Making taglines work.
You see and hear taglines every day – in advertising, on television, on websites. And though these lines are familiar to you and can evoke reactions, have you ever stopped to think about what a tagline really is and how it should function for your brand?
A tagline summarizes – succinctly – what your brand promise is. Given that, determining what your tagline is and how it’s used should be an important component in your overall brand strategy.
To develop an effective tagline, start by determining your brand position. Your brand position should meet four important criteria:
- It must be based on things that are important to customers
- It must be based on real strengths
- It must reflect a competitive advantage
- It must be communicable
All four of these criteria have equal importance – if your brand position meets only three, chances are that it isn’t a sustainable position. Once you have determined your brand position, then comes the task of figuring out how to say it – with creativity, brevity, and meaning.
As you move through this step, keep in mind one word: perspective. While it’s important that your tagline communicate who you are and what you do, be sure that it will speak to your customers, in words and tones that are important to them. Test potential taglines by asking yourself: “Will my customer understand my promise to deliver?”
Also keep in mind that a tagline should be large enough to hold your brand promise. And while you want a tagline to communicate to people, it does not necessarily have to literally describe your product or service.