Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Newsletter Title/tagline

Posted by gmorath on 8/10/2012 at 9:55 AM ET 250 Points
Starting a new e-newsletter for our CTE School. Our mission states "The Southeastern Career Center provides students with technical skills integrated with academic knowledge while promoting work ethics, citizenship, and self-esteem to prepare them for careers in business and industry. In addition, we provide them a foundation for post secondary education and advanced technical training." Need help coming up with a great newsletter title/tagline.

Please forward your ideas pronto!
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  • Posted on 8/10/2012 at 10:35 AM Accepted
    So who are these students, and who is the target audience for your e-newsletter? What's the purpose of the newsletter? How will you know if it's successful or not? Do you have direct in-kind competition, or are you competing against an ill-defined status quo?

    Please provide your responses pronto! :)
  • Posted by gmorath on 8/10/2012 at 2:04 PM Author
    The students are high school sophomores through seniors and the members of the target audience include students, parents, and especially community members. We're attempting to reach out to to key stakeholders in the community with this effort to get away from the "voc" image. Newsletters will be e-mailed to advisory board members, parents, students, as well as sending school and community leaders. We have no direct competition in this area - just trying to upgrade our image in the community by letting key stakeholders in on all the great things happening in our school.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 8/10/2012 at 4:55 PM Accepted
    Pronto? I'll get right on it.

    First, your mission statement is too long.

    I've worked in and for non-profits and to my ear, it sounds
    as if your mission statement was written by a team of eight people, all of whom wanted some of their wording included. I've seen it happen.

    Mission statements ought to be short, memorable,
    and a stretch ... there needs to be some psychological destination to aim one's ship toward and there needs to be some kind of worthwhile reward waiting on the distant horizon. You touch on this but because your mission statement is overly long, your point gets lost.

    A mission statement's job is to telegraph to the people ON the journey just where the ship they've climbed aboard is headed.

    Here's an example:

    "Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World." —Christopher Columbus. THAT's a mission statement.

    I'm saying this because a tag line (if one's needed, which really, I don't think you do) ought to mesh with and reinforce the mission.

    Perhaps what you REALLY need is a revised, ten to twelve word mission statement?

    This then does double duty: it does all the heavy lifting of informing people about your destination, AND it unites your audience under a common flag.
  • Posted by gmorath on 8/15/2012 at 12:18 PM Author
    Thanks for your input. I do agree that our mission statement is much too much. However, I was not party to that effort and cannot change it at this time.

    I do like the idea of heading towards something. Hopefully I can tie that in somehow. I'm thinking paths, journeys, mapping, etc.
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