Your slogan is one of your most important branding tools. For more than a century, businesses have relied on catchy words and phrases to tell the world what their brands are all about. If done right, a slogan can easily become the centerpiece of your branding strategy.

Slogans make your brand memorable with your audience. For example, while you may not recall exactly what happened in a Taco Bell commercial that you watched last week, you’ll definitely remember the “think outside the bun” slogan followed by the sound of a bell dinging.

Social media is the perfect marketing vehicle to help your slogan “stick” and remain top-of-mind for your target audience. Coca-Cola has done this very effectively by creating a custom hashtag around its “share a Coke” slogan and encouraging fans to share images of themselves sharing a Coke on social media using the hashtag.

Even though your brand may not be as recognizable as Coca-Cola, you can still create a killer slogan for your business that really sticks with your audience.

The 3 Pillars of a Strong Slogan

First of all, let’s take a look at the 3 key characteristics that successful slogans share:

1. They offer a clear message.
2. They’re creative.
3. They’re brand appropriate.

With those 3 qualities in mind, let’s now take a look at some of the most liked slogans of all time to see if they meet this criteria:

• M&M’s: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”
• Las Vegas: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
• Disney World: “The happiest place on Earth.”
• Subway: “Eat fresh.”
• Autozone: “Get in the zone.”

Keep it Brief
Something else that you’ll notice about these successful slogans is their brevity. When creating a slogan for your business, your goals should be to not only be clear and relevant with your brand, but to use the shortest catchphrase possible. When your customers are thinking about making a purchase, you want your slogan or tagline to immediately come to mind. Keeping it brief will help to make it more memorable.

Try a Touch of Controversy

A slogan that has a touch of controversy will stand out in consumers’ minds. For example, there is a local air conditioning company that uses the slogan “your wife is hot.” Not only does this grab the audience’s attention, but the use of humor and slight controversy really makes this slogan memorable.

Avoid Incorporating Your Name

While you can definitely have an effective slogan that includes your brand name (take Coke for example), research shows that slogans that don’t contain a brand name are more likable. According to a recent study, only 44 percent of brands surveyed included the name of their brands in their slogans.

In summary, creating a strong slogan for your business and finding a creative way to incorporate it into your social media marketing strategy can be a very effective way raise awareness for your business.

As you head to the drawing boards for your own slogan, consider your favorite brand slogans and why they stand out to you. Allow that to help guide you in creating a memorable slogan for your own business.