How to Write a Better Tagline
Taglines, slogans, mission statements, oh my. These statements can have powerful impacts on customers, or they can cause serious confusion.
How does a company write a better tagline? And what’s the difference between a tagline and a slogan, anyway? If you or your team have asked these questions, this article will help.
The Foundation of a Better Tagline
The American Marketing Association defines a tagline as:
“The verbal or written portion of an advertising message that summarizes the main idea in a few memorable words.”
Some of the more famous taglines such as, “Just Do It” (Nike), or “Let’s Go Places” (Toyota), capture part of this definition, but not quite all of it. The key concept here is to keep in mind that an abstract tagline could work for a giant, global corporation. For a small to mid-sized business, or for a start-up, the tagline needs to contain more information about the products or services and brand.
What’s the Difference Between a Slogan and a Tagline?
The American Marketing Association’s school of thought lists the same definition for a tagline and a slogan. Here at Revealed, we associate slogans with marketing campaigns, and taglines with a company’s constant brand.
Either way your company defines these two, a tagline is the overall reflection of your company’s brand. This is the backbone, similar to your logo. We tell our clients to think of your tagline as your verbal logo.
We are the brand awareness firm that helps companies makes their brand known through marketing and design solutions. While working with clients and marketing agency teams, we’ve picked up on a few easy ways to write a better tagline. The savvy writers on our go-to-market teams have shared a few tips and tricks of the trade.
How to Write a Better Tagline
Whether you are starting a new business or ready to refresh your existing tagline, we can help. Below are a few basic steps to help you write a better tagline to represent your small to mid-sized business.
1. Start with your “Why?”
The company’s mission statement is a great place to start when it comes to writing your tagline. A mission statement shares your company’s objectives and how it is accomplishing these goals.
The ideal length for a mission statement is a short paragraph, maybe 1 – 3 sentences. This provides more in-depth insight of your goals and values, and is a great way to lay the groundwork for your tagline.
2. Add the Value
Once you have the reason for your business, now it’s time to explore your customer experience. What are the reasons a customer would choose your product or service? How do your customers benefit from your company?
Write down a few words to help brainstorm ideas. Consider physical, emotional, mental, or financial benefits to your customers.
3. Blend and Add Action
Now that you have clarity around the reasons and relevance for your business, it’s time to form your tagline. Combine concepts and add impact with inspiring action words.
Having trouble finding the marketing buzz words needed to grab attention and inspire? A quick Google search is just waiting to help! The words known as “marketing magic” combines psychology and science to help catch attention, inspire, and motivate. Beginning your tagline with a powerful word can greatly improve its impact on your audience.
4. Is it Memorable?
The final step in creating an effective tagline is to make sure it is memorable.
Our six-year-old daughter, Hadley, has a natural interest in advertising and has memorized a number of taglines. We mentioned Toyota’s tagline, “Let’s go Places,” because she often says this when she sees a Toyota Camry parked in the parking lot, or when we drive past a Toyota dealership. The tagline is so effective, it appealed to a child who (thankfully!) still has several years before she starts driving.
She may not understand the concept of insurance quite yet, but she definitely knows State Farm based on their tagline, “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” Only time will tell if she’ll become a State Farm customer when she’s an adult. And if she does – talk about a great tagline!
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We hope this article helps you create a better tagline to support more marketing and sales success! Remember, a strong tagline helps you define your business so customers can better connect. This also helps you stay on track (or on brand) for future offerings.
Along with a better tagline, now is the time to write a solid marketing plan to support better sales results. If you missed our recent blog, “How to Gain Executive Buy-In” we’ve linked it here for you.
Let us know how we can help with your next website, branding, or other creative design project. Contact us for a quick conversation to see how we can help take your business to new heights.
