A tagline is a short and zippy phrase that describes what you do for your target client. Taglines are essential to a well-rounded brand. I have often seen a well-designed company identity without a tagline and therefore without a message. Taglines add value by communicating your message to ...A tagline is a short and zippy phrase that describes what you do for your target client. Taglines are essential to a well-rounded brand. I have often seen a well-designed company identity without a tagline and therefore without a message. Taglines add value by communicating your message to your target client and work to enhance your business image.

Think about some of the taglines you’ve heard and remember:
Nike - Just do it
American Express - Don’t leave home without it
Allstate - You’re in good hands with Allstate
Burger King - Have it your way
De Beers - A diamond is forever
GE - We bring good things to life

Before you develop your tagline, be really clear about the following things:
What your company really does
Who you help (your target client)
How you help them
The results your clients achieve from using your service or product.

You can pay a copywriter anywhere from $250 to $3,000 to create a tagline, or you can create one yourself with a brainstorming session and a little creativity.

Exercise:

1. Choose an Action Word from the list below. Or find your own that is relevant to you.

Action Words:
Develop, Build, Consult, Create, Focus, Grow, Earn, Live, Rest, Transform, Partner, Strategic, Keep, Confidence, Potential, Power, Productive, Progressive, Freedom, Beauty, Wealth, Time, Integrity, Solution

2. Enter Industry Words associated with your specific business. Include some words that explain the benefits of your service/product.

Your Industry Words:

My industry example: coaching, coach, business, small business, entrepreneur, make money, financial goals, prosperity

3. Combine Action Words with Your Industry Words.
Mix and match your words to form several sentences that describe what your company does with an emphasis on the results you achieve for your clients.

List your combinations here:

Examples:
Prosperity Coaching - Partnering with Entrepreneurs to Build Financial Prosperity
Art Guy Home Design - Creative Solutions to Define Your Dream Home
White Glove Home Inspection - There’s a Helping Hand in the White Glove
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy - Maximize Your Healing Potential

You might notice that including one word from the business name in the tagline ties a brand together well. Other strategies include a rhyming tagline (memorable), a short and sweet tagline, and a funny tagline. Try to avoid taglines with more than 7-8 words.

A word of caution: if you are planning to expand internationally, test your tagline. There’s nothing worse than a foreign blunder: When Burger King opened in Australia many years ago, their tagline was “Home of the Whopper”. A whopper is Aussie slang for intestinal wind.

If you are still unable to come up with a tagline you like, have a Tagline Party and ask your friends, relatives, or business associates to help you.

Author's Bio: 

Check out Suzanne's Easy Business Plan Template here: http://prosperitycoaching.biz/a_mini-business-plan.html. Suzanne Muusers is an ICF-Credentialed Business Coach who helps entrepreneurs attain a higher level of success. Reprint Rights: You MUST provide full credit to Suzanne Muusers and a functioning link to her website http://prosperitycoaching.biz/. The article may not be altered in any way.