I just opened a home decor and gift store which is in a very rural area. The name of my business is FOUR GIRLS LAUGHING. I do have HOME DECOR AND GIFTS under the name. But I was wanting a tag line “Unique Home Decor and Gifts For A Song and a Laugh”! Could you tell me what you think? I already am getting known for my reasonable prices, and the catchy name.

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Jay’s Answer: It sounds like you’re thinking of changing your tagline from “Home Décor and Gifts” to “Unique Home Decor and Gifts For A Song and a Laugh”. But I don’t like your proposed tagline. Why?

First of all, it’s too long. To test it – when your next customer walks into the store, ask them if they’d be willing to take a quick test. Tell them the new tagline once, and ask them to repeat it. Odds are, they won’t be able to, because it’s too many words and too many images.

Secondly, how does “…for a Song and a Laugh” help explain what you’re selling or to whom? “For a song” connotes bargains – are you selling things inexpensively (“reasonable” and “inexpensive” are two different things) and/or want to convey lower-quality goods? “..and a Laugh” simply echoes your store’s name, but doesn’t add anything to the message. However, if you’re selling things that no one else in your area is, then “Unique” does make sense. That leaves you with:

Four Girls Laughing
Unique Home Décor and Gifts

Which is a nice, basic tagline.