Naming Your Business
The only way your customers can call is
if they know and remember your name. Carefully choosing a suitable business
name can literally be the difference between success and failure. It's
possible to name your company without investing thousands of dollars
in advertising and marketing agencies--if you know how to do it. Start
with a pen and paper, and a very observant eye attuned to everything
going on around you. Here's your quick check-list for coming up with
a memorable, and marketable name:
11. Think about your marketing.
First, choose what type of advertising
will drive 90 percent of your business. Will you primarily use print
ads, signage at your location, internet, word-of-mouth, phone directory,
radio or some combination of these? Depending on your decisions, certain
criteria become very important. Overdone alliterations, domain names
with hyphens, and foreign words simply will not work for websites
and radio ads, where easy pronunciation and spelling are critical.
The old trick of picking a company name that starts with AA so your
ad will be placed at the front of the Yellow Pages only works if your
business name is Aardvark so you'll have to get creative.
12. Check out the competition.
Listing the names of local competitors
can be a starting point for differentiating yourself. Does your competitor's
name really fit your target market? Are the names too traditional
while your customer base is hip and cool, or vice versa? The answers
will let you know what doesn't work, and this can help narrow the
list of possibilities.
13. Get brainstorming.
Jot down every possibility that comes
to mind. One good way to begin is consider the result the customers
want from using your product or service, or buzzwords that appeal
to your potential customer and that the competition isn't using.
14. Always check for negative connotations.
What may sound good to you, may convey
completely differnt meanings to your customer. Before they even try
the service, a name can leave potential customers with an unsettled
feeling about your product or service. Consider every word on your
list for negative meanings, and ask friends and family how different
words strike them. Scratch potential offenders off your list.
15. Check for trademarks.
You may not be the only one that's come
up with the perfect name.. plenty of business owners have come up
with a company name only to receive a cease and desist order that
forces them right back to the drawing board. Before commiting yourself
to a company logo, building a website, making signage and so on, make
sure the name is legally available. Vist the U.S. Patent and Trademark
site at www.uspto.gov, where you can search for registered trademarks
