4 Reasons You Need A Strong Tagline

Tagline pinEat fresh.  

No rules. Just right.

Everywhere you want to be.

Advertising slogans, right? Every successful business has one.  They help you know exactly what you are going to get from that product.

Your Virtual Mentor.  Win at Work.  Succeed at Life.

Leading Women in the Adventure of Life

Helping Leaders Go Further Faster

Maybe not quite as instantly recognizable as the advertising slogans, but these taglines for successful Christian leaders (Michael Hyatt, Lysa TerKeurst, Andy Stanley respectively) perform the same function.  When you visit their website and see it emblazoned across the header, you know exactly what you can expect from them.

But a strong tagline is so much more than just a marketing tool.

Here are four reasons why you need a tagline:

1. The process of developing a tagline helps crystallize your purpose.

How do you sum up your ministry in 5 – 10 words?  What are the essential values you want to convey?  Coming up with a tagline is not a creative exercise to string together a few catchy words. It’s going to be one of the most important ways that you communicate your purpose to your audience.  So give it some prayerful consideration.

2.  Your tagline will be your 5-second “elevator speech”.

How many times has someone asked you what you “do” and you fumbled over the words?  A strong tagline is the perfect place to start that conversation.

3.  Your tagline represents your brand, and your brand is your promise.

Your brand is made up of your presence, your writing voice, the “look and feel” of your communications, your reputation.  Erica from Coming Up Roses notes in this article that your brand is a relationship.  And you can’t fake it … you have to earn it.

4.  Your tagline becomes a filter when you evaluate opportunities.

Believe me, I know what it feels like to fall into the DO SOMETHING …. ANYTHING!  trap.  The list of things you could do or should do or want to do.  When I’m evaluating which things I am going to actually DO, my tagline gives me some clues.  If I stay focused on the things that are mission-critical to keeping the promise made in my tagline, I know I’m on the right track.

Speaking of my tagline, let’s break it down and see why I chose each word.  Not that my tagline is all that.  In fact, if anything, it is a few words too long.  But each word was intentionally selected to convey my heart.

Moving your God-sized Dream from Vision to Action …. Together!

Moving:  This conveys making progress, getting unstuck, going from one level to another.

Your God-sized Dream:  A lot of meaning packed into these few words.  Your dream is important.  It came from God and it is personally your’s. It’s bigger than you, but belongs to you.  It’s also a clue that my work is focused on Christian businesses and ministries.

From Vision:  You bring the starting point.  I’ll have some ideas and some strategies to help, but I want to help you clarify your own vision for that dream.

To Action:  I’m not going to let you stay stuck!  We are going to take action so you don’t just spin around in circles.

Together:  This is my favorite part.  I don’t have all the answers, but my promise is that we will figure it out together.  We’ll be partners, grow together, do new things together. Without stating a specific felt need, this word addresses what I find is one of the biggest struggles of people getting started in business or ministry.  You don’t have to walk this solo business or ministry alone.

See how that works?  Check out the Resources section below for a downloadable worksheet to develop your own tagline.

And just for fun, I wondered what the tagline would be for some of our favorite people in the Bible.  Do these suggestions capture their purpose?

David – A Man After God’s Own Heart

Esther – For Such a Time As This

Mary, Mother of Jesus – Pondering These Things in Her Heart

Paul – To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

Jesus –  I Come That You Might Have Life, and Have it Abundantly

taglineResources

Download this FREE worksheet to work through your tagline.

[email-download download_id=”1564″ contact_form_id=”716″]

I also did a webinar to walk you through the process.  Get free instant access here:

4 Steps to a Tagline that Works

TaglineGuru.com has lots of helpful resources including an assessment to Test Your Tagline I.Q.

Visit my Services page if you are ready to stop trying to do this alone.

RESPOND

Do you have a tagline that resonates with your audience? How about those Biblical taglines? Can you think of others? And of course, I’m totally open to feedback and suggestions on MY tagline!

I’m linking up with  Jaime Wiebel at #SittingAmongFriends

21 thoughts on “4 Reasons You Need A Strong Tagline”

  1. Christa,
    I think your tagline is perfect! Very clearly conveys your purpose. Interestingly, your post just helped me through a sticky spot on a homework assignment I’ve been struggling with. ? Great info here! Thank u for sharing your expertise.

    Reply
  2. So encouraging Christa! I agree, a tag line is so important. I struggle to narrow it down to just one that sums up my ministry…or better yet, isn’t a long run on sentence {ha-ha}. Love how you brought the examples of tag lines for our favorite people in the bible!! It’s so true we remember them by their greatest attribute to the faith.

    Reply
  3. I do like your point #2. I have yet to write an elevator speech, but I do have a tagline: a fun blog about fun mail. It’s perfect for me, and you’re right that it’s the perfect starting point for my elevator speech. thanks! (found you on Peony)

    Reply
  4. Christa, I was at His Girls Gather today (helped Kristine organize our day 🙂 ) and heard her refer to this post on taglines. Comes at a perfect time for me as I’m planning to switch my domain name to my own and am rethinking my tagline. Thanks for your wisdom here. Going to subscribe and download your worksheet.

    Reply
    • So sorry I could not be with y’all this weekend! I can’t wait to see what you come up with for a new tagline! Or maybe you will find that your current one is a perfect fit 🙂

      Reply
  5. Another great resources, Christa. What a great exercise in figuring out your tagline. I went with 6 words that I hope people would feel coming to my sight. Be encouraged. Be challenged. Be transformed. I thought it may be missing a God element but the title of my blog Seeking God I thought gave it away and maybe made it a bit redundant. Any feedback you have, send my way. Thanks, friend. Have a great week and thank you for sharing at Sitting Among Friends.

    Reply
  6. Christa, fabulous advice. I especially like “your tagline is your elevator speech” because when people ask me what I write about, I’m always lost for words. In fact, I was going to answer the next person who asked me what I write about with the words: “you know the Pottery Barn outdoor catalog…”

    Reply
  7. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am new to blogging and well, I was getting my name and tagline mixed up. It’s been bothering me actually. This has given me some understanding and pointed me in the right direction. Working on being more intentional with the words I use.
    Many thanks, again.

    Reply

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