Public Relations Emphasis
The Project
Journal My Mission is a business that I launched centered around creating journals for LDS missionaries. Our purpose is to help missionaries make the most of their experience through a compact and diverse journal. Elders and sisters can use the journal as a place to store memories and memorabilia through guided prompts, personal progress trackers, gratitude sections, photographs, and more. This missionary-made journal will be a spiritual source in the lives of missionaries as they record life-changing experiences on as they record their life-changing experiences on their mission, and as they cherish and reflect upon them afterward.
Here’s how I did it:
The Research
Made By Missionaries – For Missionaries
97% of the 400+ missionaries I reached said they brought a journal on their mission. 70% of them said they weren’t satisfied with their journaling experience. This is when I learned that my idea could fulfill a real need. I created surveys using Jotform and distributed them on social media and on campus. Using incentives, I got nearly 400 responses from returned missionaries, current missionaries, soon-to-be missionaries, and parents of missionaries. My goal with the surveys was to find out what people look for when purchasing a journal, and what job and overall experience they hope their journal can give them.
For insights on the quantitative data I compiled view link below:
The Development
We Make Journaling The Experience It was Meant To Be: Spiritual, Reflective, & Fun!
BRANDING: Using resources such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Fiverr, and Tailored Logo I developed a logo, business name, and colors. I wanted a modern sounding name that had enough impact that someone could know its purpose in the title. Thus, Journal My Mission was born. I was also drawn to this name due to the potentially positive SEO impact it could have given that one of the most common google searches for LDS journals are “journal for my mission” or “lds mission journal.”
Style Guide:
CONTENT: After finding what missionaries wanted, I compiled their most popular requests and interests into one diverse journal. This involves the following:
I used Canva to create every design on each page. This part alone took over 20 hours, and involved several pivots and edits after seeking feedback from focus groups after every major change.
COMMUNICATION: A big part of this project involved contacting The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s copyright office to get permission to use quotes from scriptures and church leaders within the journal. I wanted the journal to designed in a way that made it feel more tailored for missionaries. An even bigger part of the project was communicating with suppliers and manufacturers. I went through 42 different suppliers in search for the one that best fit my needs and circumstances. This involved a lot of patience as communication was difficult with time differences and language barriers. I also spent hours learning about trade and manufacturing guidelines, such as paper weight, overseas shipping implications, costs of goods, printing styles, and contracts.
Marketing & Business
What’s Next
The journal is currently being mass-produced overseas and will be shipped to the United States before Christmas. I am seeking out packaging companies that fit my vision to help purchasers feel our brand’s appreciation. I am also working on blogs that will begin publishing on a monthly basis with a chance to become more frequent. I hope to continue creating content to build brand awareness and to get in front of the right people to draw sales. I have received 17 pre-orders on the journal in the 8 days we have launched the website. I am only a few pre-orders away from breaking even on all expenses! People have shown positive responses to the journal and we are excited to see its impact for missionaries going forward.