Choosing a brand name for your business may be the simplest or the most challenging job on the planet. Sometimes, your business and its name can be one step away, while at other times, it would seemingly be more tricky to connect a name to the venture.
Whatever the challenges of finding a suitable name, one thing is for sure, the brand name reflects the ethos of the business. It is primarily because of this why companies and entrepreneurs alike take some time to find the most suitable brand name to represent their businesses.
The Characteristics of a Good Brand Name
Before we dive into the process of selecting the most suitable brand name, let’s look at some of the key ingredients that make brand names stand out. The first and obvious parameter for a brand name is the connection to the company and business. It should embody the business you want it representing.
Secondly, the name should be easy to pronounce so that it is catchy, and users don’t find it hard to speak. Customers will undoubtedly avoid a hard to speak term, which therefore won’t be good for business. Uniqueness in a brand name is also sought to stand out amongst the competitors.
The world has millions of registered trademarks and businesses, so finding a suitable name can be challenging. Ensure that your brand name isn’t already in use; otherwise, you may face legal issues. Lastly, it should withstand the challenges of time and stay relevant for the times to come.
The Quest for the Right Brand Name
Some businesses take ages to select a suitable brand name, while some do it in a matter of minutes. The scale of investment usually defines the effort behind finding a brand name. Large companies hire specialists to do this job for them, while entrepreneurs or small businesses don’t have this luxury. The following pointers can help formulate a plan of action to select the most suitable brand name.
Defining Your Business
The first and foremost thing to do when hunting for the right brand name is to define your business. It helps you find the true essence of your work and your endeavors, and sheds some light on the goals and objectives. Another thing to note is the values you want to teach through your business, and the best possible way is to integrate it with a suitable brand name.
What makes you Unique
Another vital thing to keep in mind while searching for the perfect brand name is the differences between your business and its competitors. These differences make your business unique, and these are indeed the things you should be stressing upon while marketing your venture. The known quantities of the market help you distinguish yourself and help you find the brand name that signifies this unique quality.
Pen down the Possibilities
The best possible way to narrow your search for a representative brand-name is to look for numerous alternatives. List down the names at the top of your head and ask friends and family to contribute. You can use online resources such as name generators or even domain selling sites. The possibilities can start from the names of the founder to catchy phrases or just acronyms.
Narrow It Down
While brainstorming will get you hundreds of possibilities, it is time to narrow down the search. You can do this by checking with friends and family and the contributors to the original brainstorming activity. This way, you can quickly restrict the number to let’s say 15 to 20. After this step, you can check availability in patent offices and even domain name availability for online marketing purposes.
Test the Names
An additional yet vital step is to test the final few names for public feedback. An easy way of accomplishing this is to create social media pages for the top three names that you selected. The branding and the text remain the same while you change the logo and name. This way, you can easily see the trends of the users and how they react to an individual brand name.
