact, he or she probably will not), it is important for them to share a sense of purpose. It is usually that sense of purpose that will shine through the clearest.
It can be tempting to follow profits rather than purpose, but when entrepreneurs choose the latter, they normally discover that the former will quickly follow.