For anyone who has named a child, pet, or even a car, you’ll know that the art of naming is one of a delicate nature.
A name that seems right in the moment can quickly become irrelevant or no longer suit your ‘baby’ mere months or years later. And the same goes for your brand name.
Sometimes you win the jackpot and pick a winner first go, but most of the time some serious thought, strategy, and creative juices are needed.
What is in a brand name?
To put it bluntly – everything. Your brand name is the first thing people notice about you, followed by your brand tone, look, and feel. It sets up your relationship and expectations with your audience and ultimately decides if you are a brand they want to connect with and purchase from.
Another hard truth, most ‘good’ brand names are already taken.
With side hustles popping up left, right, and centre, finding a good name is like sifting for gold. Sure, you go through a lot of dirt, but by the end of it, you might just walk away with a nugget of gold.
So without further ado, here are our top tips to come up with the perfect brand name.
Keep it simple
When a name is hard to pronounce, too long, or just doesn’t make sense – it’s simply not memorable.
You want your brand name to be easy, alluring, and to roll off the tip of the tongue, not twist it into oblivion like she sells seashells by the seashore.
Key things to consider:
- Is it easy to read and say aloud? Sound it out. Like really sound it out and test it on friends, family, and innocent bystanders.
- Length matters. Make sure that your brand name doesn’t come across as too short and blunt, or in turn isn’t too long and a mouthful for your audience to repeat.
- Is it spelled the way it sounds? Or can the spelling be easily advised in a fun and memorable way?
What does it mean?
Names don’t always have to be descriptors or relative to the products and/or services that you sell. Some of the biggest brands in the world have a name that doesn’t relate to their product range, but to the emotion, belief, or idea that the brand delivers.
For example, Nike means victory, and ALDI means discount in German.
Take a moment to think:
- Does the name have a meaning/translation, and can it be linked back to the brand?
- If translated from a different culture, is the selected name appropriate and relevant to not only the brand and product(s) but also the people behind the brand?
Don’t be afraid to make it up
This may go against our earlier points, but in our defence, Häagen-Dazs is completely made up.
With that said, don’t be afraid to get creative. Add hyphens, a couple of extra letters (within reason), or make brand-specific grammar rules.
By taking familiar words or phrases and making a few fun tweaks, you can come up with something a little more you and a whole lot more on brand.
And lastly, do your research
Trust us when we say that you don’t want to put in all the energy, effort, and time to build your brand around a name that is either already taken or trademarked.
An easy way to check this is to Google your selected brand name, check the social media handles, and search ABN/trademark registries. If you have plans to expand and commercialise internationally, it’s also worth checking the locations in which you want to expand to see if the selected brand name is going to be applicable or if it will need to be changed or modified to suit certain locations and markets.
In short, give the curation of your brand name the attention it requires, test it out, and don’t be afraid to get creative.
