Your slogan can help your customers remember your brand so that you stand out from the crowd, regardless of whether you work for a startup, own a small business, or are on the marketing team for a big corporation.
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What is a Slogan?
A slogan is a short statement about your business, product or service.
That’s it.
It’s a means of reducing the core facts, message and relevance of your business, product or service so that it may be understood and also may appeal.
A slogan exists to achieve four things:
- Grab attention.
- Explain your offering.
- Make you more memorable.
- Use keywords. (if online)
With just an 8-second attention span, humans are fickler than Goldfish. If only that were a joke or a pithy statement. That’s absolutely true.
With just 8 seconds of attention at your disposal, being “clever” or being too abstract and artistic simply do not work.
Forget “about us” pages, company brochures and blog posts. Forget bios, forget interviews, adverts, books and everything else- if it’s more than 8 seconds, it’s no good to grab the attention of those who do not know you.
These things do matter of course, but before you can impress anyone with the history of your company and your beliefs, you need their attention.
Slogans exist to grab attention.
Your slogan is not a “gimmick” or “fad”. It’s the first line of attack when engaging with potential new clients.
Failure to have a slogan, or one that is effective will lead to three distinct issues.
- Your potential clients won’t notice you.
- Your potential clients won’t understand what you offer.
- Your potential clients will forget you.
You may not appreciate the potential of having a slogan or may believe them to be the reserve of larger corporations and those with large marketing budgets.
But that’s a red Herring.
Slogans are for everyone and they aren’t overly complicated to create. It’s the misunderstanding of what a slogan is, the lack of information about how to create one and the lack of their use in day to day business that creates an extraordinary opportunity for any businessperson or salesperson.
Would you like to create something that will help you reach more clients, be more memorable and ultimately sell more?
Would you like to create something that will differentiate you from the competition by virtue of the fact that so few others use it?
Would you like a simple and easy to remember the way to cover all of this- so simple you will remember it and use it on a daily basis?
I bet you would!
You need a slogan.
We’re here to say just do it; to take advantage of the power of slogans and use them to capture attention for your business, product or service.
The Best Business Slogans Reviewed and Explained
I have written many articles about the best business slogans of big corporations worldwide. You want to know how these business slogans are created and their impact on the business sales and brands, you may read the business slogans articles below:
A Diamond is Forever – De Beers
‘Melts In Your Mouth, Not In Your Hands.’ – M&M’s
Because You’re Worth It – L’Oreal
“Save Money. Live Better” – Walmart
The Happiest Place On Earth – Disney
Impossible Is Nothing – Adidas
What makes a slogan work?
There is a myth that some of the best slogans are the best because of how they are written.
But this isn’t true.
Naturally, how a slogan is written will lead to its success, but some of the most well-known and successful slogans do little to engage their audience and educate them as to what is on offer.
It’s the marketing budget behind slogans such as “Just Do It”, “I’m Lovin’ It” and the like that make them so memorable.
Out of context, these slogans are inherently meaningless. They don’t conform to the core tenets of a successful slogan which is to grab attention, explain your offering and make yourself more memorable.
The reason these slogans work is through sheer exposure. The sheer repetition and high profile of “I’m Lovin it” makes it stick, but as a slogan, I wager it’s inherently worthless.
There are some core elements that combine to make a slogan successful (besides a very large marketing budget) and each of the following templates utilizes some or all of the following:
Repetition
The first thing that makes a slogan successful is repetition. Repeatedly using and sharing your slogan will help it to become established in your mind, the minds of those at your company and most importantly the minds of your clients.
Use it in emails, business cards, presentations, speeches, your website and anywhere else you would promote your business.
Simple to understand
It goes without saying that your slogan needs to be simple to understand. We are seeking to achieve a level of connection and understanding with our audience in just 8 seconds. Remember; if they don’t understand it, they can’t buy it.
Your slogan must explain, or allude to, what you do.
Simple to read & speak aloud
Using strangely spelt words, difficult grammar or anything else that makes your slogan difficult to read is an unnecessary roadblock.
Many slogans can work in the written form, but speak them aloud and they don’t seem to work.
Keep the words, grammar and structure so that when you speak the slogan aloud, it’s natural.
Simple to write
Simple to read is important, simple to write is just as important. If you can’t easily write and spell the slogan, then you may need to refine it.
Anything that causes someone to hesitate- such as spelling- is an unnecessary blocker.
Easy to recall
Being forgettable is expensive. One of the main purposes of a slogan is to create a memorable connection. Being easy to recall increases the chances you come to mind at the right moment and increase your chances to sell.
Creates a connection
Sales are about creating a connection with your client. Connecting with the needs, aspirations, emotions and circumstances of your clients helps to create a connection that can in turn make you more memorable.
Grab attention
It’s not about grabbing attention just for the sake of it; if your slogan is so wacky that it’s remembered but so wacky that clients can’t remember what you offer, then you’ve lost. How many strange TV adverts can you recall, but then fail to remember what they were actually advertising?
Exactly.
Always stay close to your core offering and message- don’t be attention-grabbing just for the sake of it.
Explain your offering
What are you selling? Why should I care? What can you do for me? Creating a connection comes down to explaining clearly why your clients should care about your product or service.
You may not cover all bases in a slogan of a few words of course, but be mindful of the 7 common client questions:
- Question 1: What do you do?
- Question 2: How can you help me? (why should I care?)
- Question 3: Why should I choose you?
- Question 4: How much does it cost?
- Question 5: How will I know I need you?
- Question 6: How will I remember you?
- Question 7: How will I describe you to others?
Finally, keywords. Keywords are a human thing, not a Google thing.
Keywords tell you the language your clients speak and how they refer to your product or service. If you use the language of your client you demonstrate understanding and create connection.
Do your homework and use the right terminology, this will help your slogan to connect more when spoken and to be found more when written online.