One of the most important things to do when you start a business is to settle on a brand name. A brand name will be one of the first things people notice about your product or store. Brand names should be catchy and something that sticks in the mind of people. Your brand name should be catchy to motivate people to talk about your business.
Developing names can be tricky. After all, you want a name that will stand out and make people want to choose your product or store over others. Since it is such an important decision, you do not want to take it lightly. Read on to learn about two different routes you can take when coming up with a catchy brand name for your product or store.
Anyone can develop a brand name regardless of what their product is or what their store sells. All it takes is time to determine what is fitting for you. When developing your brand name, you want to make sure that it stands out and ensure that no one else has already turned it into a brand name before.
When developing your brand name, remember it needs to have the following characteristics:
When it comes to developing your brand name, you can decide to be humourous about it or try to strike a name that stands out and connects with your customers. Either way, you choose, make sure that the brand name is original and not being used by another company.
You may think that developing a brand name similar to one that is already established is a good idea. The reality is that it is bad for business. While you may get some profits off of people mistaking your brand for the established brand, you are not gaining any loyal customers because your brand does not stand out on its own.
Research your competitors to see what brand names are already in use to ensure that yours is original and will be separate from theirs. To determine if the brand name you want has been taken or not by visiting www.gov.uk/search-for-trademark.
The odds are that you have come across a brand name that has utilised a play on words. You might have even smiled at the thought of the brand’s cleverness. If that is accurate, you most likely told your friends about the name of that company to spread the smile.
Brand names are one of the first characteristics that bring notice to what a company is and what it is doing. Catchy and funny names stick out over any other brand name because they are memorable and are attached to a pleasant emotion. People feel positive about things that make them smile and laugh. This is true for customers, too.
After all, which business would you rather go to, the one with the common, boring name? Or would you choose one that is named “Fat-Bottomed Girl’s Cupcake Shoppe”? A name like that will bring at least a grin or a chuckle to most people. That business will probably get more traffic than one with a plain name.
There are a few ways to add humour to your brand name:
Puns are perhaps the easiest to come up with in terms of naming your brand or business. Take whatever your main product is and think of a way to turn it into something funny. The average person may steer clear of something with a common name if they find something named with a pun that is of the same value or better.
Puns make people laugh, or at least, make them roll their eyes. Nevertheless, it makes them pay attention and mention the brand name to others, which is its own form of advertisement.
Another way to develop a brand name is by using off-color humour, as long as you are careful. Obviously, you do not want to go so far that you push away those who otherwise might be interested in your brand. Still, you can push the boundaries enough that it will make the majority giggle while purchasing the item or patronising your store.
Like with puns, off-color humour is another way to stand out as different, even if the item or service that you are selling is something mundane.
Someone who can make fun of themselves or their own brand also gains the attention of others. After all, most people would likely rather buy from a business owner who clearly has a sense of humour and does not take themselves too seriously. As long as they are serious about quality, their brand name can be slightly deprecating.
The odds are that most people in the UK and throughout the world have at least some semblance of a sense of humour. Poking fun at your own brand in a good-natured way may be just the thing that makes someone buy your brand or walk into your store.
Brand names are not meant for you, as the brand owner. Rather, your brand name should be designed to get the attention of your potential customers. One way to do this is to stand out from your competitors right off the bat and make potential customers realise that your product or store is open for business.
Developing your brand name should be done in a manner that connects to your customer base and draws them into your product or store. Coming up with a brand name, if you decide that humor is not the right approach, can be done by:
Standing out against your competitors may mean the difference between becoming establishing your brand as a dominating force in the industry or falling by the wayside. If your brand name is not catchy, someone may not enter your store or buy your product because it went unnoticed.
Brand names like “World’s Best” or “Queen’s Choice” may cause some notice, but those terms are often overused. Sticking to something that makes your brand name stand out and not using overused terms are the best way to get noticed in an already crowded brand market.
Deciding what brand name to use can sometimes depend on what type of product or store you are promoting. Look at the brand names of your competitors, then find something catchy that is related to your brand. Use your imagination. The sky is your limit.
Starting out with a new brand is difficult in a world where similar brands have most likely been established for a long time. It is rare, these days, for a totally original idea to surface. However, if you can make your brand name memorable, customers can and will forget your competitors, provided your brand is a quality product or store.
For instance, in Portsmouth, there is a company that named itself “Surelock Homes.” The name itself strikes a comparison with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective while also using wordplay. It sticks out among the crowd of other locksmiths.
There are a million different ways you can make your brand name stick out that are unique to your company. Find the one that works for your business so it can stand out amongst the competition.
Being relevant is something that many companies have a hard time doing. In today’s age, something that is highly relevant today may be completely forgotten about next week. Brands often make the mistake of branding themselves with something that is popular at one time but loses popularity after 20 years or so.
