Someone I know recently forwarded me an email from their workplace asking for ideas for a tagline to go on a new brochure. ‘A word game for you to ponder today.’ I thought of a few possibilities, typed them out, and got ready to hit send.
But I stopped myself. If I’d been asked that as a marketeer rather than as ‘someone who’s into word games’, I wouldn’t simply reel off the first things I thought of. To simplify the process (since this blog isn’t a marketing lecture), I would research the organisation, looking at existing documentation and talking to staff. I’d come across words like ‘mission’ and ‘vision’, but also seek what the organisation stood for in practice (and if they matched, all the better). I would research its competitors and industry, its customers and prospects. If the organisation didn’t already have one, I would ideally create a marketing plan which may or may not include options for a tagline (and probably wouldn’t – it’s a bit early for that). Once we were in tagline territory, I would investigate whether those taglines were in use elsewhere, whether in the same industry or another.
So I did a stay-at-home-mum-with-limited-time-and-resources-who’s-only-been-asked-for-a-tagline version of that. I started with what I knew of the organisation, asked a few questions of the sender, looked at competitors’ offerings and considered the direction of the industry as a whole. Once I’d thought of some taglines that I thought might fit, I looked to see if they were in use elsewhere. I then sent all ideas through, explaining the rationale behind them, and explaining what else I thought the organisation could do at little or no cost to enhance their offer. I also (gently) pointed out that there were a few typos on their website, and that I thought it could read better with a simple review.
Why did I do all of that? To help out the sender, sure. But, to be honest, mainly because I was bored. I love being a stay-at-home mum, but there comes a point in each day when I need to think of big people stuff, and the marketeer in me thrived with this mini-project.
The result for the organisation? A new tagline they’re happy with. The result for me? A new client!
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