I’m in the middle of a website design, but there’s one little detail that’s keeping me from finishing up all of these essential pieces:
- The banner design
- The IFO (Irresistible Free Offer)
- The e-mail auto responder setup
- Home, About and Contact pages
- The site!
Know what it is? It’s the tagline.
When the Best Laid Plans Go South
Although my client’s web header and IFO (Irresistible Free Offer) were already approved prior to her 2-week vacation, we hadn’t discussed her tagline. “No problem. I’ll just use the old tag line on her business card,” …or so I thought.
It was a problem, because the old tag line worked with her old business name but no longer resonated with me, or my client, because her business model had changed.
Suddenly the agreed upon Project Timeline and Schedule, which included her time away, was no longer working. The lack of a good tagline was holding everything up and preventing me from completing her website.
Can’t You Just Add the Tagline Later?
Yes, but it takes time so it’s costly. Here’s why:
As a professional designer I use layers which allow me to move and adjust each individual design element until it’s just the right size, and in just the right position. Add one more sentence and it can affect every other design element, which involves moving and tweaking multiple layers all over again. Plus, multi-layer files need to be converted to a single layer jpeg file before it’s uploaded to the web site.
Each banner requires your business name and tagline. You not only have a header banner on your website, you also have header banners on your Social Media pages: Facebook business page, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.
Your email auto-responder pages have header banners, too, and so does your E-zine. Each banner is a different jpeg file with it’s own unique size.
And don’t forget your 3-D book cover graphic and/or audio and video CDs. Making graphics 3-D requires a multi-step process after the file has been converted it to a single file jpeg. It’s nearly impossible to add a tagline and have it look realistic once it’s rendered in 3-D.
What Can Wait
The one thing that can wait is the one thing that people fret and worry about most — the copy. Surprised? The great thing about WordPress is the ease and speed with which you can change and add text.
So don’t worry about your text right now, get your tagline lined nailed down first and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your new website comes together.
Tagline Secret Sauce
The most appealing taglines are a sentence or phrase that are no more than 7-8 words. Plus they’re:
- Engaging
- Descriptive
- Memorable, and
- Complementary to your business name
Need help with your tagline?
Fields Graphic Design has been helping small businesses come up with great taglines since 1993. We’ll also organize your site materials and help you write your copy so when it’s time to build your site all the elements are in place. Yes, even your tagline.
Phone or email today for a free 15-minute get acquainted session to see if Fields Graphic Design is right for you.
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