It is no longer a secret that before picking the finest name for your business, you should have a thorough understanding of the sort of name you desire.
But what if you’re at a loss as to where to begin? What if you can’t come up with a memorable name that’ll get people excited? What if your creative candle won’t seem to light?
From personal experience, we know that naming can be challenging for new business owners. So, today we’d be showing you this straightforward naming guide based on what we’ve learned from crowdsourcing company names for over 35,000 entrepreneurs and assisting them in finding catchy business name ideas for their firms.
Let’s get to the point.
How to Pick the Best Business Name: Three Important Steps
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Keep Your Brand in Mind
The most crucial component of your brand is its name, and that’s because it embodies everything about your business. As a result, you must understand your brand while naming your organization. Also, you must realize that while your business is what you do, your brand is how you want to be seen.
Consider Accenture, a consultancy company. What comes to mind when you see, read, or hear the name? To start with, it has a stylish, contemporary, and sophisticated tone. And this tone is incredibly effective for one of the top consulting businesses in the world.
However, you couldn’t name an ordinary digital gadget like the iPhone or Alexa in the same manner. The name would not accurately reflect who they are or what they are aiming to do.
Therefore, when naming, make sure to know what works in your industry and what fits with your brand to avoid using awkward names.
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Find Exciting Name Ideas
Here comes the fun part! If you have a group at this point, gather them together, grab some markers, papers, and a whiteboard, and let loose! It’s important to remember that the brainstorming phase is not an analytical phase. You do not need to analyze names at this point. Simply open your creative channels and let your ideas flow.
Don’t be hesitant to jot down terrible names. We actually recommend you make a note of any names that pop into your head, regardless of whether they give you the creeps. You never know what you could make out of them. Here are a few easy tools to help you with your naming:
- Dictionary
- Thesaurus
- Rhyming words
- Industry slangs
- Visual names, perhaps relating to a color
Additionally, it is crucial to include people from diverse age demographics in your brainstorming process. This would help you get different perspectives on whether to use a traditional or innovative business name.
As shown in a survey we conducted in 2021, younger age groups—25–34-year-olds—preferred fun, imaginative, and modern brand names, whereas 45–65-year-olds were more drawn to classic and trusted company names. The 35-45 age bracket stood in the middle. Having a range of ages means you can weigh the various perspectives that each person has to offer.
At the conclusion of the brainstorming session, even if you come up with 200 potential names, that’s great because the next step entails working to narrow this list, and 200 possible names are enough material to use.
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Verify Your Chosen Name
Our general wish is that the most-beloved name you’ve selected as your top pick from the available names you created is the perfect company name you’ve been searching for! But first, your ideal name must meet a few crucial criteria before you can celebrate.
Affirming your name will assist you in determining whether or not your preferred business name(s) is marketable and accessible.
So make sure you obtain.
- Feedback From Your Audience: You cannot afford to ignore customer feedback when confirming how great your chosen name is, especially if you’re building an online business. Ensure you pick a name customers love and connect with.
To do that, reach out to your target audience, loved ones, acquaintances, or even ordinary people you encounter in a bar or café, and explain your business and what you’re doing. Ask for their feedback, and make sure you write it down.
- An Available Domain Name: Every business needs a website and a great domain name. Using a domain name that matches your business name will boost your site’s accessibility. As a result, you must determine whether or not your desired name has an available .com domain.
- Trademark Protection: Although you may not enjoy this process, it might save you a lot of problems in the future. The majority of today’s words are already trademarked in some way. Test your ideal name to know whether it meets the trademark requirements. At this point, you can also seek legal counsel. Issues regarding trademarking can lead to future cease and desist letters.
Conclusion
Brand names have the power to increase sales and improve your brand’s bottom line, making them the game-changing tools your company needs to surpass its rivals. Choosing a brand name that accurately captures the essence of your company’s personality is a great way to attract potential consumers.
Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.