Do you remember hearing the tagline, “1,000 songs in your pocket,” when the iPod was released? How in the world would we have been able to understand the iconic shift in multi-media accessibility from our current frame of reference (CDs, walk-mans…) without a picture like this to help us imagine?
Tony Faddell alludes to this in his Podcast interview with Tim Ferris on The Tim Ferris Show as one of the greatest example of a tagline in history – both concise and dramatic. He said is was like a measuring stick for all future taglines! Faddell worked with Steve Jobs on the creation of the original iPod and first generations of the iPhone and came to know Steve really well.
He said the greatest thing he learned from Steve was “Storytelling, storytelling, storytelling.”
Stories as the common denominator of communication. Most everyone can understand a story. Our curiosity is peaked when we start to hear a good one. There’s something wired in is to care about the sequence of beginning, middle and end. Problem….resolution.
And sometimes when we can’t really understand the technicalities of a particular product, service, or domain, a well-told story will communicate the essence of something in a way that sticks even better.
Storytelling to Connect with Prospects
Our goal in business is to connect with the right people who would benefit from our products and services. But how do they know they need what you offer?
Tell a story. Tell stories of working with past clients. Tell life stories of people who use your products. Tell success stories of how someone’s life has changed.
The beautiful thing about a story is that it has the opportunity to be retold, over and over again. If someone can’t remember the exact specs of your product or the terms and conditions of what you do, they can surely remember a story.
You have opportunities to share these stories all the time – on your website, on social media, at networking meetings. when meeting anyone for the first time, in a newsletter, in speeches. Any time you have the floor, tell a story. 🙂
How Concise Can You Make It?
In addition your stories, you should have a tagline that captures the essence of your product in a concise and “crisp” (a la Faddell) way, ie “1,000 Songs In Your Pocket.” Here is a list of 27 of the best taglines for companies. This is an easy way for people to remember what you do and share it with others. It captures the essence of what you have to offer.
I’d love to hear your taglines for your business! Don’t worry if you don’t have one yet, or if you have one, and aren’t too psyched about it. Use this opportunity to define it and test it out with others. It should be something in plain language that people can easily understand. Share it with me, and I’ll offer some feedback.
But when you have one that you are happy with, post it as a comment on Instagram here. On Valentine’s Day, my husband (Don) and I will pick our favorite one, and we’ll send you a $50 gift certificate to your favorite restaurant.
Sonya Dalrymple 