For instance, if you developed a product and decided to base your brand name on something that is no longer relevant, like a VHS cassette, you will lose your audience once that item has gone extinct, even if your particular product is still useful.
While the VHS cassette may have been relevant in the 1990s, in the 2020s, the younger generations have never heard of it nor have any connection to that era. Make sure that whatever you decide on as a brand name can be relevant today, tomorrow, and 50 years from now.
We developed a successful name that has lasted for more than 20 years for Amara. If you'd like to know more about this project, see our clients and results. If you like to understand a little more about the process of brand naming read our 4 Steps to Brand Naming.
If coming up with a brand name is not something you feel qualified to do, you can always choose to hire a branding company, like us. Professional marketing companies can provide great results as long as you know who to use.
Look into each aspect of what the companies offer for services and determine what it is that you expect and need from them. While most, if not all, the marketing companies you look at will work to develop a great brand name for you, they may offer different services in addition to branding.
Research all of the potential companies before you decide to enter a contract with one. There are a few things that your company should consider when selecting a branding company:
As stated above, there are many online and brick-and-mortar companies out there that are more than willing to take your money and provide you with a brand name. One of the important things to consider before forking over your hard-earned money is the company’s standing.
Research the company’s reviews and see if they are in line with what you are looking for or if their services are not quite as advertised. Keep in mind that people typically only post public reviews if they are dissatisfied, so take negativity with a grain of salt. Still, the reviews will give you an idea as to how the company operates.
For instance, a good company will usually respond to the bad reviews, hopefully with the offer of some resolution. In these circumstances, you get the idea that the company values customer service and customer satisfaction.
If you find several unresolved complaints during your research of a specific company, you should move on to considering other options. Remember, not all companies can do what they claim to do.
Another consideration for a branding company is how long the business has been operating. A newly established business is not necessarily bad. To be fair, your business is also new if you are trying to choose a brand name. Still, it is something that you should consider before signing any contracts.
Some new companies are managed by seasoned professionals who know what they are doing and, like you, are simply trying to establish something for themselves. However, a new company could also mean that the new company is still navigating the many hurdles of getting off the ground.
The last thing that you and your business need are to trust a branding company that is using you as a learning tool. Make sure to research the company and those who are running it before you make up your mind one way or the other.
Often, branding companies will list previous success stories as reasons why you should choose them to develop your brand. If that is the case, reach out to those companies to determine if they were truly satisfied at the time business was conducted and whether they are still satisfied. Previous clients can give you insights and recommendations.
Some clients may not know they are being listed as satisfied customers. Additionally, previous clients that might have given consent in the past could easily have forgotten that they are still listed on the website. If an issue were to arise, no one would think to remove their name from the company’s website.
In any case, to protect yourself, reach out to the clients that the company lists as endorsements. Ensure that they truly are satisfied with the results of the business they conducted before making your decision to work with any particular company. Rave reviews from previous clients will ensure the company produces great work.
Another thing to consider when deciding which branding company to use for your name is whether or not they offer other services in addition to branding. Many times, marketing companies offer a wide range of useful services.
Some companies, after they have developed an acceptable brand name for you, will get to work on developing graphic designs for your company logo. This service might be provided for an additional fee or as a part of your standard package.
Graphic designs call attention to your brand in the same way brand names do. They can help your product or store stand out from others. After all, no one likes plain packaging or advertising when they could have something exciting that stands out and brings a little brightness and fun to their day.
If you decide to enter into business with a company that also offers graphic designs work, you can look at their graphic design catalog to determine if they meet your standards. Additionally, reach out to those other companies to see if they have a way to quantify how the graphic design work might have improved their business.
A brand name should be unique to you and your company. No one else should legally be able to use or profit from it. However, if your brand name is not trademarked, then there is nothing legally preventing another company from using the same brand name.
You can work to establish your trademark, but if you are going the route of hiring a company to develop your brand name, they may offer the service of helping you prepare the assets for trademarking your brand name and recommending a trademark specialist to help you with the application process.
Once you have an established brand name, you will want to get it out there and start marketing as quickly as possible to start selling your product or get customers into your store. The best way to do that is by advertising on social media.
Some companies provide a service that will establish a mobile app or other forms of social media that will help your brand stand out. If this sounds like something that you would be interested in, like with everything else, check with the marketing company to see what options they offer clients.
Ask them for a list of previous clients that have utilized their form of social media marketing. You can contact those clients to ensure whether they are happy with the service they received. Additionally, ask them if they can quantify any improvements to business based on mobile apps or social media campaigns.
If you eventually determine that the social media angle will likely lead to an increase in profits, make sure that you negotiate that service in the final price of the contract. Conversely, if you believe you can handle social media internally while getting off the ground, you always have the option of outsourcing that later.
