Naming your business is one of the most important parts of branding. It’s going to be one of the key things that make your company memorable and easy to recognize. It needs to be impactful, simple, and tell your customer everything they need to know. So, before picking a name, follow some of these rules to ensure that your business’s name is unique and effective:
Naming a small business is one of the first things many entrepreneurs will do on their business journey. This can be difficult which is why a business name generator can be useful. These names can be used as is or as inspiration for additional names.
Don’t pick just one
When you’re brainstorming a name, don’t get too caught up in deciding on the one perfect name. Give yourself as many options as possible to get the ball rolling and write them all down. Don’t worry about whether or not they’re any good and just get them all on paper. Use basic keywords that are relevant to your business to inspire lots of different names. Once you’ve exhausted your creativity, you can start narrowing down your list.
Get lots of people involved, but make the decision yourself
It’s good to have different opinions involved in the decision, but don’t allow egos to get in the way. Get a mix of left and right-brained professionals to get the broadest range of opinions and avoid using a committee to decide on the name. Don’t allow a group to decide on one name. Use them to narrow it down to a few different names and make the decision yourself. They should be giving you feedback and ideas, not creating the name themselves. That job is ultimately up to you.
Give your company future options
If you have any intention of expanding your business or taking it overseas then you need to make sure that your business’s name will allow you to do that seamlessly. Avoid including any geographic locations in your name or product/service descriptions that you might want to add to in the future. For example, a company called ‘Raincoats for Women’ have immediately limited its product line and its demographic, which means that its expansion options are very limited. Keep your company name open enough to allow any changes you might make in the future.
Keep it short, simple and concise
You want your business’s name to pack a punch and say everything that it has to say in a minimal amount of words. The more words you have in a name the more difficult it is for your customers to memorize. You should also avoid adding “flare” to your name by using alternative spellings or words that are difficult to pronounce. While some companies can get away with nonsensical names, they can be a big risk when your company is just starting out, so it’s best to avoid them unless you have the success to back them up.
Do your homework
You should always do as much research as possible about your name options before you decide on them. If you’ve used any obscure words or made up a word completely from scratch, you need to check to see if it has any meanings in different languages or if there are any alternative, possibly negative definitions. You want your company to be memorable for being successful in your industry and not for having an obscene company name that makes people gasp or giggle when they hear it. You also need to make sure that your chosen name is available before you register it. Perform a company name check online to see if the name is available as well as check your company’s website domain name and any trademarks you might be infringing.
