Slogans: Create and Use Them in Life, Career, and Business

Information comes at us from all directions today. This pace requires us to demand that we receive it fast and predigested to get ahead of the game. This also requires a new file system method to store the bits and bytes.

In this article, we will go into more detail about:

* Why slogans are important in the fast-paced information systems of today’s society.

* What is a slogan?

* Learn the six main types of slogans.

* The multiple uses of slogans.

* Seven ways to make slogans memorable.

First, let’s create a clear definition for a tagline. A catchphrase is a noun, often repeated and persuasive, that creates a memorable phrase, tagline, or jingle that expresses a particular goal or concept. A concept that you want to stick in the mind of your audience like glue on paper.

Second, what makes a catchphrase memorable? Brevity is first in line, usually 10 words or less. The rhythm is the only exception to the brevity. The beat is easier to create if there is an association with the recipient’s past, such as a particular jingle on TV during their teens for those now in their 50s. I still have one from a TV ad from a long time ago, “Winston tastes as good as a cigarette.” And I never smoked.

An additional method is through repetition or vividness of language. More on this later.

Third, what are the benefits of using slogans? Brevity, as mentioned above, meets the requirements of today’s fast pace. Slogans also influence decisions, persuade and add credibility. Our brains are like filing cabinets. A tagline makes it easier to file away and extract when needed. For NLPers, neuro-linguistic programming, catchphrases create anchors. When people repeat the catchphrase, then consider it archived.

There are five main types of mottos:

(1) A characteristic: a uniqueness or difference between a substance, product, or object. Ex: “Write an electronic book in 7 days.”

(2) A benefit: a result that someone receives. Remember, this saves you [time or money].

(3) One question: thought-provoking methods. “Would you like to be a millionaire in three years?”

(4) A challenge, a challenge. Ex: The Marines, “We’re just looking for a few good guys.”

(5) A structure: a design or collection assembled for a single purpose. Example: “The Abundance Center contains all the information you’ll ever need to know about abundance.”

There are seven ways to make a slogan memorable:

(1) Make it exciting

(2) Being boastful or exaggerated

(3) Self-reference

(4) Metaphorical, playful, or humorous.

(5) inspiring or uplifting

(6) To trigger painful memories or possibilities

(7) Use of vivid or fresh language

Ok, the basics are out of the way. Still to come: how to use slogans in your personal life, career and business. Including examples for reinforcement.

create life slogans

Life slogans help energize goals, dreams and even change beliefs. One of my favorite catchphrases makes me jump out of bed every morning (benefit, self-reference): “Every day starts like a fresh slate, I’m free to choose what gets written there.” Is there a catchphrase that swirls in your head in the morning? Share it with others – write a poem or create a story about it.

Playtime: Create a life catchphrase, two or three, that will make you jump. Try them for a day or two. Measure your energy from 1 to 10 (10 being the highest). Share and request feedback.

Do you have any children? Create positive slogans that pace and trigger action. I don’t recommend negative slogans like “Last one in is a rotten egg.” Create positive taglines, “First come, get a hug (rhythm and action). This tagline is a little too cute, but it gets my point across.

Create career slogans

Do you belong to Toastmasters or give presentations? Use taglines for the headline, then repeat it in your content along with its meaning and as the last line. Look how many mention its effects afterwards. Create a new one for each speech.

Create interview slogans. The ones that help them remember you. Know the company slogan. Create a tagline based on your features and benefits why they need to hire you. Wear it during the interview. You can create one that can use one or two of the different types: self-referential, metaphorical, or inspirational.

Catchphrases are powerful enough that people, like comedians and actors, have built entire careers around them. You don’t need to be famous to start. The taglines can even become book titles later on.

business slogans

In business, slogans can be used for self-introductions, prospective presentations, on websites, in email signatures, and even in talks.

Example: You are a coach submitting for a contract with a life coaching or business coaching company. Create a tagline for a process or concept about what apps you will be using. Or give the process an acronym, such as STOP [something]. Let the acronym be the beginning of the slogan. Create one for your free sessions. You can also create a slogan to share each week with your customers.

Be creative, use a slogan in each of your sales and marketing processes, change them frequently if necessary. You sold a contract a year ago with one tagline, create another, and sell another contract this year.

Use taglines in titles of articles, eBooks, or books. Sometimes a slogan takes off and becomes so memorable that it becomes the brand of a company. Coca-Cola with the slogan “The real thing”, was placed in the first place in the market with these three words. Everything after that just wasn’t the real thing.

create a slogan

Where do you start building slogans? Reread any of your notes or material. Highlight the sentences that contain a lot of energy. Do you conduct teleclasses, like me? Ask the participants at the end of each call to say two or three words of what they are taking away. Everything they offer was memorable for them. Listen to it a few times, those are safe catchphrases. This also applies to any pilot programs you may offer. Ask for feedback, they are usually built into slogans.

Ask: “What do I want people to remember about [me][my company]?” KISS it – keep it simple and short. That’s possibly a catchphrase.

Then ask, “What do I want you to do?” This is another type of slogan. The yellow pages had a great one for years: “Let your fingers do the walking.”

Another way to create a catchphrase is to take two sentences that have a parallel construction and put them together with a comma. Example: Boxer Ali, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”

Rhyme helps create memorable. Read poetry for triggers or language that influences or inspires.

Ask your friends for help. Make it a game at a food event. Also ask customers for feedback on what makes it memorable for them. They always keep it short.

Be playful when creating slogans. Make a note of them, too, in your business journal or a slogan file on your computer. Add them and use them often. Encourage others to do the same. Success attracts success. Share it and it will: “You will always attract everything you need.”