This post continues with the branding theme as we go to the next step beyond logos which is having a good slogan (aka 'tagline'). A slogan or tagline is a brief sentence - or just a few words - that when located just after your company name, gives your audience a more concrete idea of what your company does. It acts like advertising in that it consistently brands your company whenever its name is used.
"Got Milk?," "Just Do It," "Mmmm Good," "The Ultimate Driving Machine," and so many others are imbedded in our minds that in fact, no brand name's mention is even necessary, we just know the company it refers to.
When I began my firm I too wanted a slogan & began tossing around several options. I settled on "big business marketing solutions for small business." For a long time I was happy with it & used it diligently on all my marketing collateral materials. Then, one day I was having a discussion with someone who saw my services as "accessible to everyone" & so I began to think that perhaps "affordable, accessible marketing for all" might be a more focused and warmer way to convey the same thing. So, after passing it by a few trusted people, I decided to make the change.
The lesson? It may take a try or two to get it right but it's worth the effort. When I go to networking meetings & say my tagline everyone gets it. It requires no explanation & invites further discussion - which is exactly what every business owner wants!
There are myriad branding companies who charge many tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to create these taglines for big corporations. But you too can affordably create a memorable, meaningful tagline that will help your audience 'get it'. Here's how:
1. Play the name game. If at all possible, try to get at least part of your company name in. This helps to reinforce your brand and helps your audience connect the name & tagline without much effort.
2. Make it benefit driven. By doing this, it makes your selling job much easier because prospects will see your company name followed by a benefit-driven tagline. By association your company will then be remembered for its benefits.
3. Ask for help. If you're not sure exactly how your audience perceives you then ask your customers, vendors, employees, prospects - even friends and family. As you begin to gather their responses you'll see a very definite pattern of words or phrases crop up consistently. These are the words you will want to incorporate into your tagline development.
4. Be specific. So many slogans have absolutely no differentiation for their intended brand. While researching this topic I read that "Simply the best" is used in 30+ company slogans. If you can easily replace your company name with your competitors, then so can your target audience! Pick something that is unique to what you do.
5. Rhyme Time. Some branding consultants say that your tagline should rhyme. This makes it impossible for anyone to substitute their own company name for yours if you add your name to it & creates a much more memorable line. Think of "See the USA in your Chevrolet" and you'll hear immediately why this works.
6. Phrase it in the positive. Research shows that if a slogan contains negative phrases, people tune out. For example, Lea & Perrins' old tagline was "Steak sauce only a cow could hate." Cute, but not positive. In fact, this conjures up strange images in my mind. Their current tagline is "Unwrap the Possibilities®". This plays off the fact that they still wrap their bottles in paper & this differentiates their product on the supermarket shelf. It also conjures up a "hmmmm" factor such that it makes you think of how else you might use the sauce (in dressings, soups, sandwiches?)
7. Keep it legal. If you absolutely, positively don't want anyone else to ever be able to steal your slogan, then you can easily protect your marketing investment by filing for a trademark. Go to www.uspto.gov for more information. But first, search the trademark database to be sure no one else has already done so.
8. Keep it short. Branding experts say that your tagline should never be more than 10 words. The fewer the words, the easier it is to remember.
9. Once it is final, use it everywhere! My tagline is at the end of my email signature block, on all my stationery & marketing collateral materials (including the banners I use for trade shows). Say it on your voicemail message, incorporate it in to your "elevator" speech used at networking meetings. The whole point is to begin to brand your company & each of these efforts will add to your success.
Now that you've got a great slogan, go tell everyone!
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