Your Tagline: Let’s Give ’em Something to Talk About

“Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.”

Okay, readers… name that company! Simple, right? And what about this one:

“Just Do It”

Psh. Everyone knows that one. So try to fill in this blank:

“Nothing runs like a _______”

If you’re bored of this game, because it’s WAY to easy, then you’ve witnessed first-hand the brilliance of a cleverly crafted tagline. Not only does the company name spring immediately to mind, but these taglines also capture the essence of the brand in a remarkably concise nutshell.

Let’s take a look at what taglines are (and aren’t), why we should have one, how to write one and, of course, what to do with it.

What is a Tagline?

A tagline is a short, memorable phrase that helps identify your company, like these 100 most influential taglines of the century.

Because taglines are intended to go the distance with a company – i.e. withstand the test of time – they become a “silent salesman” of sorts for your company. It represents your company, even when you’re not around. So, whether it’s racy, funny, inspirational or serious, your company’s image will be painted with the same brush.

Taglines are not to be confused with slogans, mottoes or mission statements. Slogans can change from campaign to campaign. Mottoes are a pledge, or a statement of intention. And mission statements… well, just read my previous two posts.

Why Use a Tagline?

A memory is a tricky thing. To stick in one, a smart marketer will use all the tools at his or her disposal, and that includes a tagline. Company names aren’t always meaningful in a way that builds an association in a customer’s mind. No problem. The tagline – designed to be memorable – steps in to do the job.

How to Write a Tagline

If you thought cramming the essence of your business into a Mission Statement was a challenge, now it’s time to pack your identity into a single word or phrase. However, you’ll be surprised where, when and how tagline inspiration will strike.

Here’s a great tagline article (disregard the incorrect use of “Slogan”) to get you started.

What to Do With Your Tagline

As a promotional tool, a tagline often accompanies a logo but, if you play your marketing chips right, can be just as effective on its own… like the ones I mentioned at top. Your tagline can go into everything from print campaigns and websites, to commercials and, ideally, popular culture. Just get it out there.

The DMT Artistry Tagline

Designing You

This tagline sprang epiphany-style from a DMT Artistry discussion with family. My husband said the words in passing, and we all did a double-take; they just… fit.

It emphasizes the personal nature of my business style, the importance I place on a company’s “human element”, and my knack for rendering the ideas in your head into functional design.

Your Turn

What’s your company’s tagline? Why? What image does it give your business?

I’ll end with the global tagline of my favorite car brand, Infiniti – a tagline that, I believe, sets a standard for all businesses: ” Inspired Performance”

Next Week: “Going Up? Creating the Ideal Elevator Pitch”

Dawn M. Tomczyk-Bhajan  |  DMT Artistry, LLC   |  www.DMTArtistry.com

All content Copyright © 2012 DMT Artistry, LLC, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.

To a Greater Purpose: The Not-Quite-Finished Mission Statement

Have you ever purchased a critical piece of furniture – like a couch, perhaps, or a kitchen table – that gave you goosebumps at the store but, at home, didn’t quite match your original vision? Maybe it really is perfect. Maybe it’s not. A little cohabitation is what it takes to decide whether it’s truly “the one”.

That’s where I currently stand with my Mission Statement. After months of jotting notes and pondering purpose, I certainly have the vision of what I want to impart. However, distilling the essence of DMT Artistry into a few short lines is a much trickier process.

I’ve discovered that a slightly longer time frame is just what the doctor ordered for such an essential element of my re-branding.

Learn from my over-eagerness, readers.

My most recent Mission Statement draft is below. Over the next month or two, I will be working with and testing it to see if this is, indeed, the correct blend of homing device, moral compass, guiding beacon, call to arms, inspiration and reason for existence for DMT Artistry, LLC.

Reading this, would you choose to work with my company?

DMT Artistry, LLC Mission Statement

DMT Artistry, LLC is a professional graphic design and marketing team with personality. We produce reliably exceptional, creative and intelligent design through a process that is both enjoyable and educational for our clients. We are committed to behaving in a highly moral and ethical manner with our clients and our team. DMT Artistry is known as a company that, without exception, remains on task, on time and on budget.

DMT Artistry, LLC partners with business owners who are personally committed to the growth of their company. We use marketing tools that represent their products and services with integrity. Our clients love doing business with us.

Getting There

My process for getting to this point was anything but linear. Scraps of napkin and envelope “notes” have pile up from blinding flashes of inspiration. And, over the past several months, I’ve also kept pages of ponderings regarding DMT Artistry’s purpose and vision. I also used the Q&A resource on Entrepreneur.com, “How to Write Your Mission Statement”, to delve even further into DMT’s foundations.

Next, I compiled the lot, took a highlighter, and went to town capturing the phrases and concepts that I believe best represent my business – things like: “reliably exceptional”, “integrity, creativity and fun” and “transparency and trust”.

I filtered those down further into an initial Mission Statement, made significant adjustments using the phenomenal feedback of family and associates, and ultimately formulated the above.

Your Turn

Whether it’s halfway done, barely started or completely finished, let’s hear YOUR Mission Statements!

“If you want to know your past, look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future, look into your present actions.”  ~ Buddhist saying

Next Week: “The Tagline: Let’s Give ’em Something to Talk About”

Dawn M. Tomczyk-Bhajan  |  DMT Artistry, LLC   |  www.DMTArtistry.com

All content Copyright © 2012 DMT Artistry, LLC, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.

