Higher institutions are complex. Creating a simple tagline that explains this complexity is not an easy task. This is one of the reasons why so many colleges and universities share similar slogans and identities. Other factors are because people don’t like change and colleges are naturally conservative. With such a high-stake product to deliver – an invaluable college education – higher institutions can’t bear to look cheesy or undeserving.
Despite these valid reasons for comparable taglines, it’s not benefitting your higher institution to be mediocre. It’s possible to have a great motto that excites students, differentiates your brand and demonstrates value.
Let’s look at a few examples of higher EDU taglines that have received lots of love, and how you can go about changing yours while putting your best foot forward.
Higher EDU Taglines that Rock the Books
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Change Your Life. Start Here. (Charter College, Alaska)
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Innovation is our Tradition (Babson College, Massachusetts)
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Education for an Inspired Life (Fairfield University, Connecticut)
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Where Success Begins (Lansing Community College, Michigan)
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Real Education. Real Results. (Dakota County Technical College, Minnesota)
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You’re One of a Kind. So Are We. (University of Rio Grande, Ohio)
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Exceptional Education. Exceptional Value. (Muskingum University, Ohio)
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Learn. Do. Live. (Central Washington University, Washington)
By reading through the above slogans, it’s obvious that the schools share the same messages but are successful at differentiating themselves from one another.
Creating Taglines that Speak to Students
As you look to change up your own tagline to excite prospective students, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Keep it Simple
Explain your brand in three to five words. This can be tricky, especially when you want to share your entire story. However, prospective students need to see your vision. To help, write a few sentences about the most important aspects of your institution. Trim down your sentences until you have less than 10 words.
Avoid Being Cute
Taglines are not intended to be cool or edgy. If you try too hard to be charming, you’ll end up focusing on this rather than the image of what you do. What is it that makes your institution the best? What do you provide to students that other schools do not? Communicate clearly and speak to your audience.
Do a Double Take
A good slogan gets remembered the first time around. There are different ways to create a memorable tagline, and you may want to enlist help from a copywriter. A play on words can work well, such as Citgo’s “Fueling Good” tagline. Trigger students to think about an education at your school.
Be Specific, Not Broad
The broader your tagline is, the more people will forget about it. Be as specific as possible so that you speak to the right audience, and they can imagine your product in the real world. Does your college offer affordable tuition? Do you inspire creative thinking? Are you known for your history or traditions?
Conclusion
It’s true. A tagline is not your entire brand. Some higher institutions get along just fine without one. However, having a slogan is an effective way to market your college or university and get people knowing who you are and why you are different. This is difficult to do, but it’s a great start that can earn you more attention and more qualified applicants.
