By Owen Fay . Posted on October 17, 2022When you’re starting a new business, one of the first things you need to do is choose a brand name. This can be a tricky task, as there are a lot of factors to consider. One of the factors is to think about the future when choosing the brand name.
You need to choose a name that can stand the test of time and stay relevant to your product and services. In this article, we cover the 10 steps on how to choose a powerful brand name that will appeal to your customers and grow as your business does.
How To Choose A Brand Name: 10 Easy Steps
1. Think about what you want your brand name to communicate.
What are the values and attributes that you want to associate with your business? Think about the benefits of your business, your value proposition, and what you provide for your customer. This should be conveyed through your brand name.
2. Do some research.
Once you have a general idea of the kind of name you’re looking for, it’s time to start searching. Look for names that are available as domain names and check to see if there are any existing businesses with a similar name. Do some research on your competition, the industry, and the names that might be associated with your products or services.
3. Get creative.
If you’re having trouble finding an available name that meets your criteria, try thinking outside the box. Sometimes a made-up word or a play on words can be the perfect solution. Brainstorming and teamwork help you here, you can ask your team, friends, family, or anyone else to think about what you do and try to come up with a brand name.
4. Keep it simple.
Your brand name should be simple and straightforward. Potential customers should be able to pronounce, read, write, and understand it. Keep the name to a few words that are straightforward for users.
5. Make it unique.
Your brand name like the rest of your branding should be something that will make your company stand out. This is crucial whether you only have an online presence or have physical locations. You need to differentiate your brand from others when a user is searching for you.
If your name is too generic and your customers have a terrible experience with a competitor with a similar-sounding name, the customer will associate negative feelings with your company simply due to the similar name.
6. Avoid using numbers and initials.
While numbers and initials can be easy to remember, they can confuse the audience and make the brand name difficult to understand or pronounce. Users might get frustrated when searching because numbers and initials can result in search results that aren’t related to what they are looking for. Make sure to avoid this when creating your brand name.Â
7. Create a brand name that is relevant to the target market.
Your brand name should be relevant to your target market. It should be something that they will easily remember and associate with your company. For example, a lot of fitness companies include athlete, fitness, or other related words that identify what they do for their audience.
8. Get feedback.
Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential names, it’s time to get some input from others. Ask your friends, family, and colleagues what they think of the names you’re considering. This will be a good first step to understanding how effective your brand name is, but you shouldn’t rely on feedback from friends and family because of biases. This feedback might help initially but you want feedback from your target audience to really understand if you have a good brand name.
9. Test your brand name.
Before you settle on your name, be sure to test it out with your target audience. Usually, brand names are finalized within the organization without regard for what customers might think of them. Companies need to gather actionable feedback from their audience with a tool like Poll the People to understand how effective their brand name is.
To test your brand name with Poll the People all you have to do is input your brand name variations, choose your audience and launch. In just an hour you will have actionable insights from your target audience without blowing your budget. Stop guessing what your users want and create a powerful brand name.
10. Make a decision.
After you’ve gathered all the information, it’s time to make a decision. Choose the name that best represents your business and that you’re confident will help you achieve your goals. With the help of real user feedback and results you can run with a brand name that you and your users love.
Tips to Note when choosing a Brand Name
It must be visual appealing: Choose a brand name that is easy to read and visually appealing. Avoid using all caps or all lowercase letters.
Check if the domain name is available: If you want your brand to have an online presence, you’ll need to check if the domain name for your brand name is available. This will be the address for your website, so you want to make sure it’s unique and memorable.
Consider the different meanings of your brand name: You should also consider the different meanings of your brand name. In some cases, a brand name can have multiple meanings, which can be positive or negative. You want to make sure that the meaning of your brand name is positive and in line with your brand’s values.
Make sure your brand name is protectable: You want to make sure that your brand name is protectable. That is, you should trademark your brand name to prevent others from using it. It will help you to ensure that your brand name is truly unique.
Make sure your brand name is unique: You should avoid using a name that is too similar to an existing brand. If your name is too similar to another brand, it could confuse customers and make it difficult for them to remember which brand is which. Hence, choose a name that is distinctive and will help you stand out from the crowd.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some general tips for choosing a brand name?
Some general tips for choosing a brand name are to keep it short, simple, and easy to remember. You want your customers to be able to recall your brand name easily when they need to purchase your product or service.
How important is it to have a keyword in my brand name?
It can be helpful to have a keyword in your brand name, as it can make it easier for customers to find you when they are searching online. However, you don’t want to choose a brand name that is too similar to your competitors, as this could make it differentiate your brand.
Should I avoid using common words in my brand name?
While you don’t want to choose a brand name that is too similar to your competitors, you also don’t want to choose a brand name that is too common and generic.
How can I make my brand name stand out from the crowd?
One way to make your brand name stand out from the crowd is to choose a name that is unique and memorable. You also want to make sure that your brand name is relevant to your product or service.
What are some things to avoid when choosing a brand name?
Some things to avoid when choosing a brand name are names that are too similar to your competitors, names that are too common, and names that are not relevant to your product or service.
Conclusion
Naming a brand can be a daunting task, but this blog post will guide you to finding a great brand name for your business. Some of the best ways to choose a great brand name is with research, be creative, focus on the target audience, and most of all test your brand name.
We’ve highlighted the 10 tips for how to choose a brand name that will set you up for success. If you follow these steps and test with Poll the People you can create a great brand name. If you are ready to understand if you have the right brand name for your business, sign up for Poll the People and run your first test in minutes.
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