A great portion of your company’s success is in the name. It is no wonder naming your business can be challenging. Here are some tips to get you started.
Spelling is not a creative endeavor. You may think naming your mobile DJ service Dave’s Muzical Motionz is a great idea. It’s unique, so it’s memorable, right? Wrong! Nowadays, online search engines are the first place potential customers are going to find your business. When the groom’s cousin from your last DJ gig types “Dave’s Musical Motions” into Google, they may or may not find your company – and that’s bad for business.
If it rolls off the tongue, it sticks in the brain. Let’s say your company creates a revolutionary new line of small aircraft. You find this great word online that (you think) means “original bird.” Archaeopteryx. Perfect! Look how cool that word looks! Now try to pronounce it. …hmm. Your business name needs to be communicable – a verbal virus that spreads quickly across your target market.
Numbers aren’t for everyone. While having numbers in a popular brand name isn’t unheard of, be sure to give it some thought before you try out this technique. You’re a graphic designer. You come up with a new business name: Design195. You have two major problems. First of all, it’s highly likely potential clients won’t remember it. So when they’re trying to find you online or describe your business to a friend, you get this: “Yea, her business was called Design…something…” This will not help you. The other potential issue is that everyone is going to ask you, “So, what does 195 mean?” If the house you grew up on was located at 195 Main Street – let’s be honest: no one cares and it has nothing to do with your business. Now, if you’ve done business in 195 countries (which is just about every country on the planet), you could be the exception to the rule.
Choose wisely. Your business name is part of your brand, and your brand tells your story. Be sure you’re telling a story you actually want to tell.
Know your word meanings: This includes slang. Language is highly evolutionary, so keep in mind that your choice of words is important – especially if you risk alienating your target market. So if you want to name your seafood restaurant Dirty Joe’s Crab Shack, be sure to evaluate the image you’re suggesting.
Check your URLs: Take art designers Speed of Art, for example. Cool name, right? Now check out their URL: www.speedofart.com. Oops! While a rather hilarious mistake, I’m pretty sure that’s not what they had in mind. (Well, at least they have a good sense of humor about it.)
Do you have any good examples of business names gone wrong?
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