How to Develop [a Meaningful] Brand Name
Deciding your company’s name is an essential step, and it might be the most difficult. When you think about all your business encompasses, it can be overwhelming to fit its identity into one or two words. Your name is your foundation, and with that, your business will be built — hopefully — on solid ground.
Don’t forget that your brand name requires an available domain name, internal and external customers who connect with your brand, and campaigns to boost engagement and sales — your name will even influence your keyword and SEO strategy. Let’s face it, a compelling name is critical.
Hitting the market without a clear brand naming strategy can do more harm than good, and can also present some red flags over the lifecycle of the brand. If you’ve given up because you’re out of ideas, decided your short-list name is good enough, or got stuck somewhere in the naming process, there are some perception pitfalls you’ll want to avoid, like:
Awareness: By not taking the time to assess feedback about your brand name.
Attention: By not being serious about the process or capable of defining the brand.
Work ethic: In saturated online environments, naming is hard work, and finding a great name at the right price requires lots of it.
Good brand names don’t carry red flags. Instead, they invoke interest and hook people. After all, your name is the first thing that gets uttered in a company pitch. So, how do you create a good name for your brand?
Questions
Before starting a brand naming process, create a list of questions. This will help you stay on track — it’s important to be creative, but also functional. Here are some questions to get you thinking in this direction.
What is the brand’s mission and what problem does it solve?
What feeling or emotion should your audience feel from the brand name?
Should the name be unique or easy to remember, or both?
Brainstorming
Now it is time to brainstorm. Think about the brand: what should it portray, what products will it offer, who are its competitors, and what brands are doing it right. Create three lists:
The first list should list words that resonate with the brand and its personality and products.
The second list should list the competitors and those who’ve done a great job with their branding. Go through the names with awareness to how they feel — do they encompass their brands? Define which ones work and why. The third list should contain the names and associations you came up working on the first two lists. With this list, you can get more creative and abstract. Think about what makes you unique or what problem your company will solve and brainstorm from there.
Combine your lists and whittle them down. Say the names out loud as much as necessary and pick the ones that sound good and resonate the best.
Think of it this way: when you say your brand name to someone at a noisy bar; you want them to remember it and know how to spell it later. People need to be able to pronounce your brand name clearly, and it must make sense. When it’s heard across media or in conversation, you don’t want people saying, “Was that a ‘T’ or ‘D’?” because in all reality, instead of trying to figure it out, they’re on to the next. Another way to ensure your brand name makes sense is if the name and meaning tie together, which depending upon the naming strategy, they often do. When your brand name has meaning, it conveys your benefit or solution and helps people remember you by.
Research
Next, check the availability of your top brand names from the brainstorming list. Unfortunately, this part can ruin the fun and can quickly dwindle a good pile of names. If someone already has your ideal name, keep going, and chalk that one up to helping you get closer to the right name. Don’t copycat other brands. It’s just not worth it. Even if the other brand is across the world, boundaries blur on the world wide web, and it will just increase the potential of confusion between brands. Also, legally — trademark infringement [1] — will cost more time and money than creating a new brand name.
From there, take your list and vet your names. Select at least ten people — preferably who match your audience — and split them into groups in different rooms. Say the names to one group and ask them to spell them. With another group, show them the names and ask them to pronounce them. This survey-group exercise can help you understand how digestible and well-received a name is. Bonus points for brand names that define your brand and speak to your audience.
There you have it: some tips from me to you to help create a brand name that is original, meaningful, and makes sense to your audience. It takes work, but when done right, your name will encompass all of your brand.
[1] Pakroo, Peri. THE SMALL BUSINESS START-UP KIT: a Step-by-Step Legal Guide. Nolo, 2018.