When you are trying to carve a niche and make sure that people remember you, one of the toughest challenges you will face is deciding on your brand name. How to come up with a brand name that will not only be memorable but also be a reflection of everything that you stand for?
And the thing is, the brand name is incredibly valuable. It’s the first impression your audience gets of you. Your brand sets you apart from your competition. Furthermore, you won’t be able to change it anytime soon. So you must ensure that you make the right choice. The question is, how?
How To Come Up With A Brand Name: All Factors Explained
Let’s be clear about one thing. There’s no formula for deciding on a brand name. And there’s no guarantee that the brand name you select will actually resonate with your audience. However, this does not imply that you select random words and phrases, hoping that people will like them. There are some characteristics that should be a part of your brand name.
- For one thing, it should be evocative such that it evokes an emotional response. People should want to know more about what you have to offer by listening to your brand name.
- Of course, it needs to be catchy. It should be something that everyone can say with ease and will actually want to repeat.
- It’s best to select a brand name that’s easy to pronounce and spell. After all, you wouldn’t want your target audience to struggle reading or writing it. How will you get word of mouth, then? Sometimes, simplicity works best!
- Your brand name should stand out and be easily recognizable.
So how to come up with a brand name that has all these characteristics? Let’s give you a few ideas.
Identify Your Brand’s Values
This should be your first step. You have to decide what you want people to perceive about your brand with its name. These days, brands go out of their way to make an emotional connection with their target audience, and you need to do the same.
Your brand name should tell people about your values and everything you stand for. And you wouldn’t be able to come up with such a name unless you are clear about this yourself. So before figuring out the brand name, you must ask yourself the purpose and values of your brand. This will give you something to work on.
Write phrases or words that describe your business perfectly, ensuring that they convey the main essence of your business. Remember, these are the values that will not change even when your business grows by leaps and bounds!
Who Is Your Target Audience?
Once you are clear about what you want your brand to stand for, you have to make an effort to understand your target audience better. Your brand name should be in line with the language used by your target audience. And you wouldn’t be able to achieve this unless you know them perfectly.
You might have to conduct surveys for this. Make an effort to speak to the people in your target audience and try to understand what appeals to them. Make sure that you do enough research about your competitors too.
Come Up With Potential Brand Names.
Now is the time for some brainstorming sessions. You know what you want your brand to reflect and what your audience wants. It’s time to come up with brand names that you think can do the trick. At this point, you can go all out!
Unleash your creativity and write whatever comes to your mind. Don’t try to reject anything simply because it’s too far out there. You can filter it out later. During brainstorming, you can come up with any brand name that comes to your mind. And there are so many inspirations around that you can use. For instance, you can go for a completely random and made-up name like Sony or go for something more result-oriented. There’s also a choice of going for metaphors or catchphrases. The options are unlimited!
It’s Time For Screening
Once your list is ready, you have to scratch out the ones that you don’t feel with connect with your audience. Furthermore, get rid of all the names that are difficult to pronounce or write. Do not select a name that has an inappropriate connotation with any part of the world.
Your narrowed-down list will be ready once you conduct an in-depth search about the names and screen the ones that don’t make the cut or fulfill all the requirements. Keep in mind that you need to look at the brand name from every angle to ensure that it wouldn’t offend anyone and will resonate well with your target market.
Check The Availability
Every other day, a new startup is launched. So chances are that a lot of names you come up with will already be registered. After all, what else can you expect when there are a million companies out there?
So before you zero in on any name, it’s advisable to do a quick Google search on it. Make sure that there are no identical names out there that can confuse your audience. And naturally, you will need to do a domain name search. Social media availability is just as important.
Get Down To Testing
Don’t finalize your brand name just as yet. Before that, it’s best to get some feedback from your target market. So test the name and make sure that you have indeed made the right choice. If not back, you can always go back to your list and come up with something else.
Use Your Brand Name To Its Full Potential
Is it really worth all the effort to think about how to come up with a brand name? Indeed! Your brand name is your identity and will stick with you for a long time. So don’t take it lightly, and ensure that you make a choice that you don’t have to regret later.
