What do you do?
Most people will answer with what they do for a living. Nothing more. Ask a company and you’re told what they make or what service they provide. Again, nothing more.
With a tagline, however, you can explain in the simplest way possible what you do and how your customers can benefit – that’s it.
David Ogilvy said
What you say is more important than how you say it.
Although only one sentence or phrase, a tagline provides a very powerful statement of how you, your product or service, can benefit a potential customer.
In this article, I’ll show you how to create a tagline for the benefit your customer wants.
How to create a tagline
People have trouble creating a tagline because they’re not exactly sure who their potential customers are, or how they can serve them.
So, these questions need to be answered before you can create a tagline:
- Who are your potential customers? Who is the buyer?
- What are you selling them? What will they be able to do, with what you’ve sold them?
- How will they benefit from buying it from you? What problem will it solve for them?
That’s pretty straight forward and enough to construct a tagline.
Now, use this basic template to create a tagline for your own business:
I help _____
(do) _____
so they can _____.
Typically, a tagline contains some sort of transformation, which is the “so they can _____ “.
This is where you show the benefit of buying from you, and how your customer will be better off. This is what differentiates you from your competitors.
Other types of tagline templates
Here are a couple of examples of tagline templates.
For creating a product or service:
I am going to create a (whatever the product or service is)
to help (your potential customers or buyers)
that will enable them (what transformation you’ll help them achieve)
For an online course:
Learn (how this works),
so you can (achieve so-and-so).
An example of creating a tagline
Recently I wanted to get more Ratings and Reviews on iTunes for a podcast I produced. This is the aim of all people starting a podcast, because the more ratings and reviews received, the higher you rank in iTunes.
To achieve this, I created a Podcasters Private Facebook Group to give ratings and reviews on each other’s podcast. I also needed to create a tagline to entice podcasters to join and show them the benefits of doing so.
The first step was to create a simple tagline using a basic template.
I am going to create a Private Facebook Group
that helps Podcasters
get more Ratings and Reviews and therefore obtain a higher ranking in iTunes.
Then I broke it down as follows:
Problem:
Can’t get Ratings and Reviews on iTunes
Solution:
Podcasters Private Facebook Group for giving Ratings and Reviews to each other’s podcast
Benefit:
Podcasts receive a higher number of Ratings and Reviews
Ultimate benefit:
Podcast will rank higher in iTunes
Finally, I had a polished tagline for podcasters to join my Podcasters Private Facebook Group:
Increase the number of Ratings and Reviews in iTunes for your podcast to rank higher.
A tagline is different to a slogan
Yep, and that’s fact.
A slogan helps with branding or product identification. They’re catchy, seen on packaging, display ads, commercials and large billboards. The aim is to associate the creative catchy phrase with the product and make it stick in the consumer’s mind.
Here are some famous and well-known slogans:
“Where dreams come true” – Disneyland
“Have a break, have a Kit Kat” – Kit Kat
“Think different” – Apple
“American by birth, Rebel by choice” – Harley Davidson
“Just do it” – Nike
“Finger lickin good” – Kentucky Fried Chicken
“Buy it. Sell it. Love it.” – Ebay
Slogans are directed towards an association with a product, whereas a tagline shows the benefit you can offer your customer.
However, in some cases taglines are slogans
This is particularly true when brands are just starting out.
This is what Erica Mills of Claxon had to say
When brands are starting out, sometimes the slogan and tagline are one and the same because you’re just trying to establish who you are, what you stand for and why people should buy you.
An example of a tagline being a slogan is M&M’s timeless
Melts in your mouth, not in your hands
M&M’s originated in the United States in 1941 after one of the founders, Forrest Mars (son of the founder of the Mars Company, Frank C. Mars), patented a process that stops the chocolate candy from melting in your hand. In 1954 Peanut M&M’s were introduced and the tagline “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands” made its debut.
The benefit is obvious and the slogan is very catchy and enduring.
This is an excellent example of a brand starting out with the tagline and slogan being one of the same. After all, the patent was based on this premise.
An equally famous tagline being a slogan is the first tagline FedEx used from 1978-1983
When it Absolutely, Positively has to be there overnight
A memorable tagline with a very clear benefit to the customer. At the time, it also represented a unique selling proposition for FedEx.
Why taglines are important
In one sentence, a tagline tells the world who you can help, and why they’ll be better off after buying from you.
A tagline is simple and to the point. Anyone should be able to understand it clearly and easily.
Finally, your tagline should reflect how your business differentiates itself from your competitors and what makes you unique.
And, it’s all packed into one sentence.
