When people are thinking of starting a business, one of the most important parts of getting started is picking a good name. The name of a company or brand is super important because if it is too hard to remember, then no one will be able to look it up. There are a few important things to keep in mind when picking out a name for a business or brand.
- Make a list of names to pick from. Don’t just come up with 1 or 2, because if you run into a problem down the road, you don’t want to have to go back to the drawing board.
- Go online and research to see if the domains are taken (especially for online businesses), check social media availability, or any other medium you may use for brand exposure. If there is another business that has a name similar to yours and has a bad reflection of anything you represent, you may need to pick a new name. It would be bad to have a company with a similar name that would turn people away from your brand even if by accident.
- One of the most important things to do is hire a lawyer to make sure the name is available for your brand within the market you will be doing business in. It would be bad to create a buzz around your business then have to change your name due to legal issues. This has happened to many websites in the past, so you also want to check on the name of your website to make sure it is non-infringing.
- Make sure the name is easy to remember and easy to spell. Try to stay away from taking simple words and giving it a weird spelling. This can also be problematic for anyone trying to find you online. There is a financial website where EZ is in the domain name, but when the guy said it to me I was thinking Easy. Needless to say, I couldn’t find the website and I gave up for a while until I saw him again and got clarification. Make it as easy as possible for people to be able to remember the name and spelling of it. Do not get too fancy with it.
- Lastly, make sure you run the name by a focus group of people who will be honest with you. Don’t get around yes men to validate the name of your brand because normally they will just agree with what you already have. Give a list of names to a group of individuals, ask them to pick the top three and then compare all the answers. The ones that score highest might need to be the ones you research first.
The name of your business or brand will be the an important step in the creation process. Do not rush past this step and take your time making sure you are making the right decision. Once you pick the name, you will be one step closer to making a difference in the world with whatever you are ready to offer.
Thanks for reading this weeks Business with Bordeaux blog. If you need some assistance with the naming process, you can reach me by visiting my website at businesswithbordeaux.com. There you can also find all my blog posts and podcast episodes.
Thanks and God Bless.
