Naming Your Brand
Written by Courtney Raguso, Social Media Content Creator
There’s a lot that goes into starting a business. You have to develop a business plan, find financing, acquire all the legal licenses and registrations, and develop your brand! Developing a brand takes a lot of time, patience, and effort, but one of the first steps is creating a name! An estimated 627,000 businesses open every year in the U.S., which means there’s a lot of new competition, including new business names. This does make it more difficult when it comes to naming a business because you’ll want yours to stand out and be remembered. So why is your business name so important? It’s a part of your brand identity. There are thousands, if not millions, of brands that offer the same service or similar product as you. So, your brand name needs to reflect your unique brand. People are not only going to see it, but also hear it. A brand name is one of the first elements of your brand customers will encounter, and we all understand how important first impressions are. That’s why you want your name to be distinctive, authentic, memorable, and enduring. You want it to make sense not only to you but also to your customers, because if they don’t resonate with the name, you will lose out on more business.
There are many things to consider when naming a brand. First things first, you have to do your legal due diligence. You have to make sure your name can be trademarked because you don’t want to get sued. Plus, you don’t want to have to go back and change your name later. It causes customer confusion, is very disruptive, and can be expensive. The second most important thing you want to do before settling on a name is checking its digital presence. In other words, when people search your name in Google, what else will they see? You want to make sure nothing negative and unrelated is associated with your name. For example, some words in English can be considered or sound offensive in other countries, so if you are trying to go global, think about that. Another factor you’ll want to keep in mind is growth and pivoting. Think in the long term. You don’t want to limit yourself by giving it a name that may become irrelevant. Companies like Radio Shack lose their relevance because products change over time. A more general name like Circuit City is longer lasting because it does not name any specific tech terms, which we know tech always evolves. You also want to keep in mind that, although using a keyword in your name may be good for SEO, it may also limit your ability to grow. So let’s say you name your company “Westchester Roofing”, if you ever expand your services beyond that location and those services, that can hurt more than help.
Once you did your homework, now you’re ready for the fun part. When it comes to exploring options for your business’s brand name, you’ll want to write down everything that comes to mind when you think of your business. Think of your product, your values, and what you want people to associate with your brand. Emotional connection matters, and you can use your name to create it. For example, you can look at brands like “Snuggies” and “Honest”. Their brand name does much more than name a product. It describes a feeling or a value that they are connected to and associate with. That’s why it translates so well to customers. When coming up with your brand name, write down everything that comes to mind, from your brand’s character traits to the types of customers you are targeting. Once you do that, you can then try out different names and combinations to see what fits best. Try to get a variety of people on your team to help brainstorm. You never want to rely only on your opinion because you might be missing something that someone else will be able to pick out. Just remember to take your time and do not rush the process. Once you have chosen your brand name, we can work with you to design a custom, state-of-the-art logo. When you create a logo and slogan at the same time as the name, it helps you better see the whole picture. It helps you visualize the name and hear it in action, instead of just relying on what you think will sound and look good. Just always remember, that in order to keep your name great, you must work on building a positive reputation behind it.
At MSM DesignZ, we put in the time and energy needed for success, so you can ensure you are using every dollar for maximum return. With over 20 years in the business, we have watched marketing evolve from traditional to digital. Whether you need a website refresh, more attractive email, or a quality online presence, we can do it all. When we take on a client, we put in 110% and treat every brand as if it’s our own. We will always continue to place our clients’ needs at the heart of our operations. From web development to social media management, we’ll work directly with you to build a personalized strategy to not only retain but also gain business. We are assisting in all areas for our clients. Visit our contact page at https://www.msmdesignz.com/contact/, and we’ll work with you to devise a custom plan that will keep your brand alive and well. We look forward to working with you!
Sources:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/naming-your-new-company-11629028694
https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/naming-your-business-rules-mistakes.html
https://99designs.com/blog/business/how-to-name-your-business/
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/best-business-name-naming-company-startup.html