How To Come Up With A Catchy Business Slogan

Updated: August 31, 2017

Aside from a good name and a memorable logo, a business can greatly benefit from having a catchy slogan.

Just like how a song can get stuck in your head for several hours, a brilliant tagline can remain in your subconscious for years, and continuously influence your purchasing behavior.

But what exactly is a business slogan? Is it really necessary for a business to have one? And more importantly, how do you come up with a good slogan?

A tagline or a slogan is an expression of your business. Just like how a logo is a visual representation of your company or brand, a slogan can be considered as an audial (audio) representation of what your business or product offers.

Why audial? Because when you hear the slogan, you can immediately relate it to the business or the brand.

A slogan is not, and should not be, a hard-sell proposition. It is, and more likely to be, a subtle advertisement whose objective is not really to sell but to be remembered.

Consider some of these famous slogans:

• It’s the real thing.
• Melts in your mouth. Not in your hand.
• Just do it.

I know I don’t have to tell you what companies or brands these slogans represent. That’s how powerful a brilliant slogan can be. A few words that doesn’t even mention the product name but almost becomes synonymous to it.

Although it helps in advertising and marketing, having a slogan is not a necessity for a product or a business. However, if a brand doesn’t have a strong logo, then a slogan almost becomes essential.

Furthermore, having a slogan is not limited to multinational companies and brands, small businesses can likewise get tremendous benefits from it.

So how do you come up with a memorable and catchy slogan? Here are some simple steps:

1. The first step is to brainstorm. Write down as many slogans as you can possibly think of. It also helps to ask others too (i.e. your employees).
2. When done, allow yourself some time to evaluate each slogan. For example, come back to your list after a few days and look at it with fresh eyes. At this point, a good few would probably stand out.
3. Start to eliminate the weak taglines in your list. Add more if new ideas come up. Continue until you have around five slogans left.
4. With your top five, analyze each one and make improvements. Try out synonyms and other phrase structures.
5. In the end, one slogan should stand out from the rest. If not, then you can test them out with your consumers and ask them which ones they like.

There are no exact rules on what makes a good tagline, however, it helps if you keep in mind the following pointers:

• A slogan should be unique. It should not sound similar to other popular slogans, specially those of your competitors.
• Your words and tone should speak to your target market. For example, McDonald’s used the slogan “Love ko ‘to” (I’m lovin’ it) to speak to the younger generation of fast food consumers – that phrase is how they often speak in their everyday conversations.
• Keep it short and simple because it becomes more memorable that way.

The good thing about a business slogan is that it’s often dynamic. Unlike the business name which is almost permanent, a tagline can easily be changed after every marketing campaign.

So don’t worry if you think that your current slogan is weak, or you can’t think of anything better.

In due time, as you strive to improve your business and serve your customers better, that brilliant business slogan that will represent your company and your brand for years to come will surely come.

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Photo credit: unsure shot, donut2D