The subject came up last week in my ninja marketing dojo class while talking about LinkedIn headlines. I related the story of the networking event where I was an exhibitor. I had a lady come up to my table and when I asked her what she did and she said “I’m not supposed to tell you.” She had just come from a seminar with networking guru who told the audience not to say what they did. I quizzed her further and she finally said something like “I help businesses realize their bottom line potential.” Okay, do you work for some clandestine operation? Would you have to kill me if you told me?
I think she missed the speaker’s point, which was to peak someone’s interest in what you do, not make them play 20 questions to pry the answer out of you. Let’s face it, I’m just not going to work that hard to find out what you do.
Your tagline, whether it’s in a face to face networking situation or on your social media sites should be listener/reader centered. For example, when asked, I could say, “I do website design, search engine optimization and social media.” Besides the fact that it’s boring, it’s also all about me. Sure I told you I do but in your mind you’re thinking, “I have a website, I don’t know what search engine optimization is and I’m on Facebook. NEXT!”
A better introduction would be, “I help business owners create an online marketing presence that puts them head and shoulders above the competition, using website design, search engine optimization and social media to improve their search engine rankings, increase their traffic and convert more browsers into buyers.”
Do you see the difference? This tagline is centered around the listener. It still explains what I do, but in terms of what I can do for them. Now they are thinking, “my website doesn’t do that and I’m not getting a ton of business off Facebook. I need to know more.”
The center of our universe is “ME”. My problems, my pleasures, my concerns. Sounds like an opera singer tuning up, “me, me, me, me.” Make your initial venture into someone’s ME universe be about them. How can your product/service make their life easier, save them money, make them more efficient or reduce the pain? When you tap into the nerve center of your prospective customer/client, your message resonates with them and they want to know more.
Your tagline makes all the difference in the world. Is yours a conversation starter or a conversation ender?
Gary Wagnon is the owner of 800biz Ninja Marketing Strategies and the Ninja Marketing Dojo, a program designed to help businesses master all aspects of online marketing. The goal of the Ninja Marketing Dojo is to improve search engine rankings, increase web site traffic and convert more browsers into buyers.