The Party Test

Does your marketing pass the party test?

I recently had a conversation with a friend who is building out his personal brand. He’s gearing up to release a podcast, some poetry, and a book within the next year. After he told me his mission statement, he thought that it might be a good tagline for a website or instagram bio. His mission statement was a 30,000 foot view of his greater goals. It had to do with enriching lives and helping people find joy. 

I told him that while the mission statement is good and important, it shouldn’t be his tagline. Why? It doesn’t pass the party test. 

We’ve all met this person at a party: 
You: “So what do you do for work?”
Them: “I enrich lives and help people find joy!”
You: “Ok… so what do you do?”

After a statement like this, you still have no idea what this person does, and you’re annoyed with them for being so fluffy and idealistic. Just tell us what you do, man!

The same goes for our marketing–especially instagram bios, website headers, and advertising tag-lines. While most people at a party will be polite and ask follow-up questions to find out what you really do, potential customers will not be so polite. They’ll bounce from your website in a second. 

The goal with tag-lines is to let people know what you do, and who you do it for, and what it accomplishes. If you’re a landscaper in Canoga Park, try something like “Affordable landscaping to make Canoga Park yards look amazing.” If you’re a dentist in Modesto, “Pain-free dentistry for Modesto families.”

A strong tagline for my friend would be, “I’m a writer and speaker who helps people find joy in their everyday lives.” 

The beautiful part about a line like that is my friend could reasonably say it at a party without coming off as aloof! It’s clear and concise. It’s ok if it doesn’t encompass the greater mission or ethos. Marketing should get someone interested–they’ll discover your ethos by the service you offer and the way you work with them.

Good luck out there!