What do you do?
Can you answer that question in a clear and concise way?
One of the biggest challenges facing anyone in business is communicating what they do and who they do it for. Those who don’t communicate this well are more likely to go out of business.
A tagline tells your audience what they will get.
The goal is to describe this vision or big idea in a tagline or short catchphrase that creates an image in the minds of the audience. It clearly describes the business while making a good impression.
A great tagline communicates benefits to the audience with clarity and simplicity. It communicates purpose. It is memorable. Consider some well-known taglines:
Disney – “The happiest place on earth.”
Maxwell House Coffee – “Good to the last drop.”
Note that both of these taglines, for very different products, clearly tell the audience what they will get… their happiest vacation or a consistently great cup of coffee.
Is your tagline effective?
Take a look at your website, business cards, or any location in which the purpose of your business needs to be clearly stated. Could a visitor to your site, or someone reading your literature, know what you offer in 15 seconds or less?
Would they know what action to take to learn more about what you offer or to make a connection with you? If not, it’s time to work on crafting the “perfect” tagline.
What are the steps to crafting a great tagline?
The perfect tagline begins with writing a longer “value proposition,” which is a brief description of what you do and who you do it for. It could be delivered as your “elevator pitch” in answer to the question, “What do you do?”
A value proposition includes all of the following:
Tells the audience who you are – what is your professional identity?
Describes who your target audience is – who do you help?
Describes how you help your audience solve a problem they have. What value are you bringing the audience? What makes your solution unique and better than the competitors?
How will the audience be transformed by the results you can promise them?
Your brand slogan or tagline is generated from this value proposition. It works with your name or business title to convey the essence of your value proposition. Keep it short but make sure it clearly states what you offer and what your audience gains from doing business with you.
The evolution of the "perfect" tagline.
In the pursuit of the “perfect” tagline, recognize that “perfect” is an elusive goal. Your tagline is likely to evolve over time.
A good example of this is the tagline for the Produce for Better Health Foundation. They have promoted eating more fruits and vegetables for over 25 years. Their original tagline was “5 A Day for Better Health,” which became “Fruits and Veggies – More Matters” and is now: “Have a Plant.”
My first tagline for my Nutrition Communicator website was: “Helping nutrition professionals become effective and confident communicators.” With further study and some great advice from a Master Mind group, it evolved into: “Leading nutrition professionals to communicate with excellence and confidence.” A few subtle changes created a more impactful statement.
If you would like more advice from a marketing expert on writing an effective tagline, I recommend checking out Donald Miller’s books, videos, or courses. Check out this short video he created on this topic.
What do you do? Share your tagline in the comments.
“Find out who you are. And do it on purpose.” ~ Dolly Parton
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