In terms of relative importance for branding, a great tagline comes just after a clear value proposition and an impactful brand logo. Your brand tagline is likely the first language-based interaction a potential customer will have with your brand after they have absorbed the visual information of your logo and color scheme. This role makes a tagline supremely important for establishing an immediate connection and leaving a prospect with a clear idea of what your brand stands for.
To help you make the best impression possible using your brand tagline, here are some general guidelines when it comes to writing your tagline and using it in branding efforts.
Consider a Brand Tagline as an Extension of Your Logo
No, that suggestion does not mean that a tagline should be some sort of word-art illustration. Typography can be important to a tagline, but it should have the same impact no matter what font it is written in.
Instead, think about how a tagline complements the emotional impact that your logo is trying to project. For instance, a logo that is trying to evoke how fun your brand is would be complemented by a tagline that said something like, “Live a little, get a lot.” Another example would be a company that implies reliable values with a stalwart, classic-looking logo could use the tagline, “We’re always there for you.”
Think about the psychological implications of your brand and logo, and try to use language in the same vein that not only speaks to the logical side of decision-making, but also touches upon the emotional.
Say a Lot with a Little
Your brand tagline is going to be pulling multiple shifts with all the jobs it has to fill.
- It will be a stand-alone representative next to your logo, such as on promotional items like pens
- It will be a complement to ad copy, pulling ideas back to brand values
- It will be used in text seamlessly, as a way to hearken back to brand values without trying to separate them from the written ideas.
Try to use your tagline in these diverse scenarios so that its presence will never seem too overly-familiar in one single context. If your tagline cannot find a home in these contexts, consider revising it with something more universal and adaptable to the situation.
Make the Best Use of Brand Taglines on Your Envelopes
Naturally, our field of expertise involves what makes a good envelope. For companies trying to strengthen their brand, a clear, bold tagline on every envelope serves to enhance their image of professionalism and legitimacy, especially to those unfamiliar with your brand.
Highlighting your tagline by using a different color of ink, such as red or green, can also help to create multiple levels of understanding of brand values to direct mail recipients. You can even get supremely creative by placing the brand tagline in an unexpected place, such as under the envelope flap.
Letter Jacket can gladly help you make the best use of your tagline or help you tweak it to create the most powerful envelope design possible. We have served as brand consultants for many of our clients, helping them out even beyond envelope creation by advising them on logo or tagline revisions upon request. Contact us if you want assistance putting your brand tagline to best use on envelopes or anywhere else you want it seen.
