Your Slogan is the “Headline” for Your Business

Tell people in a short phrase or sentence what you want them to know or remember about your business. The best ones conjure up a strong mental image, that will be forever linked with you in their memories. A little wit, humor, insight, unusual (yet relevant) spin goes a long way toward making it stick.

If you don’t stand out during the famous first impression, (or in a later contact) there won’t be anything for them to recall later. They’ll draw a blank – which means they don’t feel any connection to you at all. So few businesses have a good slogan (also called a tag line), yet it’s an easy way to distinguish yourself from the rest.

Finding the Phrase that Defines the Enterprise Isn’t Easy – But is Worth it

Choose one that people will easily relate to and remember. Don’t make it too long or complicated. And avoid the bland phrase that’s not unique to your business. Saying, “We aim to please” could apply to any type of business, and really doesn’t aim very high.

Imagine a much more potent a phrase like, “On-time Delivery or It’s Half Price.” That certainly sets you apart from the competition! People will notice, and they’ll hold you to it. You can be sure they won’t forget it. Your next challenge would be to live up to it.

A printer's card showing camels in a row and stating, “We take the humps out of problems,” emphasized its service orientation. Notice the words and image reinforce each other. That’s filed in the brain as an image, rather than information. Such amusing impressions are much more likely to be recalled than XYZ Printers.

The Slogan is Your Verbal Logo – Weave the Words and Images Together

A tagline can be as important as your logo, since it delivers your most direct message. It should send a reassuring message that attracts precisely those customers you can best serve. Weave it into your image (via color or font) so they appear as a unit. It’s more powerful and likely to be remembered that way.

Once you adopt one, use it constantly. Put the phrase everywhere the business name or logo appears.

State your slogan aloud at every opportunity. Have everyone who works with the enterprise say it in every business contact, sale, or telephone greeting. And practice saying it with emphasis and enthusiasm – not just another “have a nice day” substitute. Ugh!

The up-beat repetition of the words reinforces the message you want people to recall about your enterprise – with an emotional charge as well. And it helps for you to take the words to heart as business policies and decisions are made. For example, people would note the irony of a slogan promising good customer services, when they’ve just been treated poorly.

Kinds of Tag Lines - Statement of purpose, philosophy, or mission statement - Motto or slogan - Pledge - Policy - Guarantee - Jingle - Pun, joke, or play on words - Relevant quote or aphorism - or a takeoff on one

Defining Your Business Slogan is a Rite of Passage

Finding your unique and powerful slogan isn’t easy. It’s hard to distill a business philosophy or personality into a single phrase. But it is incredibly potent when it hits the mark. The public notices those businesses that have pulled it off in a positive way.

Very few operations have bothered to find an effective slogan, and it seldom happens until other aspects of the business “jell.” That’s the true importance of the effort to find yours.

Businesses that have all their parts working together communicate to the public in a way that other enterprises don’t. And one of they things they communicate: “We have our act together.” You can bet that customers prefer to do business with those that do.

Copyright 2005 Off the Page

Dr. Lynella Grant Consultant and Author - Promote yourself, business, website, or book with online articles http://www.promotewitharticles.com Free how-to. Or let me write and submit your articles online for you. No learning curves (719) 359-5575

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