A strong brand name is more than simply a catchy phrase or something that looks good on your business card. Liking a name for your company doesn’t guarantee it is good either. A good brand name has to tell the customers something about your business. The name you choose for your business carries a lot of weight.
It covers your brand’s narrative, informs customers about what you are offering, and is easily rememberable for both existing and new potential clients. It makes sense that most people consider choosing a name for your company to be difficult given all the responsibility involved.
Yes, picking the ideal brand name can be challenging. How do you come up with a good name? This depends on your demands for branding. Finding the ideal brand name is possible yet it just requires some careful consideration and research. This article will show you how to name a brand, waking you through all the basics and guidelines
What Makes a Good Brand Name?
There is no secret formula for how to name a brand, but there are some characteristics that are general for all good brands for you to use and for others to remember. Thus, you must make sure that your brand name is:
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Meaningful
The brand name conveys the core of your brand, draws up an image, and fosters an uplifting emotional connection with the audience.
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Distinctive
It distinguishes you from your competition and is unique and unforgettable.
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Accessible
It is easy to understand, pronounce, spell, or search. Even if you have an odd or strange name, it needs to make sense.
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Protectable
You may legally “own” anything by trademarking it, registering the domain, and using the term.
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Visual
It can be communicated or translated via visuals, such as symbols, logos, and colors.
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Future-proof
It may grow alongside the business and stay relevant, as well as be modified for various products and brand expansions.
How to Name a Brand?
As with any process, when naming a brand, you have to go through multiple steps to ensure better results. The general steps to follow when naming your brand are as follows:
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Consider the Future
A precise brief is essential to success in all marketing. Establish up front the sort of name that will be required and how it will fit within the current or future brand architecture. To ensure that everyone is on the same page, make terminology that is easy to understand for everyone.
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Develop a Strategy
Finding out what meaning your brand name will serve is crucial. Decide how it will align with current product or service names, if appropriate. Ultimately, set objective standards to assess the names you come up with.
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Build on Brand Truth
Consider looking back at what made other brands famous and find connections to the brand’s real history as a perfect point for starting your naming process.
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Use Parallel Processing
Brand naming is among the most difficult aspects of brand creation, which calls for the greatest originality possible. To increase the likelihood of success, one method is “parallel processing”, i.e., using various creative processes at once. You could use professionals, imaginative customers, workers, and online AI-based searches for this.
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Less is More
A good branding technique is “less is more,” and this is true, especially for brand naming. A brand name must preferably have two, three, or a maximum of four syllables to be easily memorable. In case you are picking a name that might be too long, try using abbreviations, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken using the initials ‘KFC’.
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Explore Language Differences
It’s crucial to thoroughly research the meaning and pronunciation of how to name a brand in various languages if you want your brand to be recognized internationally.
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Bring the Name to Life
Making sure that the client team and important stakeholders give each proposal in the developing shortlist a fair shot is one of the toughest aspects of brand naming. A typical error is to just put out name choices in a regular typeface. Rather, make the name concepts as real as you can for internal stakeholders and customers by bringing them to life aesthetically.
Importance of Having a Strong Brand Name
A brand memorable name can, in a few words, emphasize your value proposition, position you as a real leader and pioneer in the market, as well as generate buzz. It can help distinguish your business, product, or service from the competition and communicate the culture or viewpoint of the brand.
Your efforts to carve out a niche in the market might be neutralized or even negated by a poor brand name. It’s possible that you’ll have a hard time getting people interested in your business, product, or service and then they will make you spend more time, money, and resources on marketing your worth. If you branch out into other markets, a bad brand name may also restrict your options.
Types of Brand Names
The following are some of the common categories of brand names that are used by companies around the world:
- Founder: A name that is either based on a real person or a made-up character, like McDonald’s.
- Descriptive: A term for what you do or sell, like Kleenex.
- Acronym: An acronym or name made up of initials, such as H&M (Hennes & Mauritz).
- Metaphor: A name or metaphor for something mythical or filled with vivid imagery, for example, Nike.
- Fabricated: A name or word that is entirely fictitious such as Kodak.
- Magic spell: A name that is a portmanteau (two words combined) or a real term with made-up spelling, like FedEx.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a good brand name?
A good brand name should be easy to speak, spell, and remember. Additionally, it should be different from similar products or services and related to the principles or goals of your brand.
Should I use a descriptive name or an abstract name for my brand?
This will be determined by the objectives of your brand and the sector you’re working. An abstract name may be more adaptable and allow for greater branding innovation, whereas a descriptive name may make it easier for clients to comprehend what your business does.
How do I make sure my brand name is legally available?
Do a trademark search before deciding on your brand name to make sure no other business in your sector has registered the name already. To protect the reputation of your brand, you may also think about trademarking the brand name.