Why giving your business a unique name is one of the most important decisions you make when starting your company.
Your business name makes a huge first impression and serves as the heart of your brand! But! Finding the perfect name can be notoriously difficult. Here are some questions we get asked all the time:
- How do I name my startup?
- Where do I find creative business name ideas?
- What online naming tools can help me?
All names have a story to tell...
1. How it works
A business may register “doing business as”, and then come up with the commercial mark it wants to promote. Likewise, there are “umbrella” corporations which operate under one name, and then branch out with many different daughter companies.
One such example is Procter & Gamble (P&G).
They started out positioning themselves as providing all that’s needed within spaces like: “laundry rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, nurseries, and bathrooms”, and making people’s lives a little more enjoyable.
After about 200 years in the market, P&G have branched-out into areas like baby, fabric, family, hair and home care, grooming, and personal health care.
They’ve trademarked the umbrella brand to stand for all the smaller company subdivisions. This means that although the business remains P&G, they can continue to develop as many brands they like, further increasing their reach and revenue growth.
Brands such as Braun, Ambi Pur, Pantene, Tide and Pampers are just a few of the staples that will have likely touched our lives in some form.
But let’s get you started with finding your name.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide to finding a business name you’ll love!
2. Brainstorming. Prime your mind.
Who are my target customers?
- Gather intel. Clearly define your target audience
- Create customer profiles and market segments.
- Be specific. Narrowing down your target customer is more art than a science.
- Tap existing resources. Use online resources to your advantage
- Check out your competition
- Primary research. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups!
- Look at your business with new eyes.
Still hungry for more on the topic?
Check out this comprehensive article on identifying your target market.
What are my customer’s needs?
Everyone wants to stay relevant and innovative. But doing the simple things well is often all you need.
Make sure to really understand your customer’s needs. It will be vital for your company’s growth and longevity.
We really enjoyed learning about the 15 most common customer needs by reading this article.
What’s my competitive advantage?
What adjectives apply to my company?
Why is Netflix called Netflix?
How did Twitter get its name?
Why is it called PayPal?
How did Instagram come up with their name?
Why did we choose NewGlue?
NewGlue is an innovative marketplace helping professional graphic designers sell their work to startups and small businesses alike. Our dream was to build a community of brand-loving designers and ambitious businesses that can easily connect with each other.
Therefore, creating a new type of “glue” as a bond between the two parties, and awesome branding that is sticky as hell, of course.
3. Evaluate your names. Make them stick!
Is it easy to say?
Is it easy to spell?
Does it have a positive connotation that’ll appeal to customers?
For example, “Li’l Sis” vs “Little Sister.” Which one do you think appeals to a younger crowd?
Is it interesting or unique?
We name things to easily differentiate between one and the other. It’s essential to choose one that sparks interest within your target market and clearly expresses a different identity.
Need help? These business name generator tools may come in handy
Need help? We have some useful business name generator links at the end of this E-Book.
Meanwhile, let’s continue with this guide!
Brainstorming is an important part of the creative process.
Experiment with different combinations of these words and then analyze your favorite combinations to see if the names are available and catchy.
Keep in mind that successful businesses have had all kinds of names from acronyms (AIG, IBM), people’s names (JP Morgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson), places or things (Apple, Shell, Amazon), descriptive names (British Airways, Bank of America), or even completely arbitrary made-up words (Kodak, Xerox).
What do you visualize when hearing or reading their name?
Is it descriptive? Does it hint of what you actually offer?
Don’t box yourself
Is it legally available?
You’re not the only one who has had an idea for a business after a quick rush of inspiration, and came up with a clever and catchy name – only to find out a few Google searches later that the name has already been taken. We’ve all been there…
According to Forbes, there are an estimated 27 million businesses in the United States alone! Which is why…
Finding something truly original can be a challenge. So the first thing you should consider when picking out a name is whether or not it’s available.
Do a quick web search!! If you have a name in mind that you like, the first thing you should do is a quick Google search to see if anyone is using it already.
If someone is already using the name you like, it doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker, but it should make you stop and consider a few things.
Is this business in a similar industry?
Do they have a legal trademark?
You can even check with your country’s trademark authority before making a final decision. The last thing you want is legal trouble before your company even gets started!
So… Check the availability of your Trademark before you do anything. Find the links in the Index.
Be sure to define your exact product or service and choose the right trademark group. Read more about how to trademark your business here.
Is it, or some logical form of it, available as a domain name (domain name)?
You’ll also want to check the availability of the web address/domain name (domain name) online.
Unless you have very good reasons for not having a website, we strongly recommend getting your brand online.
This means checking for available domain names is very important before making a final decision!
Your website should be easy to remember and for obvious reasons have a clear connection to your brand name. You can search for available domain names at godaddy.com.
The URL does not have to be the exact brand name (it is actually quite likely your first choices for a web address will not be available). For example; if your brand name is ‘Sunny Side’, you will probably find that sunnyside.com is not available.
However…
You might try sunnysidetravels.com, sunny-side.com, sunnysideparis.com, sunnyside.fr or even something more catchy like gotothesunnyside.com.
In some cases where you have word-word.com free and the wordword.com taken by a similar business, avoid taking the word-word combination.
Also consider if you are outside the U.S. you may want to go for a national TLD (learn more about TLDs here). In case you have already checked if the legal name availability plus the trademark and your domain name along with its variations are free to be purchased, go ahead and get them.
It is worth noting that most people associate the ‘.com’ name with businesses that are more established.
Check the social media availability.
In addition to a domain, you’ll probably want to own the relevant social media handles. We’ve all seen the naming that comes after the classic @… Make sure you create your brand pages or profiles using the desired naming way before the launch.
Imagine what would happen if you’ll have to go on social media as Swiss_Knives1, just because you arrived second for that handle!
Here’s a useful tool.
Even if you don’t plan on having a presence on social media at the start, it’s really worth it to create accounts with the name you want so that others can’t take that name in the future.
Do your research!
See if the names you want are available on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and any other platforms you could see yourself using.
We highly recommend using the same name from platform to platform so that it’s easy for people to find you.
Notice how LA-based clothing brand, Pac Sun, has the same name across all of their social media platforms.
For more information on crush your social media, read our complete guide on social media branding.
4. Get feedback from potential customers. Learn how to listen.
Present your shortlist to potential customers
Gauge people’s initial reaction
5. Make your decision. Be smart.
Choose wisely and weigh your personal opinions against the feedback of others.
The most important thing is that you settle on a name that you LOVE!
Because…
You don’t want to have to change it later…
Key Takeaways
- Step 1: Brainstorm
- Step 2: Evaluate your names
- Step 3: Get feedback from potential customers
- Step 4: Make your decision
- Gather intel. Clearly define your target audience
- Create customer profiles and market segments.
- Be specific. Narrowing down your target customer is more art than science.
- Tap existing resources. Use online resources to your advantage
- Check out your competition
- Primary research. Surveys, interviews, and focus groups!
- Look at your business with new eyes.
