Taglines can be useful, but you shouldn’t force anything that doesn’t immediately work

Question: Does my organisation need a tagline? Why or why not?

If it helps explain your unique value proposition

“A company needs to bring something unique to the world. That means it contributes value that other organisations don’t. This is the company’s unique value proposition. You should be able to describe this value clearly and succinctly to potential customers. You don’t need this proposition to be a tagline, but if it makes a great tagline, go for it. I would avoid creating taglines without meaning.”

– Alan Carniol (@interviewsuccess), Interview Success Formula

If your brand doesn’t say it all

“If your brand says it all, a tagline isn’t necessary. ‘Bob’s Best Burgers’ doesn’t need the tagline ‘The best burgers in town!’ We know, Bob, you’ve already told us. Taglines communicate ideas and themes relevant to your business, which your brand may be failing to do. If you find your brand does the job, don’t over-communicate your message on principle. Taglines aren’t a necessity.”

– Blair Thomas (@eMerchantBroker), eMerchantBroker

If the company name is ambiguous

“If your company name is self-explanatory, a tagline isn’t necessary. A tagline is beneficial for a company whose name isn’t descriptive or is ambiguous. The trick is to make sure that it evolves with your company. Businesses often change their value props or their goals over the years, so your tagline needs to adapt to match who you are today — not who you were 10 years ago.”

– Vladimir Gendelman (@vgendelman), Company Folders, Inc

If your tagline is great

“Some companies do fine without a tagline, and if your tagline is horrible, it could actually hurt your business. Lazy taglines don’t do much for your business either. Restaurants who use the tagline ‘a great place to eat’ aren’t demonstrating what their unique purpose is. If you can create a great tagline that speaks to why you’re the best at what you do, it can do wonders for your business.”

– Nicole Munoz (@nicolemunoz), Start Ranking Now

If it reflects the mission

“Deciding if an organisation needs a tagline is based on several factors. Ideally, there are very few instances where a tagline shouldn’t be present because it rarely does damage to a brand, and if effectively deployed, it helps the company be more memorable. Whenever possible make a tagline short, powerful, and reflective of the organisation’s value to the client.”

– Michael Spinosa (@mspinosa), Unleashed Technologies

Also Read: 10 ways to create an engaging social media presence

If it can evolve

“At Round Table Companies, ‘Vulnerability is Sexy’ has emerged as our tagline. It wasn’t created from a strategy; we simply took an internal conversation and directed it outward. As a result, we now sell branded T-shirts, are launching a card game under the same name, and I recently delivered a TEDx talk with that title. A great tagline tells the world what you stand for.”

– Corey Blake (@CoreyBlake9000), Round Table Companies

If you want to build word of mouth

“Developing a strong tagline forces you to synthesise your story into an easy soundbite. This is critical if you want to build word-of-mouth referrals. When you deliver a great experience, your fans will talk about your brand. Creating a compelling tagline gives them the language to use and allows you to control how they introduce new folks to your company.”

– Aaron Schwartz (@MosesofWatches), Passport

If you want to be remembered

“I tried to think of a tagline for taglines and came up with: ‘What’s not to love about taglines?’ After all, every time an announcer runs through the list of sponsors, the ones that stick in my mind are the ones with taglines. ‘Love. It’s what makes a Subaru.’ I find that infinitely more memorable than just the name ‘Subaru.'”

– Brandon Stapper (@Brandonstapper), Nonstop Signs

If your pitch isn’t simple enough

“We created the tagline ‘Make Driving Safe’ for our new product Fensens. This tagline clearly demonstrates that we are automotive safety-related and that we have the vision to make our roads safe. If you can sum up your product/service and make it clear what your vision is in only a few words, you are miles ahead of the competition.”

– Andy Karuza (@andykaruza), FenSens

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The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organisation comprising the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship programme that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

Image Credit: Adam Jang on Unsplash

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