It would be interesting to know how long it took DHL to come up with its slogan/tagline (first, most important story). You can see it on their distinctive yellow courier vans – Excellence. Simply delivered. According to DHL’s website, this its actually its mission; its vision being to be the Logistics Company for the World. … Continue reading Three words – well chosen. Period
Category Archives: Tagline
If your story is on point, it effectively is also your strategy. That’s because clarity of both story and strategy is mutually reinforcing, and essentially the same thing. Australian Irishwoman Bernadette Jiwa runs a highly successful business and blog called ‘The Story of Telling’ (don’t I wish I’d thought of such a clever reversing of … Continue reading Ten benefits of strategy as story
Restricting yourself to 10 words, tell me about your business. Is it simple? Have you described why someone should be interested in your product or service? Is it succinct? Have you given me a what and a why? Does it resonate? Is part of the heart and soul of who you are evident along with … Continue reading Simple…succinct…resonating?
There’s an old saying that if you don’t tell your own story, somebody else will. Which means if we want to have a say in how someone else relates our brand or company, then it is in our major self-interest to deliberately craft that story. Such an intent starts with your first story – a … Continue reading If you don’t tell your own story…somebody else will
Sometimes, out of the blue, a song will trigger a memory. “The Otherside” by Breaks Co-Op came on the BizDojo co-working space Spotify playlist the other day. I can picture Jeff, a former work colleague and friend singing it at the top of his voice over a decade ago in an office we worked out … Continue reading A song triggers a memory of a friend who died far too early
Fiction is wonderful. Not only does it allow us to imagine we’re in a different world, era and situation, it enables us to safely become aware of different ways of thinking. When we’re reading or watching fiction, we know it is a made up story – even if it might be based on something real … Continue reading Why the most powerful element in storytelling is the truth
As much as we like to think we’re rational, coolly evaluative creatures, at our heart, we’re ruled by our heart. It is what we feel that counts. Sure, we’ll justify decisions we make, pointing out why something’s features and benefits are useful to us. But that’s after the intuitive gut-response. This comes first. This heart…felt, … Continue reading How does your story make someone feel?
We’re all complex. And our individual businesses usually do many things. Try telling that to a stranger though, and watch their eyes glaze over. That’s because we all crave understanding, immediately. Sure, later on you might expand the small list of problems you solve. But initially, at a cocktail party or as the first thing … Continue reading No really, what’s your business’s one thing
Is ‘everyone’ your target market? Extremely unlikely is the answer – unless you’ve found a way to sell happiness! Even then there’s likely to be people who are content to be grumpy. So, given that everyone is not your customers, having a clear idea of who they are makes your messaging much more definable. Whether … Continue reading Why you’re a mug to try to appeal to everyone
It can be a tricky beast to uncover your why. And while ‘to make a living’ may be part-truthful, it doesn’t differentiate you from 95% of other businesses out there. If you’re struggling to provide a reason why someone might be interested in your product or service, try using ‘because’ after your ‘what’. You might … Continue reading Use ‘because’ to help you find your why