Whether watching TV or browsing social media, you’ll be hit with ads spanning many industries and products. If we ask you to recall them, how many will you name? Chances are probably only a few since there are just so many.
So, when you’re starting a business, you can’t just add a word or two to your surname anymore. You have to create a memorable name so that clients will be excited and want to learn more about your startup. Not to mention, the brand’s name will be among the first things people see. The ideal name is so essential that you can hire a brand name agency to take care of this for you.
Yet, no matter how vital the naming process is, it shouldn’t be overly complicated. Our professional naming experts at Squadhelp have done it over 30,000 times. All this experience has shown that it only takes three crucial steps to find the ideal company name.
#1 Understand Your Brand
A company is defined by its name. So, when launching a new brand, there’s no way around considering it when picking a name. Always remember, a venture is what a founder does, and a brand is how consumers see the business.
During the first step of coming up with an epic brand name, you must have a creative brand imagination. This is the most overlooked naming tool. Brand imagination is what refers to your ability to visualize a personality for your brand.
- What tone is conveyed?
- Does it spark emotion?
- What are the business values?
- How does your brand feel and look?
Finding the answers to those four questions gives you a head start in the naming process. It’s also worth noting that this step usually takes the longest, but after you’ve finished, you’ll be glad you took the time.
#2 Create a List of Name Ideas
This is my favorite part! Gather your team, grab some paper, and allow the ideas to flow freely. This step is only meant for brainstorming names, so don’t get too analytical, as you’ll analyze each of them in the following steps.
Write down every single name idea that comes to mind – the good, the bad, and the ugly – you never know where the best name will appear. If you’re stuck and need some help, check out these valuable tools:
- Root Words
- Industry Slang
- Thesaurus
- Rhyming Words
- Visual Names
And don’t forget to ask people from different demographics for their input. We conducted a survey in 2021 that found older people prefer established names, while younger generations like trendy and modern names.
After you’ve written down every phrase that comes to mind, it’s time to create a shortlist. You will do this by crossing off every name that does not align with the company’s or target audience’s values. At the end of this step, only ten names should be remaining on your list.
#3 Seek Validation
To validate that you’ve chosen the perfect business name, it’s vital that you conduct a few tests to see if it passes all of them.
- Audience Feedback: This is the first and most important step in validating your business name. If your audience isn’t wowed by it, then it’s probably not going to draw in many consumers.
- Domain Name: A website is a must in today’s business world. Therefore, you’ll need to see if an appropriate domain is available within your budget. Research has found that the best domains are short, catchy, and memorable. They are known as premium domains and can be costly, but they are definitely worth the price!
- Trademarks: Does anyone else own rights to the name? Trademarking may not be the most exciting step, but it’s vital to avoid legal problems later on.
The Bottom Line
Ultimately, as long as the name you choose aligns with everyone’s values, is memorable, and evokes emotion and action from consumers, then you have a winner!
Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed more than 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are also the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.
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