Your company name is something that will set you apart from the competition. Something that will show to your customers who you are and what your values are. Something that will greatly shape your future. If you want your business name to attract thousands of customers – don’t try to create it in a few hours, take the time to get it right. Here is an instruction on how to come up with a company name that will win the hearts of customers and stay in their heads.
Think outside the box
Look at the alliteration. Children, fans, copywriters and… your clients love it. Not only that putting the same sounds in groups of words gives really nice sound effects (especially in radio campaigns!), It also stays in your memory – if you don’t believe it, think about Coca-Cola, Dunkin’ Donuts or PayPal.
Of course, you do not have to throw all your existing concepts into the corner at once, or look for words that match the Original Idea with madness in your eyes (yes, this procedure was intentional). However, it is important that you consider the tips below.
Good company name:
- is memorable,
- pleasant to the tongue and ear – make it easy to pronounce (do not embarrass customers, give foreigners a chance) and dictate over the phone, even when the connection is broken, because you will have to do it many times a day,
- reflects the uniqueness of your company,
- has positive associations,
- it is linguistically proven – especially if you decide to use a foreign language;
Think about the future
Imagine that Jeff Bezos gave up “Amazon” in favor of an “Internet bookstore”. In theory, everything sounds cool and everyone knows what to expect from the company. So think about what your company’s goal is now and what it will be in 5 years. Predict whether you will expand your business in the future. This is important because even a great, matching name can start to limit you after a while.
Think straight
The shorter the name, the better – limit yourself to a maximum of two syllables. Best of all, don’t go crazy with hyphens and let go of special characters in order to… stick to the alphabetical order. Simply put – if possible, make sure that your name begins with the letter indexed in the alphabet closer to “A” than “Z”. Internet algorithms love to rank browsing results in this way, and your customers subconsciously choose from the first ten suggestions. And there is no point in fighting it.
You have several types of names to choose from. As is usually the case, each of them has positive and negative advantages.
- Descriptive name – ideal for small markets, market niches, new products and services, that is wherever it is good to immediately explain to customers who you are, what you are and what you want to give them. At the same time, it works great for companies whose clients belong to different groups, because it can be neutral and quite general..
- Associative name (suggestive) – focuses on a characteristic element of your design, which may be a functional feature, color, taste, smell. Often the associative name of the company also refers to the values, emotions and experiences of a potential client. Its great advantage is memorability.
- Abstract name – the most original, often neologism, cluster of words, syllables. It gives a lot of room to show off, but at the same time it has its drawbacks: it does not fulfill a utility function, it will not tell the customer anything about your product or service. Its main function is to influence emotions. However, you have to remember that to promote it, you need a larger budget.
Think your own way
Only after such a solid introduction and preparation of the basics can you allow yourself to be creative chaos. Write down whatever comes to mind. Don’t judge, don’t criticize, just play smooth. Look for inspiration not only in your industry, but also in others, even completely unrelated to yours. You don’t have to come up with name suggestions yourself startup name generator will help.
Think Competition
Take a look at company names similar to yours. Sometimes it is worth following in their footsteps, because they are associated with high quality or other features desired in a given industry. And think about your clients here. Think about their characteristics, where they live, how old are they, what they do, and then try to look at the company Business name through their eyes.
Think how to test it
Entrepreneurs often make the same mistake – they don’t test their ideas, don’t ask others for their opinion. They are afraid that someone will steal what they have invented, they are afraid of being criticized or ridiculed. Meanwhile, testing will reduce risk and put you on the right track.