As a new business owner, you have what seems like a neverending list of things to do. One of the many is your tagline! How do you write a great business tagline that communicates what you do and resonates with your customers?
Of course, a great tagline isn’t necessary for every business. If you have a clear enough business name, it might speak for itself.
However, many business owners want to add a catchy tagline that tells people what they do. If you’re struggling with your tagline, you’re in the right place—read on to find out how to write the perfect tagline! You can use our downloadable Guide to Taglines as a step-by-step workbook.
What Makes a Good Business Tagline?
The first place to start when writing your tagline is figuring out what you want from it. Think about taglines that resonate with you as examples.
A good tagline is…
- Memorable
- Honest
- Timeless
- Unique
- Clear and descriptive
- Short (10 words or less)
Your tagline should quickly and clearly tell potential customers what you do. It should also stand out and stick with them!
How to Write a Tagline for Your Business
1. Describe your business
The most important element of your business tagline is that it describes what you do. So before you write your tagline, you need to get clear on who you serve, what you do, and what sets you apart.
As you prepare to write your tagline, start with a short paragraph about what you do in your business.
2. Shorten it down
Now that you have written your paragraph describing your business, it’s time to shorten it down! Focus on the essential elements of what you do in your business. (Cut out any unnecessary phrasing or words). Aim to get it down to ten words or less.
3. Try different versions
Once you have a shortened version of what your business does, it’s time to play with different versions of your tagline. Continue to reword it and explore different ways of writing it.
Altogether, you want to come up with at least 10-20 different tagline ideas to start.
4. Narrow them down
From the 10-20 taglines you generated, narrow them down to your favorite 3. Sometimes narrowing them down can seem like the hardest part, but if you follow these tips, the process becomes easy!
- Make sure that they are not trademarked by checking the Trademark Electronic Search System, then remove any trademarked taglines from your list.
- Say your taglines out loud. You want them to be memorable, and the way they sound makes a big difference in whether people will remember them or not.
- Think about which taglines are the most direct and clear in communicating what you do.
- Sleep on it. See which taglines you still like in the morning.
5. Test them out
Now that you have a short list of business taglines, you need to find out how they sound to other people! Ask your friends, family, and target audience what they think of your taglines. See if they can clearly understand what you do in your business. Find out if your taglines are memorable to them.
Once you find out what resonates with people, you should end up with one tagline that you want to use.
6. Trademark your tagline
Once you’ve decided on your tagline, trademark it as soon as you can afford it! Your tagline is a big part of your brand, and you want to protect all your brand assets whenever possible.
Take Your Business Tagline and Use it to Your Advantage
As soon as you settle on your business tagline, it’s time to start using it! Add it to your social media, your website, your business cards, and any marketing materials you have. Before long, people will associate it with you and your business!
For more tips on starting your business, catch our post on creating a product line that sells!
Crème de Mint has specialized in beauty, food and supplement packaging design for more than 15 years. Our CPG branding agency knows how to create compelling, craveworthy designs that can help your brand stand out! Book a call today to chat with us about your packaging design.