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4 Simple Steps to Creating the Perfect Business Tagline
Tagline, strapline, slogan… Whatever you choose to call it, it’s all the same. It’s the key phrase that identifies your business by capturing the essence of three elements:
- Your mission
- Your promise
- Your brand
Every business and company needs a tagline, if done correctly they will connect you to the public through personality and emotion. A great tagline will keep your business in the back of a customer’s mind. We’ve all seen them and heard them, they’ve been drilled into out heads so much that as soon as we hear a certain combination of words we instantly associate them with brand or products. Do you know the brands the following examples belong too?
Just Do It
Good to the Last Drop
Because I’m Worth It
Don’t leave home without it
Have It Your Way
Where’s the beef?
I’m Lovin’ It
Takes a licking and keeps on ticking
Those few simple words hold so much power that the pressure to write a great one is vast, but don’t fret as this post will help you on your quest to creating that perfect phrase.
Step 1. Keep it simple – Your True Mission
There’s a saying in the copywriting world: Be clear, not clever.
Not all slogans have to be snappy and to the point but don’t over do it with long tiresome phrases. Start building a tagline with the purpose of your site. Decide what you have to offer. Are you setting up a blog for marketing tips? Is your website about productivity tools? Do you sell web content? Love songs? Toilet Cleaners?
Pick the focus of your site – and stick with it.
Step 2. Benefits
What are the benefits a visitor (or potential customer) receives from staying on your site – and that’s important. People always want something. By adding benefits to a tagline, you’re telling people what’s in it for them and what they get from you.
If you’re really smart, use those benefits as selling points throughout your site copy, too. Don’t harp on about how great your product is – tell people what benefits they receive if they buy what you have to sell.
Benefits are the key to better copy, better sales and better business online.
Step 3. Speak the Truth
I was always told to tell the truth, and this couldn’t be more important that when coming up with a tagline. Don’t over do it and keep to the point, if you make your product sound too great it could backfire in the long run. However don’t refrain from pointing out the main, strong points of your brand or product and using that as your truth. Explain what you provide and what people should expect, without disappointing them.
Step 4. Make it personal
Make it yours and only yours. Each tagline defines a brand and belongs only to that brand so make it your own. Be inspired by successful brands, it would be silly not to but don’t copy and don’t make it too simlar as similarity to other brands will confuse your customers.
Alright, so you have your mission and you have your benefits. Now you have to add some branding.
Make your tagline reflect your business image. Differentiate yourself from the competition. Your business has a personality, so show it. Give people a little taste of your business’s brand in your tagline.
Pick an adjective that encompasses your business image, take the summary of your benefits and tack that to your mission.
Other Examples of Great Taglines
Be all that you can be. – United States Army
Because you’re worth it. – L’Oreal
Between love and madness lies Obsession. – Calvin Klein’s “Obsession”
Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation. – Pepsi Cola
Do you… Yahoo!? – Yahoo!
Don’t leave home without it. – American Express
Everything is easier on a Mac. – Apple Computer
Intel inside. – Intel
Let’s Make Things Better. – Philips
Live in your world, play in ours. – Sony Playstation and Playstation 2 gaming consoles
M&Ms melt in your mouth, not in your hand. – M&M candies
No battery is stronger longer. – Duracell Batteries
Nothin’ says lovin’ like something from the oven. – Pillsbury
Plop, plop; fizz, fizz; oh, what a relief it is. – Alka Seltzer
Push Button Publishing. – Blogger.com
Sharp Minds, Sharp Products. – Sharp
The best a man can get. – Gillette
The king of beers. – Budweiser
There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else there’s Mastercard. – Mastercard
We make money the old-fashioned way….We earn it. – Smith Barney
We’re number two; we try harder. – Avis Rental Cars
Welcome to the World Wide Wow – AOL. (play on World Wide Web)
When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. – Federal Express
Where’s the beef? – Wendy’s
Where do you want to go today? – Microsoft
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. – Wikipedia
