How to write the perfect strap line for your HR consultancy

A strap line, slogan, catch phrase, tagline – whatever name you prefer to use - is a really important aspect of your consultancy’s brand and identity.

And like most business owners, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about your strap line as it’s something you really care about.

But because you care so much, and because your business is like a baby to you, you can easily lose sight of what a strap line should be about – thinking too much about you and less about your prospects.

That’s why, in this article, I’m going to list a few things to keep in mind when creating the perfect strap line for your HR consultancy.

Make no mistake, a strap line is a marketing tool for HR consultants.

It’s typically a short sentence that communicates your consultancy’s identity and/ or offer.

Great straplines can help you stand out from your competitors. They help people to remember you. And they can help prospects feel a certain way about your brand. Hopefully good feels!

Examples of great strap lines:

L’Oreal: “Because you’re worth it.”

Ronseal: “Does exactly what it says on the tin”.

Mr Kipling: “Exceedingly good cakes”

Nike: “Just do it”

Spotify: “Music for everyone”

Skittles: “Taste the rainbow”

McDonalds: “I’m loving it”

Now, it’s difficult to look at this small collection of strap lines and create the perfect formular for yours. But you will see some similarities:

• They’re short
• They either tell you how to feel, tell you an action to take, or tell you something
• They sum up what the brand is about
• They’re rememberable

Examples of bad strap lines:

When I was researching bad strap lines I came across this: https://www.boredpanda.com/bad-weird-brands-taglines-and-slogans/

I didn’t dare to list them, but the first few will give you a good laugh.

Here are some examples from big names though:

Adidas: “Impossible is nothing”

Under Armour: “I will”

Victoria’s Secret: “A body for every body”

Reebok 2021 campaign: “Cheat on your girlfriend, not on your workout”

These strap lines either don’t say anything, or way too much and actually offensive. Yes, they’re short but compared to the great strap lines above they are simply terrible.

How does this relate to your HR consultancy?

In my opinion, I’ve seen HR consultants fall into 3 traps:

Trap one: Trying to be everything for everyone.

 As a HR consultant, you can do lots of things for lots of different business owners, so you try to communicate this via your strap line.

Trap two: Your strap line becomes a piece of descriptive writing about you, and not about the prospect

Because you want to try and please everyone, your strap line ends up becoming a piece of descriptive writing. And you forget that it’s actually a marketing tool, for the benefit of your prospects and clients.

Trap three:Your strap line could be copied by any other HR consultant

It’s really important to make your strap line unique to your consultancy’s brand and identity. If another consultancy can steal your strap line, it’s not good enough.

1. Remember that your strap line is a marketing tool for your HR consultancy
2. Remember who you are trying to target and speak directly to them
3. Use the same style of language and phrases that your target market does
4. Use the words “You”, “Your” or “You’re” to make it less about you and more about the prospect
5. Feels are important. Think about how you want people to feel, instead of listing services you can help them with
6. Keep it short and sweet
7. Make sure it makes sense as a stand-alone piece of marketing
8. Include a call to action
9. Include your name or brand identity to help it become unique to you
10. Don’t be scared to make it fun and memorable

If you need a hand creating the perfect strap line for your business, or anything else, please do not hesitate to get in touch.