Do you have a cool strapline for your business?
If not, you may be wondering what it is and whether or not you need one?
Let’s start by clarifying what a strapline, also known as a tagline, is. It’s simply a short marketing phrase representing your company and its values – it tells people who you are, what you do and what you stand for in a few succinct words.
As an example, some of my favourites are:
Think different
Apple
A diamond is forever
De Beers
Work Hard. Have Fun. Make History
Amazon
Like the ones above, a great strapline will help you grow your business because it engages potential clients emotionally, helping them remember who you are. It also makes selling easier when trying to convince someone of the benefits or features offered by your product/service.
For example, “We’re so confident in our work that if anything goes wrong on-site, we’ll come back again free.” 😉 Although it’s wordy, this clearly shows how much faith this business has in itself and could be the differentiating factor between someone purchasing its product or service over competitors.
If we look at champagne (one of my favourite things) as an example, many of the leading champagne houses have left glasses empty with their lacklustre straplines. A recent Inc article highlighted that misleading marketing is causing the industry to go a little flat. For example, Bollinger uses the “Fresh as a rose. Balanced as Bollinger” to describe itself but provides no examples of why it’s either fresh or balanced.
Moet is equally guilty with its ambiguous strapline of “Be Fabulous”. Although initially catchy, its website only tells customers how fabulous it is as a brand and not how you as a consumer will be fabulous by drinking their bubbles. So, be careful – not even the most iconic brands always get it right.
The best straplines are clear, memorable, and show your personality, to activate all the possible emotional triggers. Depending on your visual presence, you need to remember those good straplines:
- Are short, snappy, and memorable – between 3-9 words is good. Less tends to be better than more.
- Appeal to your audience and keep them engaged.
- Represent your brand ethos and values.
- Deliver the brand’s promise, mission, and message, all using the brand’s established tone of voice and style.
- Are 100% original, ownable, and unforgettable.
What’s the right type of strapline for my business?
Knowing the correct type of strapline for your business is essential. Some are better than others, but they all have their purpose depending on what you want to achieve with your brand. However, if you decide to have a strapline, think about it and how it would fit in with your brand now and also with your plans for the next five years. So, ask yourself:
- Is it simple?
- Does it mean anything? – Make it straightforward (and don’t be too clever and creative as it will get misunderstood)
- What emotions are you triggering?
Here are some examples of types of straplines. Which one do you think would fit you best with your company?
Make a difference
Your customers will choose you over everybody else because of what makes you different from them. Have your previous clients told you how you make a difference to them and why they chose you? What are you doing that your competitors aren’t?
Your customers will choose you over everybody else because of what makes you different from them. Have your previous clients told you how you make a difference to them and why they chose you? What are you doing that your competitors aren’t?
Highlighting how you make a difference in your strapline is great if you sell handmade products, patented products, or exclusive licenced products.
Guaranteed results
What problems can you solve for your ideal client? How do your clients feel before they work with you? Do your customers feel differently after their purchase or work with you? How can your product or service fix it?
Creating a strapline that highlights the guaranteed results you provide is good if you sell products that are, for example, gluten-free or 100% money-back guarantee.
A guaranteed result strapline works well for food brands, SaaS or cleaning products.
Call to action
It’s not enough to simply tell your clients that they need to take action. You have to provide them with the why and how, so they will be more likely to do it. What exactly are you asking your clients to do? How does this action help you reach your goals? Why do I want my clients to take this action? “Just do it.” – Nike is one of the most iconic and well-known slogans in the world. Despite its simplicity, it effectively encourages people to take action and achieve their goals.
A call to action strapline is excellent for gyms, business service providers, education or coaches.
Descriptive Strapline
This sums up what your business does in one simple, catchy phrase. For example,
“Certified Accountant”. This strapline explains clearly what service is on offer. A descriptive strapline can also be good if your business name is your personal name or if you have a brand promise you want to highlight, such as “affordable family photographer.”
A descriptive strapline works well for strategists, designers, business coaches or photographers.
So, what exactly is your offering? Why do you exist? How does your brand make people feel?
Good straplines are designed to differentiate a brand, product, or service. They share your unique tone of voice and help you demonstrate your personality to your customers immediately. Although it’s difficult, it will be a winner and drive sales if you can nail a strapline that triggers emotions.
Once you have a strapline in place, be sure to use it in all of your marketing materials. It can help create a unified brand identity and set you apart from your competitors. So what are you waiting for? Get started on creating your strapline today!
Can you recall some of your favourite famous brand straplines?
If you enjoyed reading this blog, and are feeling a tad shaky on what branding is, then click this link for a beginners guide to branding.
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