The Torment of the Tag Line

Trashed First Drafts

For being such short, pithy things, tag lines are a royal pain to create. A good tag line should be short, pithy, easy to remember and still tell someone what you do. That’s asking a lot of a phrase that’s usually ten words or less.

Tag lines are worth the effort, though. A good one can resonate with consumers far beyond its small size. Here’s a quick quiz to illustrate my point: match the following tag lines to the appropriate brand (some of these are newer than others):

1) “The quicker picker-upper.”

2) “It’s everywhere you want to be.”

3) “Reach out and touch someone.”

Brands to pick from: Visa, Bounty and AT&T. (Answers at the end of this post!)

Great, so tag lines are important and valuable. But how do you go about creating a good one?

For starters, look at your mission statement. You have one of those, right? (I’m sensing a future post!) Your mission statement, while valuable and informative, is probably way too long for a good tag line. It should, however, focus on the key benefits your company offers. I’m using my own company, SZC Communications, as an example, because I don’t mind making fun of myself!

SZC Communications is a writing and content marketing company, but the benefits of using my company aren’t great writing (it’s a perk, but it’s not the benefit!). Customers chose SZC Communications because they want to save time and make money, which happens to be what good writing can do for you. My tag line should communicate both what I do (writing and communications) as well as the benefit of using my services. I went through a few drafts (Professional writing services for your business needs, We can help you say it better, Better writing for better business) and revisions before I decided on the following:

“Creative communications for better business.”

I like this one for several reasons:

• It’s short. Tag lines should be easy to remember, and I personally find it much easier to remember a short phrase!

• It’s catchy. I like alliteration (the repetition of consonant sounds), because it both sounds good and makes the phrase easier to remember.

• It tells what I do (creative communications) and the benefit of using my services (better business).

But there’s really only one way to determine if you’ve found the perfect tag line for your company. Use it!

(Answers to the quiz: 1) Bounty, 2) Visa and 3) AT&T. I bet you got them all right, didn’t you?)