Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

You've come to the right place, rprudhomme. We do a lot of slogans, naming and taglines.

We should probably start by finding out who your primary target audience will be. Where are they located? Residential or commercial? First-time home-buyers or retirees looking for senior housing? Out-of-town or local? Etc.

The more narrowly and precisely you can define your primary target audience, the more effective the slogan will be. A slogan that tries to be all things to all people is a waste of time.

Next, can you identify what makes you different from and better than the hundreds of other realtors in your area? Why should someone choose to work with you? What's in it for them?

It's also been our experience that "catchy" slogans are not nearly as effective as those focusing on an important benefit for the target audience. If you insist on "catchy," you probably won't get anything that will really help your business.

Finally, it's not likely that your name will be helpful in coming up with a slogan. People don't select a realtor based on the person's name. We could do a play on words, and say something about "homme is where the heart is" or something like that, but it's not likely to be as effective as a real benefit promise.

Give us some more information and we'll come up with a slogan for you.

Dear rprudhomme,

Catchy. Edgy. Cute. Hip. Call it whatever you want to but none
of these things are effective marketing strategies. With the real estate market as it is, catchy is unlikely to have much of an impact.

When I die I might have the words "Catchy is not an effective marketing strategy" chiseled into a large slab of granite so that they might act as a warning to others.

Forget catchy. Focus on results.

Who will you be serving? Where? What kind of real estate? Just sales? Just rentals? Rentals and sales? Why you? What do you do that sets you apart? What do you promise? What can't you do or won't you do? What is your guarantee?

All of these things mean more to potential buyers than the catchiness or otherwise of your company name. Too many business owners waste an inordinate amount of time coming up with hip, trendy names that often, mean nothing, while ignoring the main point of being in business: to provide serve customers and clients with the solutions they're looking for.

Catchy is not a selling point. Nor is it a positioning anchor.

But when a prospect reads something along the lines of:

"Prudhomme Real Estate: I'll Sell Your House in Under 60 Days, Guaranteed! ... Or You Pay Nothing."

... suddenly, they know they're dealing with someone who knows what the hell they're doing and someone with the moxie to just come right out and say it. How refreshing.

A positioning statement like this has power; it has intent; it has teeth, and claws, and it's ready to rumble. It shows you've got the balls to tell people what you do AND that you know you're good enough to deliver.

Arrogant? Only to the weak minded. Commerce is NOT a disco,
it's business. Powerful positioning statements basically tell other people in your niche "Put up or button your pie hole!"

Powerful statements like this tell your prospects: this is what I do, this is how I do it, and I'll do it for you.

And they tell your competitors that there's new kid on the block who WILL kick their ass. No mucking around. No flimflam. No doubt. Just a solid, matter of fact statement.

So I urge you, please, avoid catchy as you would a venomous snake. Because ultimately, catchy will poison your business.

I hope this helps.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

Are you hoping that "catchy" will somehow stick in someone's brain better than something "corporate"? Or, because everyone else has a catchphrase, you need one also?

Start by going back to some of your recent clients, and ask them about your services. Why did they pick you? Would having a rhyming phrase have helped pick you? Would it have hurt? Would it matter at all?

If you insist on "catchy", your last name is a natural for a real estate professional - think phrases that end in "home".

I agree with Michael, Randall, Gary and Jay so no need to expand on the pitfalls of "catchy".

Jay does bring up an interesting question, what is your full name?

Steve