How Do I Choose a Brand Name for My Business?
Whether we’re talking about a product-based business or a service-based business, a nonprofit organization or e-commerce shop, all brands begin with a name. A brand becomes “real” when it’s given a name—in a way, naming gives an idea or project real meaning.
Every business needs a name. The brand name is a critical component in any brand or product—it’s the key identifier; it’s how the public recognizes, remembers, and recalls your brand.
Whether your brand is emerging and looking for a name, or it’s an established brand seeking the refresh and renewal a new name brings, one thing is for sure : brand naming is a strategic piece in the life of any brand and it requires due diligence and thoughtful work to ensure your brand name helps your brand succeed.
In this blog post, we’ll address the purpose of a brand name and why it’s important to give brand naming the attention and strategic focus it deserves. We’ll also explore some brand naming best practices, too, so you can feel more confident when approaching a brand naming exercise.
What’s the Purpose of a Business Name?
A brand name is, again, the key differentiator of your brand. It also drives the visual identity of your brand—most designers won’t begin to sketch a logo until a brand has a name. Everything stems from the brand name. The more strategic the name, the better chance your brand has of securing a trademark.
What Makes a Good Brand Name?
Keep these things in mind when crafting your brand name. A good brand name should:
embody the personality of the brand
connect with the target customer
be unique so it can stand out from competitors
be memorable
not be too complicated to spell or pronounce
Investing in your name is crucial to the success of your brand. The reality is that, by staying strategic in naming your brand, you’ll have a greater likelihood of getting your brand name approved for trademark. Trademarking your brand name protects your brand from copycats or others using your name and competing for brand awareness both on and offline; it ensures you have greater control of your brand story and brand recognition.
What Types of Brand Names Exist?
There are many variations of brand names, and you’ll want to find a brand name that aligns with your brand voice, tone, and personality. Here are a few types of brand names:
Descriptive/ Literal
Toys R Us; Bed Bath & Beyond; Bank of America; Hotels.Com
Abstract—names that don’t relate to the actual product or service.
Apple ; Starbucks ; Pandora
Suggestive—these fanciful variations of existing words, sometimes they’re two words put together or they have a unique spelling to stand out.
Lyft; Facebook; LiteBrite
Imaginative/Fabricated—names that are created from words that don’t exist; they’re completely made up.
Google; Dubsado ; Kodak; Spotify
What are Some Common Strategies for Choosing a Brand Name?
When you embark on your naming strategy, here are three examples of strategies to try:
WordBank: Start with collecting words, terms, sensations, phrases, and words that describe the overall sense of your work, service, product, and customer experience.
What are 3-5 words that represent the results or benefits of your services for your clients?
What are 3-5 words that describe how what you offer is different from what other people in your industry offer?
What are some identifying traits of your business, approach, expertise, process, etc.?
Wordplay
Play with alliteration, play with portmanteaus, try rhyming and puns or idioms.
Draw inspiration from your brand story.
Can you play with words inspired from the place your brand originated? The founder’s name? Is there a unique translation of a significant word or term from your word bank in a language that has meaning to you?
Your tagline should work in tandem with your brand name.
When developing your brand name, consider what would work well as a tagline. Learn more about tagline strategies here in this blog post.
Continue with experimenting various strategies with the goal to brainstorm as many name concepts as possible. Remember, there are no bad ideas in brainstorming. Let your creativity flow!
When is it the Right Time to Rename a Business?
There are many reasons why an established brand might consider changing its name, but these are some of the most common factors that may lead to renaming:
Your services or products have changed or evolved over time, and your business name doesn’t appropriately reflect what it is your brand provides your customers.
The brand name is already in use by another brand—and it’s trademarked.
Your name is difficult to pronounce, spell, or remember.
You need to create some distance or completely disassociate from the identity of the current brand (in the case of new management or ownership, for example).
You’re considering redesigning your brand logo.
Before you move any further along in the rebranding process, ask yourself: Why do I want to rename? If the answer isn’t intentional and strategic (meaning, if the answer is actually along the lines of that you or your team are just bored of or simply dislike your brand name) then pause and call a branding strategist. Sometimes, it’s actually not a good move to rebrand and rename because you may risk losing solid brand equity or market position; if the risk outweighs the reasons why you should rename, it’s best to call a professional for some advice.
Renaming Doesn’t Have to Mean You Lose Your Brand Identity.
Whether you’re naming an emerging brand or you’re renaming an existing brand, the process is largely the same. You’ll want to be sure that you revisit your brand values and vision to get clear on what it is your brand is seeking to do in the world, for whom, and to what end. Getting clarity about how (if at all) your brand vision has changed will help you ensure that you maintain (or need to revise) the feeling of your brand. Your brand feel is directly related to the overall sense of how you want your customers to feel when they interact with your brand. If this has changed, you’ll want to address this in your (re)naming strategy.
Existing brands already have established brand stories–the history of how the brand came to be, and why, and the many facets of your brand personality. Sometimes brands are nervous to consider a rename because they fear they’ll lose this story they’ve built, which is entirely a valid concern, but it’s not always the case. When you reflect on the story of your brand and the threads that weave your brand narrative together, you can often find pieces that can be refreshed and enhanced with a new name, rather than scrapped and discarded. It’s like a new chapter in the larger story of a brand. However, sometimes what a brand needs is a new story altogether, and that’s OK; think of it like a complete makeover, sometimes you aren’t easily recognized, but you find your true self! Brands are a lot like living entities with unique personalities and growth stages.
Remember to Protect Your Brand.
One of the most crucial aspects of the naming process is trademark protection. Think about it this way, why would you invest in building a new house and then not insure it? Same goes for branding—once you have the new brand or product name, get it insured with trademark protection. You’ll want to work with a qualified Intellectual property attorney who can walk you through the trademark process to ensure your brand name is properly vetted. Trademark searches and analysis help vet your name so that any major conflicts are addressed early on in the process.
Final Thoughts to Keep in Mind When Naming Your Brand...
Naming is a fun part of the process in any brand’s life, but it isn’t meant to be taken lightly. The process of baking a brand goes beyond brainstorming---it involves deep strategy and research.
Consider investing in the future success of your brand by working with a skilled professional to create your brand name—by doing so, you’ll likely see greater longevity and success as your brand builds and expands.