Ground Zero: The Perfect Mission Statement

When the branding bug bites, it bites HARD.

I can’t wait to redesign DMT Artistry’s logo. And it will be terrific to give my website a full makeover. While I’m at it, I’m itching to design must-have DMT apparel, print portfolio cards, manage my SEO, acquire a QR code, rethink my invoice layout, re-record my phone message, start Facebooking like I mean it, address pricing, attend events, print company greeting cards…

*deep inhale*

But before I can successfully tackle any – or all – of the above, I need to have nailed down what DMT Artistry’s purpose is, how I’m going to make it happen and how I want my business to be perceived. That’s the core of any branding campaign. And that’s where a Mission Statement comes into play.

What is a Mission Statement?
Think of your Mission Statement as your company’s soul or, better yet, its conscience. And as Jiminy Cricket so wisely warbled, “Always let your conscience be your guide.”

A Mission Statement explains to you, your staff, your customers and your industry what your business stands for. It sums up your goals, values, culture and business relationships. It is the functional figurehead of your company.

There are no one-night stands in the Mission Statement world –  it’s married to your company for the long-haul. Your Mission Statement will hopefully be as relevant in 10 years as it is in 10 days. Consistency is the hallmark of successful branding, and here’s where you set the bar.

What Goes into a Mission Statement?
There are some phenomenal online resources out there to walk you through how to create your Mission Statement. Here’s the one I’ll be using to show you my Mission Statement thought process next week (via Entrepreneur.com):

How to Write Your Mission Statement

Internal v. External Mission Statements
Reality check. Most of us are in business for profit or have, shall we say, less P.R.-friendly purposes that drive our organization. How do we include those – a very real and valid part of why our business exists – in a Mission Statement, without sounding like an ogre?

Simple – make two. One Mission is for internal company use, and one is for the public. My favorite example of this comes from Canon Photocopiers (2000):

Canon External Mission Statement: …Canon seeks to grow and prosper over the next 100, or even 200 years, and is committed to becoming a truly excellent global company who’s admired and respected by the world… (Read the full Canon Mission Statement HERE.)

Canon Internal Mission Statement:  Kill Xerox

For the purposes of this blog series, I’ll be focusing on the External Mission Statement.

Who Should Write Your Mission Statement?
Listen – not everyone is Oscar Wilde, so if you need to call in the special forces to help you word your Mission Statement… no problem. However, this is THE FOUNDATION for your future success. You, your associates, your employees and perhaps even your family and close friends should be integrally involved in the process. You are the ones who know your company best.

Why Write a Mission Statement?
If all of the above hasn’t sold you completely on the importance of the Mission Statement, here are two more benefits to bear in mind:

1)  Your Mission Statement gives you a fantastic tool by which to measure your progress and successes.

2)  When you’re facing a tricky question or dilemma, use your Mission Statement as a compass. If an answer or resolution doesn’t hold with your Mission, it’s gotta go.

Sample Mission Statements from Top Companies
Need inspiration? Check out MissionStatements.com for Fortune 500 and Inc. 500 Mission Statements. Clearly they did something right; learn from them!

Just remember that not only does your Mission need to be entirely unique to be meaningful (and legal), it also needs to be something that you stand 200% behind.

DMT Challenge of the Week
Nature of the beast – this won’t be a fast process, and you’ll likely make scores of rewrites before you strike gold. So why not start now?

I challenge you to present your Mission Statement next week, when I unveil mine!

Bonus reading: “How to Write a Mission Statement That Isn’t Dumb” – Nancy Lublin, FastCompany

Next Week: “To a Greater Purpose: The Finished Mission Statement”

Dawn M. Tomczyk-Bhajan  |  DMT Artistry, LLC   |  www.DMTArtistry.com

All content Copyright © 2012 DMT Artistry, LLC, unless otherwise noted. All Rights Reserved.

Your Message is Coming Through Loud and Unclear

Be a straight-shooter. I’m giving you the moral of this blog post in advance because I want it to resonate through your memory as you read. Be a straight-shooter.

Being a straight-shooter means that your mission jives with your products and services, which jives with your actions, which jives with your marketing. A customer can follow the trail of who your company is and what it stands for back to its source, and the message remains consistent all the way down the line.

What do I mean?

Your Graphics Should Jive With Your Marketing Message
If you’re marketing a classy line of luxury, ergonomic pens, don’t partner your marketing with images of black-hooded skater teens. Less obvious, but more common – particularly in small business situations – is introducing silly fonts to professional messages, or edgy graphics to family-geared marketing. Don’t do it.

Your Marketing Message Should Jive With Your Company
Companies founded on fun should be marketing fun. Those serving serenity in a spa-like atmosphere should market tranquility. If you pair fun with tranquil, and serene with outrageous, you’ll only confuse potential clients.

Your Business Actions Should Jive With Your Company
Hold true to your mission statement. Do what you say you will, in the spirit it was intended to be done. Straight-shooter companies garner the most respect and the biggest following. Let that be your business.

DMT Challenge of the Week
Starting with your mission statement, moving to the way your company operates, then how you’re marketing to potential customers and, finally, what that marketing looks like – check for consistency. Is there any point in the chain where you could be confusing your customers? If so, what can you do to put your business back on target?

Our marksmanship is phenomenal. Let us help you hit your marketing bullseye:
Dawn M. Tomczyk  |  DMT Artistry LLC  |  810.923.4582  |  dawn@dmtartistry.com