Naming a brand is no easy task. It’s a process that requires creativity, research, and careful consideration. That’s because your brand’s name impacts how people perceive your brand since it’s the first thing people learn about your brand.
And because your name shapes your customer’s first impression, your chosen name must reflect your brand’s values and mission.
A good brand name should be unique, recognizable, memorable, and evoke positive emotions. And though it’s a daunting task, nailing your brand name is essential for your business’s success.
Here are some tips to help any entrepreneur come up with excellent names for their businesses, products, or domains that resonate with customers and stick in their minds.
Five Tips to Discovering the Perfect Name
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Start With Considering Your Brand Positioning
Before you start brainstorming names, take some time to think about your brand positioning. Your brand name should reflect and align with your brand’s elements, including its tone, values, mission, and image.
Ensure you understand your brand’s core message, your target audience, and what you want your brand name to communicate. Doing this will help you understand what kind of name will best fit your niche and what kinds of values and ideas it must communicate.
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Use Metaphors, Visual Imagery, and Emotions
Metaphors and visual imagery can be powerful tools for communicating your brand’s message. When brainstorming, you should focus on words that use metaphors, visual imagery, and emotions to create a unique and memorable connection with customers.
Many companies have used these features to create great brand names. Companies like Dove, Amazon, and Meta are some of the few brands that use existing words to depict their brand’s personality. Other companies, like Urban Decay, have used the power of visual imagery to instantly pique the interest of their core audience.
One big advantage of using metaphors and visual imagery is that customers easily understand and connect with them emotionally.
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Brainstorm Names
After taking your brand positioning to heart, it’s time to begin creating or searching for short, unique, and catchy words that clearly communicate it. But while brainstorming, make sure you have a summary of your brand identity on hand, so you can easily refer to it.
The secret to getting the most out of your brainstorming session is to come up with as many ideas as possible. And you can do this yourself by using a business name generator or through a crowdsource naming platform.
Once you have a list of potential names, narrow it down to a few names that you like the best. But remember to consider how the name sounds, looks, and how it’ll appear on marketing materials.
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Use Audience Testing When Making Your Final Decision
Once you have narrowed down your list of potential names and ruled out any existing trademarks, it’s time to test the names with your target audience. This will help you determine which names draw attention and best align with your brand ideas.
When conducting audience testing, be careful of the questions you ask your respondents. Stay away from leading questions, but instead, ask questions about which names draw attention and inspire actions and which names best align with your brand image. This will assist you in making an informed decision about your brand name.
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Confirm Your Names With Trademark Research
Once you’ve compiled your list of name options that you’ve confirmed to be viable in the market through audience testing, it’s important to make sure the names aren’t already taken by another brand.
That said, ensure you visit the USPTO and do a trademark search to make sure your name does not infringe on any existing trademarks.
It’s also important to remember that just performing a trademark search without securing your name can’t guarantee that your name won’t be challenged in the future. So it’s vital to trademark your chosen name once you’ve found it.
Go Get the Best Name!
Naming is a challenging and time-consuming task, but with some planning and research, you can come up with a name that resonates with customers and sticks in their minds.
Start by aligning your name with your brand positioning and considering metaphors, visual imagery, and emotions. But don’t stop there; make sure you brainstorm as many ideas as possible and use audience testing to make your final decision aligns with your audience.
Once that’s done, go ahead and secure your name with a trademark. If you follow these tips, you can create a unique and memorable brand name with these tips.
