February, 2008
|
February, 2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
||
|
|
|
For me, success is less about the “Law of Attraction,” and more about “the Law of Action.” I’m not dissin’ on the relevance of focusing on what you want, but recognizing the importance of doing the hard work to bring your “wishes” to fruition. As they say: “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” This is the year to do more. The first step to effective growth and change is to re-examine what were already doing to see what we can do differently, better and more effectively. This month’s article focuses on an important, but often shortchanged element in our marketing arsenal that is worthy of re-examination – the tagline. You’ll note at the top of this newsletter that my long-standing tagline: “Helping professionals raise their profile – and their profits!” has changed to: “It’s not who you know – It’s who knows YOU!” It not only better reflects my core message, but also the fact that I work with more than just professionals, but organizations as well. It’s all about growth – not just in your business, but in your message and your target markets. Read on! On a side note: If you’re going to be in San Francisco this weekend for the NSA conference, come up and say “hi!” Be well, my friends. David Avrin
|
|
|
By David Avrin – The Visibility Coach There is much that has been written about the importance of crafting the right company name, the perfect product moniker, or inspiring, professional title. But equally important, and often short-changed, is a creative, memorable and impactful tagline. While your company name, your logo and service mark is the public face of who you are, the tagline should tell people what you do and why you are different than the competition. Like peanut butter and jelly, both can be darned good on their own, but put ‘em together – magic! Unfortunately, the marketplace has experienced a rash of very poorly considered, but likely very expensive, campaigns pushing meaningless and forgettable taglines. Most of these ill-conceived messages undoubtedly make a great deal of money for the high-priced ad agencies, but do little for the client. In these agency conference rooms and company boardrooms, executives fall all over each other with self-congratulations, thinking they’ve invented the cure for cancer that tastes like chocolate, but in reality, most have simply added another forgettable, non-specific message to the mix. In their quest to be different and clever, most forget the most important element – the message needs to lead to actual sales.
Some of the more innocuous entries either say nothing special, something unintended, or make a promise that consumers don’t believe. Too many waste a golden opportunity by using meaningless superlatives like: better, best, great, outstanding, unique and excellent to most so common that they’ve simply lost their impact. Contrary to its name – “unique” just isn’t One of the most worthless and overused terms today is the word “solutions.” Not only has it lost its punch through sheer volume of use, but because the term has been hijacked by the IT industry. Some of the worst currently in use are detailed in a terrific article in AdAge by Stephen Winzenburg http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=122982 Some of the bad taglines include:
Some of the best include:
And my all-time favorite: Head and Shoulder’s – Because you Never Get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression. The take away? Don’t shortchange the process. Spend as much time, effort and resources on crafting a truly profound, marketable and memorable tagline as you do on the name and logo. Look at your words. Could they describe anyone, or is the verbiage unique to you and your business? Remember that consumers always have a choice in the marketplace and you need to get and keep their attention to be considered. If your tagline is generic, prospects will think you are just another player. If your tagline is forgettable, customers will forget you. Time to pass this wisdom on to someone else. Tag – you’re it! David Avrin is known internationally as the Visibility Coach. A noted speaker, author, branding consultant and executive coach, David shows professionals and organizations how to stand apart and raise their profile in a competitive marketplace. Visit him online at www.visibilitycoach.com.
|
 Need a Speaker?
| |
| |
Articles may be reprinted, but must include the following tag: David Avrin is known internationally as the Visibility Coach. A popular speaker, author, branding consultant and executive coach, David helps position professionals and organizations to stand apart from their competitors and become top-of-mind with their top prospects. Visit him online at: www.visibilitycoach.com. Interested in working one-on-one with David Avrin? Interested in learning more about the Visibility Coach? Click here! Interested in having David Avrin, The Visibility Coach, For more information on a full day private coaching session To access past issues of The Visibility Coach newsletter click here. |
A well-crafted tagline should clarify, in a creative way, who the target market is, what makes the product or company different and how it applies to you – the customer. Harder still, it must be done in very few words. For some it’s only a word or two, for others it’s a profound statement or sentence.
Meeting Planners: David Avrin's popular marketing and branding programs have been presented to enthusiastic audiences across North America and as far away as England, Singapore and Bangkok. Interested in booking David Avrin to share his engaging marketing and branding insights with your clients or organization? To learn more and watch his preview video 
Looking for an Inspirational Keynote Speaker? David Avrin’s poignant, humorous and thought-provoking presentation based on his best-selling book: The Gift In Every Day – Little Lessons on Living a Big Life is touching hearts, and inspiring audiences. For more information 