A tagline is a short, punchy sentence (sentence fragments are okay, too) that quickly and memorably communicates what your business is about. It’s often (but not always) used along with your brand logo. A tagline is not a slogan. Learn the best steps on how to create a brand of business tagline, a guide for writing a successful slogan.
A slogan is a temporary “tagline” used in marketing campaigns. Those marketing campaigns may run long, but slogans are attached to specific campaigns, not the brand name or logo. Taglines are more permanent than slogans, but sometimes slogans perform so well that they become taglines.
Tagline Overview
They are hard to write. If you get it wrong, you’ll have to live with your terrible tagline being what’s memorable about your business.
That said, a tagline can also force you to focus your business in just a handful of words; it can serve as a reminder to both you and your audience about precisely what it is you do; and, when done well, it’s an easily-repeatable, word-of-mouth marketing tool.
Note that some companies mentioned in this article have updated their branding. I’ve mentioned their most popular taglines but not necessarily their most recent ones.
Famous Taglines
You don’t even realize you see a company’s tagline as much as you do.
- I’m lovin’ it (McDonald’s)
- Just do it (Nike)
- Think different (Apple)
Companies advertise their slogans repeatedly and everywhere – on their advertisements, packaging, websites, storefronts, and jingles. Learn best steps on how to create a brand or business tagline, guide for writing a successful slogan to memorably communicates a company idea.
You may not have the budget to advertise like crazy, but using your tagline everywhere your brand is present doesn’t cost anything extra.
Why Would You Need a Tagline?
An interesting quote from Andy Crestodina, Orbit Media’s strategic direction, is in this Enchanting Marketing article. He makes a case for getting rid of their company tagline “digital design and production,” saying that they didn’t see any value in keeping it, and it seemed to create visual clutter more than anything else.
Fair, but re-read that line: digital design and production. I would argue that this isn’t truly a tagline. It’s not catchy or creative; it’s just a description. Maybe they don’t need or want a tagline – but IMHO, they haven’t experimented with one yet (at least not in this case).
How to Create Tagline?
Understand Your Audience
You must understand your target audience before creating a tagline for your business. If the best sayings tug on the emotions, then you must first understand the emotional pain points of your customers.
So, your customers are primarily working moms, they might face a lack of time to finish everything. If your tagline shows how your product solves that problem, you’ve hit gold with those few words. Learn best steps on how to create a brand or business tagline, guide for writing a successful slogan to memorably communicates a company idea.
Brainstorm Your Business
Writing a compelling tagline and summarizing your business in a few words is challenging. Take the time to figure out what your business is about.
One of the simplest ways to figure out words that define you as a brand is to get a large piece of paper or a whiteboard and start writing what comes to mind. Connect related words with lines and circle the ones with power.
Once you have a sheet with some words, start drawing on what you have and putting them together into a phrase that defines who you are, what you do, or the problem you solve.
Meow Mix has an easy-to-remember tagline that gets right to the heart of what it does — create good-tasting food for cats. The tagline reads, “So good, cats ask for it by name.” You’ve likely heard the line used in its television commercials, along with cats meowing as though asking for the food.
Study the Competition
A tagline is your opportunity to stand out from competitors. The last thing you want is a tagline that is eerily similar to the one already in use.
Take the time to make a list of all the taglines your competitors use. If you know what they’re using, you can ensure you don’t accidentally create a similar tagline. Make a list of the most powerful words used by competitors, and double-check you aren’t using similar words or phrasing.
Know Your Business Goals To Create a Tagline
Know your business goals and your company’s purpose so you can reflect this in everything you do, including your tagline. If you want to change the world one product at a time, your tagline should remember that far-reaching goal while explaining the product.
A tagline says a lot with a little, but you must first know your company’s direction and unique selling proposition (USP) so you can communicate it to consumers. Learn best steps on how to create a brand or business tagline, guide for writing a successful slogan to memorably communicates a company idea.
Checklist to Create a Business Tagline
- Understand Your Business: Know your business inside out. Understand your mission, vision, values, and unique selling propositions.
- Identify Your Target Audience: Define who your customers are. Understand their needs, wants, and preferences.
- Research Your Competitors: Look at your competitors’ taglines. Analyze what works for them and what doesn’t.
- Brainstorm Ideas: Generate a list of potential taglines. Be creative and think outside the box.
- Keep It Short and Simple (KISS): Your tagline should be concise, easy to remember, and straight to the point.
- Make It Unique: Your tagline should stand out from the crowd. It should be different from your competitors’ tags.
- Ensure It’s Relevant: Your tagline should be relevant to your business and target audience.
- Incorporate Keywords: Use SEO-friendly keywords in your tagline. This will help improve your ranking.
- Test Your Tagline: Test your tagline with a small group of people. Get their feedback and make necessary adjustments.
- Trademark Your Tagline: Once you’ve finalized your tagline, consider trademarking it to protect it from being used by others.
- Use Your Tagline Consistently: Use your tagline consistently across all your marketing materials and platforms. This will help build brand recognition.
- Review and Update Your Tagline: Regularly review it to ensure it remains relevant and effective. Update it if necessary.
