Top 5 tips for Naming Your Business

When starting a new business or re-branding an existing one, the question of what to name it will inevitably come up. If it doesn’t, something went wrong! The name of your business is a very important part to your brand and how your company is perceived and remembered. I have helped a few clients name or re-name their business’s and wanted to share a few tips.

Know thyself & thy client. Your business name needs to reflect who the business is. Think long and hard about the personality and message you want to convey. Is it fun? serious? traditional? tongue-in-cheek? Also keep in mind, this isn’t just what your preference is, it needs to be what your client’s preference is.

Brainstorm, brainstorm, and brainstorm some more. Naming a business is not an easy task. Sometimes it just falls into place, but more often than not it takes many lists and revisions to find the right match. I suggest to begin by writing lists of words—verbs, nouns and adjectives—that all mean something to your business. From that list pick a few to expand on, and start creating word pairs and combinations.

Don’t get too attached… yet. Once you have a few name options, run a google search, URL search and trademark search (www.uspto.gov). You may have a gem that no-one else has thought of, or you may have to go back to your list and brainstorm again. Don’t be afraid to let it rest for a few days. Some of the best ideas come when you’re not trying!

Get feedback. After you’ve done your URL and trademark search send out a quick survey to a select network with two or three name options. It’s important to get both a gut reaction and an educated reaction. Receive the feedback with an open-mind, but sometimes you also need to take it with a grain of salt! Ask a few questions to find out what thoughts, feelings, and images the names evoke.

What not to do. This could be a very long list, but for now I’ll keep it short and sweet. Don’t use a name that is already used in your industry. A cease and desist letter in your future is very high. If at all possible choose a name other than your own. Unless your name is extremely memorable, and conjures up unique mental images shy away from using your name as the business name.

Bonus! A few other things to keep in mind. Your business name should be easy to remember, easy to spell, hint at what you do, inspire a response, and conjure up positive mental images. The process may be difficult but it will be well worth it in the end.

Happy Branding!