Going to start a little advertising/marketing, and I need a tag line. Something like those that I have seen on this site: “we may be slow, but we’re expensive”, “measure once, cut twice” and so on. But, as catchy as those are, I’d prefer something with a little more class. Any suggesstions? I’m in south Texas, so if you’re not in my market area and you thhink your line is the best and don’t mind me using it, feel free to pass it on.
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Replies
"I won't steer ya wrong"
"Some folks cotton to our work"
"Dust storms don't scare me, I are one"
"If you think Texas is big, You oughta see the size of my competitor's bids"
No, I wouldn't use these but it was fun.
Excellence is its own reward!
"The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit.
The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are."
--Marcus Aurelius
My tag line used to be "Build it once, Build it right"
Alex
"Free advice is worth what you paid for it"
ELCID72, back in '97 I sent out postcards these postcards
(click) and they
were extremely successful. What people told me was that they could be easily
read as either as "Distinctive and Unique Enviornments for the Home" or
as "Distinctive Artistic Quality".
Two things to really keep in mind is who (what) is your market
and what is you product (service).
Another slogan that appears in an on a lot of our stuff is "We Build Neat
Stuff" taken from one of Tom Peters busines books. That sort of fits the
sometimes whimsical nature and unique mix of projects we will take on.
What is it you do or want to do?
View Image
“Systemize the Routine; Humanize the Exceptionâ€-
from Customer Culture: How FedEx and Other Great
Companies Put the Customer First Every Day
by Michael D. Basch
Hey Piff I liked the one about the competitors bids.
JH - Residential remodeling. I have (had) been very busy with referrals, but it's a little slow right now and I thought I would try to get in front of some potential customers. One thought is buyers of new $100k homes to offer decks, upgraded trim (crown, etc), that kind of stuff. Jobs that would be short duration, possibly indoor work for the winter, fill-in stuff until spring and/or improved business. Some of the new houses in that range here are sold with no closet doors in the non-master bedrooms. Wouldn't be too difficult to install sliders or bifolds.
'Pecans? I don't work for no pecans!'
Character? I never had any problem with character. Why, people've been telling me I was one every since I was a kid.
or you could always try "we're not the best.... just better than the rest"
" A cut above"
Try to stay away from slaming the competitor to hard most clients tend to frown on it...... it sounds too much like a political sloagan
Steal mine...
"BuzzSaw Buck.....I'll Build the Sh!t out'it!"
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Fine Carpentery.....While U Waite
Specialists in Custom Remodeling has worked well for me. It is short, descriptive and customers remember it.
Of course Fast, Cheap, and Right - Pick any two. Usually gets attention also.
Good Luck.
"Cavier work at Tuna fish prices...heh heh"
HAve a great New Year
Namaste
andy
One works on oneself, always. That's the greatest gift you can give to community because the more you extricate your mind from that which defines separateness, that defines community. The first thing is to become community. "Ram Dass"
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
"We put the K in Kwality"
T
Do not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
That's too much! One of the very few times I have actually laughed out loud while reading this forum.
Love it going to put that on my truck.
You might find better, but you won't find anybody more expensive.
Seriously guy, thanks for the ideas, but... What prompted my original post was that there are a lot of tag lines like "the customer is always right" and "quality is our goal" and so on, but they are so common that they have lost their meaning.
Yep I feel the same way. It's gotten to the point where I roll my eyes when I see them. THey all seem "Hokey" I guess you could call it.
Are you loooking for something simple, but that actually MEANS something?
If something like "We're not cheap, but we're slow" doesn't work, how about something simple, like "Pursuing excellence"?
I'd avoid aything that seems to imply that you can do things cheaper than anyone else.A man who finds it painful to smile should not open a shop. [Confucius]
There's a couple here that I like: "Build it once, build it right"; "We build neat stuff" and one I saw somewhere else on this forum: "Deliver more than you promise" but I hesitate to use that one, because that would be implying to the customer that they would be getting more than they paid for, and to me the little extras should be unexpected bonuses. You're right about implying doing the work for less...as noted here more than once, the customer should be willing to pay a fair price for quality work.
I remember seeing some construction guys driving around with a "Sh*t Happens" bumper sticker. I wonder if it made the customer feel good about their work.
There is a local family and three of the brthers nd the dad are always doing od jobs for each other and friends.
Most of the time it ends up a comedy of errors and they spend as much money on gas and beer as building materials.
A couple of years ago they decided they needed a pickup to run around in. and they got a sign for the door that said SFB construction.
It stands for #### Const.
they are constantly making up acceptable names when people inquire about what it stands for.
TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
The electrician that is our subcontracter has on all his company t shirts "Let Us Remove Your Shorts"
Alex
LOL! Good one
Well my brotherinlaw returned to his contracting biz after a long stint at Milwaukee Tools (managed the tool test dept and yes he has a corner of his shop full of Milwaukee rejects) settled on "If You Want It Done Right Do it Yourself". But common sense prevailed over sarcasm and he ended up with "Have Trowel Will Travel" as he is primarily does foundations and slabs.
bit
Companies spend millions of dollars for tag lines. Your looking for one on a bulletin board?
One that I can't stand is "viewed to be the best". Kind of catchy, probably cost alot, but doesn't do anything for me. They all just kind of become a cliche. I don't think I've ever been influenced to buy something by a cliche. I prefer to work for people I click with on a personal level, and I don't thing they buy that way either. So I really don't think a tag line is necessary.
Having said that, I spent some time and money with a graphic artist who does a lot of work with construction firms, and she came up with this little gem, " quality from the foundation up". She was really proud or it and considered it service value added on my logo design. I didn't. I have gotten a lot of compliments on the logo she did, but she basically just worked from my suggestions. Its really not even a logo per se, but it works for me. I'll try and post it but I think it is only black and white.
Tom
try againTom
Companies spend millions of dollars for tag lines. Your looking for one on a bulletin board? Well, in a word, yes. I figure with all the gazillion years of experience of the posters here and their collective IQ of about 115, somebody would have an idea worth copying. Do I (or anyone) need a tag line? No. But it seems like all companies have one. BTW, I agree with you on your logo...nice, but not earth shaking.
We fix what your husband repaired.
Scott R.
"Better late than never"
"I'd rather owe you than cheat you out of it."
TDo not try this at home!
I am a trained professional!
Tradional Craftsmanship unimpeaded by progress....
At Darkworks Customer satisfaction Job One..Yea yea were all over it , I got my best guys on it.........
how about"errections that last" could get some attition or was that litagation
My line for my business is not my online tag. (We may be slow.....) "Curb Appeal" is what I try to get at. Head turning knockout downright drop dead beautiful construction. Not your usual plywood dingbat crackerbox. Of course you have to have standards, No plywood siding ,no fake rock, no fake anything, no trusses, no mitered trim ect....
I guess that means no vinyl siding, no rubber slate roofs, and no sheetrock screws supporting cabinets? Some people are soooo picky...
When I lived in Anchorage, there was a notorious bar with their slogan emblazoned on the wall in large letters: "We screw the other guy and pass the savings on to you."
It was built to YOUR specks. Now do you want us to fix it ?
I get so tired of seeing specialist mentioned everywhere. Look in the yellow pages. Everyone is now a darned specialist! Or how about technician? Even garbage disposal people are now considered technicians. The list goes on. We all know that doesn't come close, so why not.....
Looking for a specialist? We are the specialist<img src="http://www.floridawoodfloors.net/Banner3.jpg" width="370" height="99" border="0"> </a>
Hardwood Flooring Installation Services. "Serving Florida...and Beyond"
http://www.floridawoodfloors.net
A home improvement contractor here used to advertise on TV. There was a clutz named Melvin who could do nothing right. Tag line was "We'll put no Melvins on your job". That probably wont work unless you're ready for the big time TV ads though.
Fast - Cheap - Perfect
Pick Two
I have always loved that one.
Quality higher than your expectations
' Will take partial pay in pecans.'
Character? I never had any problem with character. Why, people've been telling me I was one every since I was a kid.
Edited 1/2/2003 11:15:08 AM ET by rez
These are brilliant, so I should charge you:
1. We put the "con" in contractor !
2.You should see what I saw !
3.We may be slow, but we're sloppy !
4. Ask about our 3/36 warranty! ( warranty good until we're 3 miles or 36 minutes away from your house)
Obviosly just for laughs:
1)We're not very good but at least we're cheap!
2)No job too small, no price too large
3)We specialize in easy jobs
You may have heard of our subsidiary, BITFI Builders
Beat
It
The
@#*>
In
I just thought of one. It would work best if you were a plumber but I suppose it would do for construction in general.
"We always sweat the small stuff"
I've done a lot of graphic art and the best advice I can give you is to think about it from the perspective of the client. What would grab your attention and mean something to you if you were an HO shopping for the services you plan to offer. Ask a few people what is most important to them in hiring someone to do your line of work. Try to think of your advertisement as a person shaking hands with a potential customer on the street. What would you want that person to say on your behalf? In a nutshell- that is exactly what you are doing when you advertise.
Please don't dismiss the value of a good designer as an unnecessary expense. Just like any skilled craftsman they can be a real asset if you get the right one and a total waste of money if you don't. Look at advertisements that grab you and find out who did them. Chances are they will do the same for you.
