Tagline, strap line, slogan, key message – what ever you call it, the idea is to offer a very clear and unique message in just a few words. This is an opportunity to effectively communicate and strengthen your brand message. While logos are visual representations of a brand, taglines are audible version of the same message.
Apple says, “Think different”. Fisher-Price tells you to “Play. Laugh. Grow”. Subway says “Eat fresh” and Yellow Pages says “Let you fingers do the walking”.
A good tagline is clear, simple, memorable and consistent
A tagline sums up the essence of your product or service to potential customers or capture what it is that makes your business different than your competitors.
Coming up with the perfect tag line requires a lot of time and thought. To start this process, ask yourself the following key questions:
Key Questions
- What do you promise? Honesty is important. Make sure your business actually delivers on the promise that you make?
- What is the benefit of your offering? Why do customers choose your business? What do they seek from you that they can’t get elsewhere?
The challenging part is then to join all this together in a short, clear phrase. A tagline doesn’t need to be overly clever to be effective but it must be understandable, summarise the product or service offering, build trust or incite to buy. You are aiming for the following:
- Keep it simple
- Evoke a feeling of benefit/value
- Create a positive feeling for the consumer
There is no easy way to come up with a tagline. You have to think about the value you are providing to your customers and work out how to express this clearly. As for many aspects of your business, you are creating something unique.
With a pen and paper, get writing. It’s faster to write your way to the right idea than to think your way to it. When you write down your thoughts, you focus your full attention on them and you can play with combinations of words. Create a list of all the words that come into your head in relation to the two key questions. Write down words that describe what your business does, who you do it for and descriptive words that fit with your values and what you are all about.
The creative process is a journey
You detour here and there while you explore ideas and possibilities. Play around with phrases that sum up the key questions. Remember it is only effective if your audience can understand it quickly so keep it simple. The aim is to communicate a singular idea about your business.
Finally, do people like your tagline? Try it out by asking friends and customers for feedback. Invite them to make any suggestions on how it could be improved or focused. Once you settle on your tagline, stick with it on all your marketing materials.
Ultimately, your business offering and your branding including your tagline gives your customers a reason to stay. Make sure you are sending the right message.
