A business is more than its products if it is to stay in the consciousness of the public for years to come. The most iconic brands in tech have punchy names that you can easily recall by heart, from the long-standing giants of Apple, Microsoft, and Google all the way to newer behemoths like YouTube and TikTok.
Yes, you build your brand through so many things, but it goes a long way when consumers can recognize your name. There are literally millions of business applications filed every year, so it’s important to use every avenue to differentiate yourself from the competition. To get a real feel for the scale of things, consider how Earth Web found at least 585,000 tech companies in the US alone.
A great business starts with its name, so it’s worth taking time to come up with an awesome one that will set you up for success. If you’re wondering ‘What to Outsource to Save Your Business’, remember that this part of the process should have your direct input. Here are some tips to help you actively find your way to the perfect name.
1. Create your story
To create a compelling name that fits your brand, you need to come up with a fully realized brand narrative. This is your identity and how your potential audience will perceive you. Consider your target demographic, your own mission and values, and what makes your brand or story unique. This will help you craft a voice that will connect with your audience and inform what your name will be.
Authenticity and engagement are what you want to get out of this step in the process. If you’re not sure where to start, you can try helpful new tools like Bard to get the ball rolling. Created by Google as a language model to rival ChatGPT, this can help you brainstorm your brand story. While you shouldn’t rely entirely on the model, it will at least help you craft a nice narrative that you can expand on.
2. Keep it relevant to your industry
Even though you are trying to make your name unique, you still want to tie it back to your actual industry. You want it to feel relevant so that it comes to the top of mind when consumers think about services or products that you offer. It’s best practice to map out keywords that are connected to your business and go from there.
Namechk’s business name generator tool is a good way to aggregate some options quickly and with no cost. You just input the keywords you have in mind and it will generate suggestions based on relevance and availability. It also suggests available domains along with its results.
3. Make sure it translates online
In a highly digital landscape, you are only hurting your business if you aren’t establishing an online presence. So, you want your name to be something that works on online platforms and is highly searchable. You may even want to consider how it translates in terms of social networking sites and email marketing.
This is already essential if you are just planning to market your business on the web, but it’s even more imperative if you are actually hosting an online store. Even if you find a good hosting provider like GoDaddy or Hypernode, it won’t be a fruitful venture if you don’t have a name that works in search results and social media.
4. Check for dupes and doubles
If you’re going to make your mark, you need to have a name that doesn’t create consumer confusion. When a potential customer mistakes you for another brand, things have gone wrong.
The National Law Review’s coverage of the Jack Daniels v Bad Spaniels infringement case is a great example of why you would want to take time to come up with a distinctive name regardless of what industry you’re tapping into. The supreme court deemed that names, even those that are meant to be pun-based parodies, that cause consumer confusion may be a valid trademark infringement test that may not be protected by the Rogers test. Avoid legal troubles and potential traffic loss by simply avoiding any possible dupes.
5. Special characters are not your friend
Just because you want to be distinctive, doesn’t mean you need to go beyond the regular Latin alphabet. Special characters may look cool in theory, but the harder spelling makes it harder for you to make brand materials and complicates the process for potential consumers that are looking for your brand.
You may even want to avoid hyphens, underscores, and the like. While this won’t hurt your SEO directly, it will make it harder for people to spell your name or even remember these details. This also makes your domain more prone to malicious tactics where hackers use fake websites with minor spelling changes to trick users. With SlashNext’s analytics finding 61% more phishing attacks in 2022, you don’t want to make it easier for cybercriminals to trick your visitors and shine a bad light on your trustworthiness.
6. Simplify
Short, sweet, and direct to the point is what you want to aim for. Even using complicated jargon can alienate your audience if you don’t brand it right. When you’ve considered all the other tips and narrowed down your options, make sure the last step is to simplify. You’ll even find that this helps your SEO ranking in the long run.
