Brand Naming Secrets: How to Choose the Perfect Option

Brand naming is important. In fact, it is one of the most complex decisions you'll face as a business owner. How can you pack everything that defines your brand into one or two words? Moreover, a perfect brand name should do it all: tell a story, distinguish your company from similar brands, and connect with your target audience. How to achieve this goal?

We cannot do it for you, but we can guide you. As you come up with suggestions for business names, keep the following things in mind.

Key Considerations in Brand Naming

When Brand Naming, Think Like a Client

While picking a brand name, being memorable is your top priority. Choose a title that is short, concise, and easy to spell to guarantee that your target audience remembers it. Keep in mind that if people find it difficult to pronounce your brand name, they are less likely to discuss you with their friends.

Think Ahead

Your brand name should remain connected to the essence of your business as it expands. It should also leave you an opportunity to switch to new offers and products. Sometimes you may even select a name that has nothing to do with the service you offer (like Apple: it has no tech terms in its name at all). 

Think Globally

If your strategy includes expanding into international markets, brand naming can be even more challenging. So make sure you check the translation and how your brand name sounds before the launch. Ideally, it will just sound like a strange foreign term. But it might also:

• sound offensive in another language;
• be an inappropriate term in another language;
• be challenging or impossible to pronounce;
• appear identical to another business name that has already been trademarked.

You may avoid making some awkward and costly decisions by doing some research or asking for guidance (for example, on Insolvo).

Branding is the art of differentiation 

David Brier, strategist

Think About Legal Risks

Brand naming in today's competitive business world is harder than ever. So before you actually pick a name, ensure that you can legally trademark it.

Furthermore, keep in mind that your domain name should be the same as the name of your business so that customers may easily find you online. If the desired domain name is already in use, you may either choose a different brand name or try to purchase the domain name from the existing owner.

Brand Naming: The Process

So how do you come up with an ideal name? Following these 5 steps will make the process easier.

1. Preparation for Brand Naming

First of all, define your own brand. Make a list of your brand's key elements. Describe your values and principles. What types of clients are you looking for? You need to choose a name that appeals to their particular interests, wants, and objectives. So make sure you determine your brand's target audience.

Second, research the names used by other companies in your industry. This does not imply that you must do what everyone else is doing. However, this research might assist you in determining which style of business name is appropriate for your brand.

Determine which brand name type will be most effective for your business. Among the options are:

• descriptive — conveying the key information about the product or service (The Weather Channel, Whole Foods);
• evocative — using metaphors and allusions that are supposed to connect to your brand (Yahoo, Dove, Amazon);
• invented — coined specifically for the brand; words that do not actually exist (Kodak, Pixar, Google);
• lexical — including word play (Dunkin' Donuts, Coca-Cola);
• acronymic — using an acronym (ASICS, HP, MTV);
• geographical — including the information about a geographical location (Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pepe Jeans London);
• founder — simply using the founder’s name (Calvin Klein, Nestlé, Gillette).

The goal of this step is to establish the main criteria the future name should meet.

2. Brainstorming During Brand Naming

Quantity, not quality. Yes, that’s right! In case of brainstorming, this isn't about coming up with the ideal name right away, but rather about generating a large list of raw, unprocessed ideas that can be polished at the following stages. Now it’s time for some creative approach: play games, use mind-maps, and even try online naming tools (they can be quite useful as starting points).

3. Polish Your Brand Name

The next step is to sort through all these ideas and pick the best ones. Match the names from your long lists with the benchmarks you determined during the first step. 

Keep in mind that an efficient name is one that:

• matches the positioning of the brand;
• represents a brand's personality;
• embraces one (or more) brand benefits;
• avoids notions that are negative or offensive.

The result of the polishing step should be a shortlist of brand names that satisfy the established criteria and don't immediately raise any red flags.

4. Test Your Brand Name

During the testing process, look at the shortlist even more closely. Consider how the name looks and sounds, its legal viability (remember trademark issues and availability of URLs and social media channels), and whether or not it represents your brand voice. Also review its potential to separate your business from competing companies.

5. Brand Naming: Selection

The final step of the brand naming process might actually be quite challenging. In the end, this decision requires some intuition. You should be able to determine which of the chosen names seems appropriate and suits your business concept. To select a name that will support your company's future growth, make sure to lay the proper foundation and move through the process step-by-step.

Can I Change My Brand Name?

Sure! But there are a lot of things to take into account. Typically, changing a company's name is a part of a bigger rebranding (learn more about rebranding here).

What Else Should I Think About?

Of course, branding is not limited to brand naming. Once you've selected a perfect business name, it's time to build out the rest of your brand identity — for example, a great logo! Don’t forget to read our tips on creating the best possible logo or hire a freelancer to do it.

In Conclusion

Brand naming is a very creative and challenging process. You have to try and express the key information about your brand in just a couple of words. As you do it, you need to consider the future of your company as well. However, if you follow the steps we have presented, you have a good chance of choosing the right name. And if it does not work in the end, you can always rebrand!