7 Min. Read

How to Write a Manifesto In 5 Easy Steps

November 15, 2021

You’re probably familiar with the term manifesto. It’s something that’s been thrown around quite a bit. While political manifestos or a personal manifesto are pretty common, it’s also good practice to have a corporate manifesto. But what exactly is a corporate manifesto, and why does your business need one? Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. Learn all about crafting your own business manifesto here!

Here’s What We’ll Cover:

What Is a Manifesto?

Writing a Manifesto in 5 Steps

Key Takeaways

What Is a Manifesto?

By definition, a manifesto is a declaration of aims or policies for an entity. This entity can be an individual, like a political candidate, or an organization, like a business. There are many different types of manifestos, and the most common are listed below.

Political Manifestos: Declarations of policy by political candidates. These are very common, and are seen during political events. However, they may not be called manifestos.
Career Manifesto: A manifesto written by an individual. This is a type of manifesto that’s personal. The entire manifesto is centred around personal career goals. It’s important for professionals to have a career manifesto.
Corporate Manifesto: These are the manifestos written by businesses, or corporations. They should illustrate the core beliefs of a business.
Self-Repair Manifesto: Another personal manifesto, like the career manifesto. This is something done by an individual to repair parts of their life.

With all of the manifestos available, you may be wondering what to focus on. If you’re a small business owner, you should have two manifestos; the career manifesto and the corporate manifesto. We’ll call the corporate manifesto a business manifesto for the rest of this article, however.

A Manifesto is Not a Mission Statement

It’s important to understand that a manifesto and a mission statement are similar, but they are not the same. They resemble one another, and they should go together. But think of it this way: A manifesto is your foundation, and a traditional mission statement is your purpose. Manifestos are at the center of every mission statement. Therefore, you need a strong manifesto to have a strong mission statement.

Writing a Manifesto in 5 Steps

If you’re ready to get started on your manifesto, look no further! We’re covering how to write a business manifesto in 5 steps below. This is more than just writing a piece of content, so be sure to take note. A strong manifesto can influence a business greatly, after all.

Step 1: Have a Brainstorming Session or Two

Manifestos include a lot of detail. So much in fact, that it’s unlikely you’ll cover everything in one go. As such, be sure to have more than one brainstorming session about your manifesto. Keep in mind, a manifesto should cover all of your business’s beliefs.

Writing a manifesto is a process. It should be done with care, and it needs to be thorough. Here’s how to get started:

Take notes about your business’s successes. Overcoming problems, and how you overcame them, says a lot about the way that your business runs.
Consider how your customers talk to you about your business. Being able to reference positive customer interactions gives a good frame of reference of the positive.
Take your time. This information isn’t gathered in a single session. In fact, it can take weeks to have all the information you need to write your manifesto well.

Once you’ve been taking notes for a few weeks (maybe longer), it’s time to move on to the next step.

Step 2: Engage with Customers and Employees

Generating all of the information on your own can be tough. Once you’ve exhausted your own efforts, it’s time to start talking to other people. Who better to tell you about your business’s impacts than your customers and employees?

When you practice business in a community, you’ll find that you become more involved than just being a business. Often, you become intertwined with the community, and you serve them in other ways. Community outreach, social programs, and general involvement are all great things to include in a manifesto.

Your impact on your employees is much the same. Talk to them about the things that they see going on in your business. They’ll be able to provide a perspective that you may not have been aware of, as well.

When you’re speaking with both of these parties, make sure to take notes on your impact with them. This is all information that can be included in your manifesto.

Step 3: Understand the Negatives, Too

Now that you’ve bathed in all of the good that your business does, it’s time to focus on the bad. Knowing about the negative aspects of your business is just as important as knowing about the positive.

Take a day to write out all of the frustrating parts of your business. This can be general complaints about the issues that you face on a daily basis. It can also highlight the issues that customers or employees may bring to your attention. Keep everything in mind.

A manifesto should be phrased positively, sure. Making statements about how you aim to handle the negative is a positive way of looking at things.

Step 4: Sit Down, Write, and Write Again

Writing with inspiration can be tough. In fact, writing something correctly the first time can be an impossible challenge. That’s why it’s important to grab all of the information you’ve gathered and write your manifesto several times.

In fact, you should write your manifesto in a single session. Then, when you think you’ve got it, revise and rewrite it. Your business’s manifesto needs to be treated like the only thing a customer will see about your business. A game-changing manifesto can lead to a number of positive results for your business.

Step 5: Express Yourself Through Different Avenues

While a written manifesto is the status quo, we live in the digital age. As such, you can express your manifesto in a number of ways. Consider recording yourself speaking it emphatically. This can give you a different perspective on how it comes across. The same can be said by recording it through a video. Try different methods, there’s no reason not to.

A Few Things to Remember

When you write your business manifesto, remember to do the following things:

Phrase things in a positive light. You want to focus on the good that’s being done, and the good to come.
Take notes about everything that your business is doing. Having a clear picture of all sides of your company is important.
Take customers and employees into consideration. Ask them what they care about, what they think is working, and what needs improvement.

Key Takeaways

Your business presents itself in a number of different ways. However, one of the most important ways to do this is through a manifesto. Good business manifestos tell the public exactly what your business believes, and how it operates.

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