Good luck,
Kevin Halliburton
"A man never discloses his own character so clearly as when he describes another's" - Jean Paul Richter-
You break it we fix it......
Can't fix it... We'll create you a new one....
Not the cheapest guy on the block....
Just the best....
We'll tackle projects that make mere mortals tremble....
What ever your imagination desires.....
(these are in use)
What ever your imagination desires.....
That one could be dangerousView Image
The verbal follow up is "within leagle reason". It has started some worth while conversations. Broken up some ice to boot.
I just get the image of some guy or women sitting there arguing with you saying, but you said you could do anything I dream up and you have to explain why their idea is so off the wall its not physically possible View Image
Why argue, but is neither here nor there.
I think one the best one so far has been...
The home seller had some work done. Most of it was a pits / sh*t job. The HS had go over and do what it took to make things right. The home buyer met me at the door with fire and venom. Lit into me like you would not believe. (I'm the 4th to show and not to mention several no shows) After a little while I get in "Lady I am here to make you absolutely ecstatic and your husband won't even mind. Just give me a chance." If the HS wasn't a friend of mine I would have left.
After about a week I had met their friends, ate their food and received some very nice referrals. I gave them few little freebies and when I left after 2 weeks with a 500$ tip I said - "Lady I told you I was here to make you ecstatic and husband chipped in with and I don't even mind."
The contractor was John something or another and I have cleaned up after him some since. When I do that I should I should change my name to Waste Management.
4 years and I'm still getting referrals from them.
It's easy enough to sort out the intelligent, hypothetical or pass 'em a sign.
Your point is well taken.
A drywaller around here calls his co. Well Hung Drywall printed bright red on his van. I've heard he has t-shirts that say, We get it up hard and We get it up fast. Most drywallers I've met are a bit different than most folks.
There's a plumbing contractor over in Connecticut that I heard of called The
Drain Surgeon. Not a tag line so to speak but I think that's brilliant
View Image
"Experience is a hard teacher, because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards." ~
Vernon Saunders' Law
Here's a catchy line.................Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
I just about Pssed Myself!!!
I'm putting that one up on the wall! Turtleneck
Its not a smile- its a cramp
I'm still laughing...
Saw an ad in a local paper for a concrete contractor: We Dry Harder.Do it right, or do it twice.
my old friend herb lowe was listed in the yellow pages as "lowe quality construction"
BARF Construction "We throw up anything!"It doesn't matter how fast you get there, it just matters that you go in the right direction.
WE'RE NOT TOTALLY WORTHLESS, WE CAN BE USED AS A BAD EXAMPLE!
on a more serious note, my business cards read:
"thats good enough, just isnt"
"caulking is not a piece of trim"
im a trim carpenter cabinetmaker/installer
steve, sarnia ont ca
My wife's an advertising exec and she gave me two "golden rules" to follow when creating my company name and tag line.
1) Create an "Action Statement" with your name. Give poeple something that will make them start thinking what you can do for them (i.e. NOT just "Joe Blow & Sons Construciton)
2) Repetition, repetition, repetition ... if you can have your tag line reinforce your company name, that will help people vieiwing your ad / business card / post card to remember who you are and what you do.
So, with that I came up with:
Name: Interior Transformations
Tag Line: Transforming your interior dreams into beautiful realities!
This has worked very well so far and generates lots of comments / compliments.
(( Side Note: As an unintended fringe benefit, the "Interior" aspect of the name has made it easy to tell folks that I don't / won't do roofing, siding, decks, exterior painting, etc. etc. etc. Or roughly translated, if it's cold outside I want heat, if it's raining I want dry. Call me a wimp, but baby I'm steady rollin' year 'round so long as I can physically get to the job site regardless of whatever Mother Nature has in mind that day! Afterall, the mortgage company just doesn't seem to take the winter off ... LOL))
"Transparent Transformations" implying they can see the quality clear through the whole project.
Mine was kind of spur of the moment "Pride in Professional Craftsmanship" but I do take pride in my work and try to be as professional as I can.
You've been around awhile, you know what they want to hear.
Go ahead and put it on your Ad, you'll do fine.
Bob
"Rather be a hammer than a nail"
Got passed by a truck today, scuzzy looking driver, one headlight and part of the fender missing on the truck, big letters on the side and tailgate: Show Me Your Crack (smaller letters below) Windshield Repair.
(edited typos)
Do it right, or do it twice.
Edited 4/7/2003 11:21:52 PM ET by ELCID72
He probably gets a ton of babes with that!Mr T
Do not try this at home!
I am an Experienced Professional!
"The No Slogan Company"(P.I. Engineering, Inc.)