Effective small business marketing is all about creating a memorable brand for your business. The more people remember who you are, the more likely they are to think of you when they need your products or services.

One of the best ways to make your brand memorable is by creating a slogan or tagline that will stick in people’s minds.

In this blog, we’ll cover tips and tricks for creating a slogan that will stick in the minds of your leads and customers.

But first, why is having a memorable tagline so important?

A slogan or tagline is a short, catchy phrase that represents your brand. It’s one of the first things people will learn about your business, so you want to make sure it’s something that will stay with them.

Your slogan should be reflective of your brand identity and what you do. It should be easy to remember and say, so people can quickly and easily tell others about your business.

Think of some of the most famous slogans out there: “just do it,” “I’m lovin’ it,” and “finger-lickin’ good.” These all convey a strong message about the brand in just a few words.

And, the power of these slogans is evident in the fact that I probably don’t need to tell you which brands these slogans belong to. When you hear, “Just Do It,” you automatically think of Nike, and it will be the first brand you think of when you’re ready to buy a new pair of tennis shoes.

The bottom line is that creating a slogan or tagline that is memorable for your small business is key to driving brand awareness and customer loyalty.

Now that we’ve covered why having a slogan is so important, let’s get into how you can create one for your business.

4 key tips for creating taglines or slogans that stick

#1. Keep it simple

When creating a slogan for your business, keep the three Cs in mind, which stand for clear, clever and concise. You want your slogan to be easy to understand and remember, so keep it short and sweet.

Think about the popular tagline examples we covered earlier. What do “just do it,” “I’m lovin’ it” and “finger-lickin’ good” have in common?

They’re all super simple and only three words long.

There are many times in small business marketing where it’s OK to be wordy. In a blog, for example, you want to thoroughly explain your topic to your readers. But creating a slogan is not one of those times.

A long, wordy slogan will be tough to remember. On the other hand, the shorter your slogan, the easier it will be for people to recall it. So, if you can say what you need to in three words or less, that’s ideal.

If you absolutely must use more than three words, make sure each word is essential to conveying your message.

Your slogan also needs to be clear and reflective of your brand. It should be easy for people to understand what your business does just by reading your tagline.

For example, “I’m lovin’ it” is a great tagline for McDonald’s because it perfectly captures the feeling you get when you eat their food. It’s also reflective of the brand’s fun, casual persona.

Short and simple is always best when writing a slogan.

#2. Make your audience feel something

When people hear your slogan, you want them to feel something. Emotion is a powerful tool that can help make your brand more memorable.

By connecting with your audience on a more personal level, your brand will stand out more in their minds.

Think about the Nike tagline we mentioned earlier, “just do it.” This tagline speaks to the company’s target audience of athletes by motivating them to push themselves harder.

When I hear the phrase, “just do it,” it makes me want to get off the couch, slip into my Nikes and go for a run. And that’s exactly what Nike wants me to do.

The best slogans evoke some sort of emotion in the people who hear them. So, when you’re brainstorming possible taglines for your business, think about how you want your target audience to feel when they hear or see it.

Do you want them to feel motivated? Inspired? Connected?

The feeling you want to evoke will be different for every business, so it’s important to get specific.

What do you want people to feel when they think of your brand? Once you know the answer to that question, you’ll be one step closer to creating a tagline that sticks.

Think about a problem your product or service solves, and how that makes people feel. For example, the tagline for Allstate is “you’re in good hands.”

When I hear “you’re in good hands,” it makes me feel secure and protected. And that’s exactly what I want from my insurance company.

Associating an emotion with your brand is a powerful way to make it more memorable for your target audience.

#3. Compare and test

It’s not always easy to strike slogan gold the first time you set out to write a tagline for your business, and that’s OK. You don’t have to marry the first tagline you come up with.

In fact, the best way to come up with a slogan that works is to brainstorm a bunch of different options and then compare and test them.

Start by writing down as many ideas as you can think of, even if they’re not great. The point here is just to get the creative juices flowing.

Once you have a good list of potential slogans, it’s time to start narrowing things down.

First, take a look at your list and cross out any taglines that are too long or complicated. Then, read each remaining option out loud and see how it sounds.

You want something that rolls off the tongue easily and has a nice ring to it. If a tagline feels awkward to say out loud, it’s probably not the right one.

Once you’ve narrowed your list down to a few strong contenders, it’s time to put them to the test.

Show your taglines to people in your target audience and see how they react. Ask them which ones they like best and why. This feedback will be incredibly helpful as you continue to refine your options.

You could even try A/B testing the slogan in different ad campaigns to see which one drives the best results for your business.

In addition to testing your slogan, you should also compare it to your competitors’ slogans and taglines. What kind of message are they using? How does your slogan stack up?

You want to make sure your tagline is unique and that it differentiates you from the competition. If it’s not, you’ll have a harder time standing out in the minds of your target audience.

The process of brainstorming, comparing and testing might take some time, but it’s worth it to find a tagline that really works for your business.

Remember that once you’ve selected a slogan, you’ll want to use it again and again. In order to get it right, you need to make sure that you test and compare it.

#4. Stick with it

Once you’ve found a tagline that works for your business, it’s important to stick with it.

The more people see and hear your tagline, the more likely they are to remember it. And the more they remember it, the more likely they are to think of your brand when they need what you have to offer.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should never change your tagline. If you find that it’s no longer resonating with your target audience or accurately reflecting your brand, it might be time for a refresh.

But in general, it’s best to stick with the same tagline for at least a few years. That way, you can really make it stick in the minds of your target audience.

The last thing you want to do is change a slogan after you’ve built up momentum around it. That can be confusing for your target audience and make it harder for them to remember your brand.

Keep in mind that creating that momentum might take some time. People need to see a brand’s message upwards of seven times before they’re willing to make a purchase or schedule an appointment.

So, if you’re just starting out with a new tagline, don’t get too discouraged if it takes a while to build up brand awareness. Just keep using your tagline consistently, and if it’s memorable, you’ll eventually see results.

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Creating a memorable tagline or slogan is an important part of small business marketing. But it’s not enough to just come up with a clever phrase.

You also need to make sure that your tagline is reflective of your brand and that it resonates with your target audience. The best way to do this is to brainstorm a bunch of ideas, test them out and then stick with the one that works best for your business.

With a little effort, you can come up with a tagline that really makes your small business stand out.