Have you ever wondered how big brands got their names? What made their owners choose that specific name and not another?
If you take a look around at the brands that surround you, you surely realize that there are different ways to name a business such as:
- Use the founder’s name
- Describe the business activity
- Describe an experience or image
- Use a word out of context
- Make up a word
Now, which is the best way to name your business? Maybe you already have an idea of what you want your business name to be or maybe you’re totally lost. Of course, you can hire a brand strategist to work with you on developing your business name however you may not be able to make that kind of investment or you just want to do the whole process on your own.
Here’s the thing: the name of your business is an extension of your brand so the most convenient way to work would be to first develop your brand strategy and then get to the naming part. You need to be clear on what your business’s mission and vision are and then try to find a name that would follow them. Immerse yourself in a brainstorming session and think about different possibilities that could work.
While you’re searching for name options you need to check that they:
- Show the spirit of your brand: you should have defined how you want your audience to feel regarding your brand so your business name should work in that direction too.
- Are simple: simple to spell, simple to pronounce, simple to remember.
- Stand out from your competitors: even if you sell the same product or service, try to use different concepts and different words.
Once you have yourself a list of possible names that follow this criterion you should put them to the test:
- Ask people to repeat those names.
- Ask people what comes to mind when they hear those names.
- Make sure there are domains available that work with those names.
By the time you finish, you’ve probably narrowed down the name’s list and now it’s time to decide which is the one that represents the most the spirit of your brand and will resonate with your ideal client.
Ready? Take a deep breath, get a pen and paper (or your smartphone), and start to write names for your business.
