Small Business Digital CoachGROW REVENUES BY 25 TO 100% OR MORE IN 90 DAYS OR LESS while reducing advertising cost and effort

Yesterday I had a business brainstorm with a very impressive entrepreneur and general manager of a successful restaurant franchise right here in Colorado.

One of the things that came up during our conversation was the subject of taglines for business, product or programs.

A tagline or USP slogan is a short and memorable (hopefully) encapsulation of the unique value that a product or business delivers to the market place. It is not a USP (unique selling proposition), it is only part of a USP because a USP at its best should include a mini-argument supporting the claim or promise that is made in the tagline or slogan.

An effective tagline is important because it acts as an ambassador for your core selling argument. It helps you get the best response out of every advertising and marketing campaign, and helps you get the maximum number of referrals to your business possible, as well as boost the profitability of those referrals.

A good tagline or USP slogan should continually reinforce the central marketing promise or argument you want your business to be making in the marketplace. At its best, it provides your referral centers and referring clients with a ready-made and viral script for why others should do business with you.

In my opinion, the best taglines all successfully convey a believable promise regarding something the marketplace cares about. The first line of this article is from the product branding of Rice Krispies cereal, and that phrase has illustrated the longevity and power of an effective tagline since it was introduced in 1933.

The most compelling USP slogans encapsulate all the attributes of a good USP. These attributes, derived from Rosser Reeves in 1961, are as follows:

1. It must communicate a specific promise, offer, or beneficial claim to the consumer.
For example (GEICO: “15 minutes can save you 15% or more on car insurance”)

2. The promise, offer or beneficial claim must be something unique. To quote Rosser Reeves, something the competition “either cannot, or does not, offer.”
For example (FedEx: “When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight”)

3. It must be compelling enough, strong enough, to move people to action. This is even more important in today’s world than ever before because today’s consumers are absolutely inundated with choices in media they consume, in marketing pitches and in engagement options. An example of a tagline that cut through the clutter and snatched attention was the phrase that yanked Domino’s Pizza upward and into prominence (“You get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less — or it’s free.“)

Invest time, thought, money and effort in a system for finding the core strengths and core uniqueness of your business or products. It will pay off when you uncover a selling argument that meets the 3 conditions above. Once you have that selling argument or USP, coming up with a tagline that pops is just a simple hop, skip and jump away.

Till next time.