How to come up with a perfect brand name?
Trying to come up with the perfect brand name for your company? Undoubtedly, selecting a brand name is one of the most important and exciting parts of branding your small business. However, it can be a difficult task many times. If you get it right, your small business can become a household name tomorrow, similar to the likes of Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, or Kleenex. If not done appropriately, you might be forced to face embarrassment, rebrand, or even failure as a business in some cases.
Cool brand names, can at times prove to be an important aspect of your success in brand messaging on social media. There are various tools available in the market which claim to be random brand name generators or brand generators and provide you with cool brand names and brand name ideas list, among others. After using these tools, you can generate a list of brand name ideas.
It takes a long while to build a brand. Developing a great brand involves the same level of effort as you would require to frame up a business strategy. To guide you through the process of choosing a great brand name and prevent you from spending countless hours of your valuable time, we have come up with a few steps to help you build a brand. So instead, of trying out ineffective random brand name generators and taking stress, give this article a read. By the end of this, you will be able to come up with a brand name ideas list.
Step 1: Understand Your Audience
Before you start to generate a list of cool brand names for your small business, you should identify the characteristics of your target audience. This will help you to better position your products and services. Having no clue as to who your audience is, will create a lot of hurdles for you in finding a great brand name for your company.
Identifying this target group of customers will help you immensely in brand messaging via social media channels. However, many startups fail in this very first step and rush towards creating a brand name ideas list, without defining their target audience. You should come up with a temporary working title until you are sure about your audience and what might represent your brand well.
It is important to utilize hard data when trying to come up with a brand name. Understanding customers can very difficult at times since it is a creative and intuitive process. You can also take a hint from tools such as random brand name generators or brand generators, which are freely available on the internet. You can also employ analytics tools to procure information about customers regarding their age, gender, buying preferences, and location. This will assist you in better understanding your audience.
Inspecting your competitor’s brand messaging on social media channels, can also be a great way to procure useful insights into the customer psyche. Using this information, you can easily frame up a picture of your target audience and build a brand name from the ground up.
Step 2: Set A Brand Archetype
After understanding your audience, it is important to define your brand’s archetype, to come up with an effective brand name for your company. Both large and small business firms try and keep a constant check on their archetype, to ensure the adherence of their operations to their values.
The aim of setting an archetype is to clearly understand the meaning and representation of your company via your brand. This one of the most essential steps in coming up with a brand name that can attract customers. The brand icon you select will be the personification of your customers, whereas the archetype you have set, will become the personification of your firm.
A helpful approach to set an archetype is by asking yourself how will your brand create or build emotional resonance with your target audience. It would also help to figure out the values you want your brand to project, whether you want to bring in a sense of luxury, and whether or not to include playful words, among others. You should generate a list of brand names that resonate with your firm’s identity and its business operations.
For instance, let us have a look at the following 2 examples:
- Nike: This brand is named after the Greek Goddess of victory. This created a powerful meaning for a small brand name.
- Dove: Doves are usually symbolized with softness and purity. This made the brand name ideal for use in feminine products.
Broadly speaking there are over 12 archetypes including the outlaw, the innocent, and the hero, to name a few. Spend some time to read about them, to figure out the best-suited archetype for your brand.
Step 3: Shortlist Brand Names
Your next task should be to create a list of brand names that represent your archetype. There are no specific rules to approach this step, however, it can help a lot to follow certain principles.
Ensure that you keep your brand name short and simple. It should be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to recall. Research studies have suggested that a 2-syllable brand name, can help generate more traction with potential customers, and at the same time are more memorable.
It is advisable to brainstorm a few keywords to which can suit your brand, and write them down as you go through the process. You can consider experimenting with the brand names by unifying two of them, transform a few, and make variations.
Once you have zeroed down on a few names you like, it is time to select one which best suits your store. You can rate the shortlisted names on criteria such as intuitive, visual appeal, sound, and emotional worth. These criteria will help you arrive at the best possible brand name for your organization.
Step 4: Check The Availability Of Your Chosen Brand Name
Once you have shortlisted your brand name, you must check these names to see if they are in use currently. Ensure that the names which you have chosen are not already trademarked by some other firm. Also, check the availability of a suitable domain name for your company website.
Once you have arrived at a name, you will need to register your company under a corporation or an LLC. It will be a good idea to search for your name in the secretary of state records, to be sure that your name is not already taken by someone else. You can check all the patents as well to conduct a trademark search. The secretary of state might not allow the registration of your name if in case it is too similar to another name already in use.
Step 5: Examine Your Brand Name
Before zeroing in on a certain brand name, you should try and examine a few brand names. This step will help you ensure the memorability and appeal of your brand name with your target audiences. If you already have existing customers, you can send them an online survey link, to ask their opinion about your shortlisted brand names. If in case, your startup is still in its nascent stage, you can consider availing the help of your family members and friends.
In any case, you have to test your shortlisted names and their impression on people from various backgrounds. Even negative remarks can be really helpful to tweak and change your brand name to better suit your firm. You should often remain skeptical and pay heed to what people are saying about your brand name, even their initial reactions to your brand name.
Conclusion
Your brand name is going to represent your firm for the entire tenure of your company. Choose a name wisely, and make sure you can resonate with your business with it. If done properly, your brand name will stick around for ages to come.
Similar to the aforementioned process, there are various other processes to come up with a brilliant brand name. Make sure you conduct thorough research; after all, you are deciding on your firm’s identity here. Brands stand for more than logos and names, hence, take your time in defining what your organization stands for. Once you have accomplished that, share it with the entire world.
