Your elevator pitch vs. your company tagline
Taglines, to me, are very similar to the 30-second pitches. Both are about “telegraphing” your message to your audience — quickly, precisely, and memorably.
So here is a guest article about taglines. The same principles behind creating taglines can help you create your 30-second pitch.
Enjoy!
The Trouble With Taglines: Why This Catchy Phrase Can Lead You Astray and What You Can Do About It
by Kim Castle, BrandU®
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One of the most powerful components of a brand’s message is the summation of a brand’s position in the marketplace, the promise it offers, and the value it means to your customers; wrap that in a catchy turn of phrase in as few words as possible and you have yourself a tagline.
The trouble is… you need a great tagline to penetrate the overwhelmed mind of your customer and set up permanent residence in their psyche. |
The trouble is… a great one is hard to create.
In a sense… taglines are magically delicious.
WHAT MAKES THEM SO GOOD
In a nutshell, taglines are an evocative and inspiring call to action that is specific to a specific business and sets a foundational tone for the business or product. They take away all guessing from your customer’s minds.
Web usability expert and author of Don’t Make Me Think, A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability says, “nothing beats a good tagline” even on the web.
Typically they take one of eight forms:
- An imperative call to action: Just do it.™ (Nike)
- An emotive call-to-action: When you care enough to send the best. (Hallmark)
- Link a product feature with an abstract need: A diamond is forever.™ (DeBeers)
- Single word benefits: Live. Love. Eat™ (Wolfgang Puck)
- A direct tie to brand experience: You’re in Good Hands With Allstate™ (Allstate Insurance)
- A promise: When it absolutely has to be there overnight.™ (FedEx)
- The pain of not using the product: Because so much is riding on your tires. (Michelin)
- A clever tie to the name: Every kiss begins with Kay. (Kay Jewelers)
However, just knowing a form does not make the magic. The form is just an empty shell without first defining the meaning of the words you actual use.
You also need a decision process to determine which form works best for your business.
Want to know the secret?
The magic is not in the actual words. It’s in a process to arrive at those words and put them in the right order.
Most business owners rush to craft the clever words before they even define the words and what they mean. It’s like wondering what kind of camera you should take with you to Mars when you haven’t even designed the rocket ship to get you there.
The lack of a process keeps business owners guessing for their tagline ‘out there’ in creative land.
In my near two decades in the brand business, I have developed a skill for writing these illusive creatures. Not just because I’m a brilliant copywriter. Not just because I’m clever— although several years as a stand-up comic surely helps.
My ability to craft the perfect unique tagline for a business is because I am able dive into the heart of a brand and bring up the gold. I’m able because of the heart of the brand is in it’s core values and core promises which is derived in the language portion of the brand creation process in Stage Two of BrandU® aptly called Brand Power™.
Here are examples of recent taglines I have created for clients once they have gone through the branding process. (Note these taglines are legally protected by copyright by each client.)
Together making thirst history.™
(Water 4 Life brings great water to the people that don’t have it.)
Bringing Out the Real You.™
(The Reveal System is a natural way to lose weight fast.)
Scientific Keys for Living Well.™
(The Feng Shui Advantage uses the ancient Chinese science of energy.)
Clarity All the Way to the Bank.™
(BrandU® is a process to develop business ideas into a money-making marketable brand.)
Notice these tagline they communicate more — they have a deeper resonance.
The reason: each word has a precise reason for being used and the process to arrive at those words addresses the four-dimensions of being human.
Sound complicated? It’s not. It’s a process.
So… the next time you find yourself looking ‘out there’ for the catchy summation of your brand’s position, promise, and value… stop. Remember your customers and multi-million dollar business deserve more than just a guess. You deserve clarity all the way to the bank.™
© Castle Montone, Limited
Author and BrandU co-creator, Kim Castle teaches entrepreneurs and small business owners how to turn their business ideas into a moneymaking marketable brand — from idea, to brand, to market. If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank™, get your FREE branding tips now at www.whybrandu.com.
