Writing a Slogan

A slogan is an advertising tag-line or phrase that advertisers create to visually expresses the importance and benefits of their product. A properly written slogan can have a positive effect in building and sustaining name recognition. A good slogan immediately identifies with the company’s product. In an overcrowded market, companies in the same industry need to set themselves apart.

Your brand is more than a logo or one-liner. It’s your customer’s first experience, your voice and your badge of honor. It helps customers to remember you and differentiate you from other businesses. People should be able to identify with the concept or theme so that its memorable.

Good slogans should be unique and comprehensible to potential customers. It has the ability to loan people’s time and attention by putting consumers at the heart of the solution. A catchy slogan is so crucial that companies spend billions on advertisements around the world to develop a marketing campaign to establish brand awareness.

There are a few basic questions you have to ask yourself when developing or critiquing your own slogan;

• Does it answer the reader’s question about what’s in it for me?
• Does it answer the reader’s question about how this will help me?
• Does it solve a problem the reader might have related to your product or service?
• Is it about the reader or about you?

Step 1 – Know your target audience

Understand various benefits your target audience is looking for and rank them in order of importance to begin developing your tagline. A good slogan must stay consistent with the brand name either obviously stated or strongly implied. It’s better to include the name of your business to it.

Step 2 – Define your target response

Reveal your purpose and benefits of the product by conveying the message in consumer language. Turn bad into good. Suggest the risk of not using the product. Create a positive feeling for the consumers.

• What outcome do you want to create … what do you want your audience to think or say?
• Write a list of words or phrases that communicate your idea and that also tie to your logo or a visual you’re using.
• Look up the words in a dictionary and write down different uses of the word and cross-references to other words.
• Use that list to generate new ideas.
• Cut the list to your top few favorites.
• Then “play” with the words by using tools like rhyming or alliteration.

Step 3 – Simplify… Simplify… Simplify…

Simplicity adds power. People tend to remember the simplest slogans. Some of the best taglines or slogans are still being used today, even though they were launched several years ago. Communicate your message quickly, using active verbs.

Step 4 – Rewrite… Rewrite… Rewrite…

Once you complete your initial drafts, set them aside. Come back later and review them. You’ll probably want to make changes. Keep the process going. When you’ve got it, you’ll know it!

A few quick DOs and DON’Ts to keep in mind when creating a winning tagline:

• DO collect other company’s taglines and analyze what works and what doesn’t work.
• DO start by developing a list of what’s unique to what you do and your way of doing it.
• DON’T use hip or esoteric taglines. You need everyone to understand it, keep it clear and concise
• DON’T make your tagline too general.
• DO your own mini-market research. Ask strangers (and acquaintances) if they understand your business after seeing and hearing your tagline.
• DO use your specific target audience in your tagline, if possible.
• DO keep it short.
• DO turn the phrase around. If you can’t say it without skipping a step, then rephrase it.

With that said what are some of the benefits of a good slogan?

1. It can motivate people to buy.
2. Describes what is special about you or your business.
3. Adds punch to your stationery and ads.
4. Captures people’s attention.
5. Differentiates you from your competition.
6. Encapsulates your business philosophy.
7. Focuses your marketing on target markets.

What are some of the attributes of a good slogan?

1. It should be short.
2. It should be memorable.
3. It should reflect your business philosophy and target markets.
4. It should appeal to your customer’s emotions.
5. It should have a “ring” to it.
6. It should work when written and said out loud.
7. It should be specific.

Here are a few examples of memorable slogans:

Ford: “Built for the Road Ahead”
IBM: “We Make IT Happen”
L’Oreal: “Because I’m Worth It”
Nike: “Just Do It”
Mazda: “Zoom Zoom”

And remember…

“Good Ideas are a dime a dozen, but implementation is priceless”. 

Slogans for Realtors