Your Signature (Tagline/Slogan)

Part 2 of Build Your Marketing Plan Series

(See Part 1: The Brand Promise)

Now that you have a brand promise you need something that clearly communicates your brand to potential customers. In the marketing world that is known as a tagline or slogan. At The Marketing Spot, we call it a signature.

Before we go any farther, you may be thinking: “When do we get to learn about logos?” Answer: Not yet. The logo is one of the last things you create because your logo has nothing to do with actually branding your business. After you have created your brand, and after you have mapped out a customer experience, then you create a logo. That will be covered more thoroughly in two weeks. So relax, we’ll get to the logo. If you just have to, read more about logos here: Case Study: How to Get a Logo That Defines Your Business.

Tagline = Signature

So why do we call taglines “signatures?” If you’re not careful, Taglines can be exercises in creativity and cleverness while forgetting their real purpose. Taglines are powerful brand communication tools, and thus they must be treated seriously. They must also be personalized. Because each person’s signature is unique to the individual, we carry the metaphor over to taglines. From this point forward in the Build Your Marketing Plan series we will refer to taglines as signatures.

What a Signature Does

In one short, concise sentence (preferably seven words or less) your signature must convey the essence of your brand. That may seem daunting, but it’s not. Your signature doesn’t need to tell the whole story of your business, just the most important aspect of your brand. Because you’ve already created a brand promise in Part 1, you’ve laid the foundation for a signature that will truthfully communicate your brand.

What Kind of Signature Should You Have?

While there is an art to creating taglines, you don’t want to get too creative. You may even want a straightforward un-clever tagline: a simple descriptor that tells customers what you do. For most businesses though, I recommend you do a little more than just list your services. What you’re looking for is a line that communicates your brand in a slightly memorable way, yet is still based upon your brand promise.

So let’s get started creating your tagline. Download these two PDF worksheet pages by right clicking on each. Print them out and then watch the slidecast below. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Watch the slidecast and create your signature (click here if you don’t see the slide player):

See all entries of the Build Your Marketing Plan series:
Branding: Part 1 – The Brand Promise

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