How to Create Your Brand Name
Are you launching a new business and need an easy-to-pronounce, catchy name that you can turn into a brand? The process of creating a brand name can be challenging, especially with so many new businesses launching every day. Luckily, there are few simple steps you can take to come up with a creative name for your business.
From brainstorming ideas to including your own name into your business name, there are many ways to come up with a short and sweet name to represent your brand.
Keep reading to learn how to name your business and think of a brand name that customers will love and remember.
Brainstorm Ideas
The first and most important step for creating a brand name is brainstorming ideas. On a piece of paper or a word processor, write down all the ideas, words, phrases, synonyms, and associations you can think of. Don’t hold back and just let your brain do the work.
Once you have a long list of words and ideas, you can organize them by topics or eliminate what you don’t think is good enough. You can also use a business name generator to help you find even more ideas. Then, after a day or two, come back to your list and look at it with fresh eyes.
You can add words or phrases or start putting things together as potential brand names. When you put all your ideas on paper and clear your mind, your brain can think more clearly and see things from a different perspective.
Use a Thesaurus To Find Synonyms
A dictionary and a thesaurus are your best friends when it comes to choosing your brand name. For every word you put on your brainstorming list, try to find a synonym or a similar phrase. Write down the synonyms next to the main word. This way, you’ll have a lot more options to choose from and combine with and think of a truly special brand name.
You can even change the spelling a bit without affecting the pronunciation to create a completely new word that’ll be unique to your brand. Take for example brands like “Toys R Us”, “Krispy Kreme Donuts”, and Kellogg’s “Froot Loops” – all of these are spelled wrong intentionally to attract the customers’ attention and stand out among their competitors.
Combine Words and Phrases
Once you list all your words and their synonyms, you can start combining them into short and catchy phrases to find your new brand name. For example, if you want to open a bakery or launch a food blog, you can combine words like “delicious”, “scrumptious”, and “sweet” with words like “baking”, “sweets”, and “sugar”.
These combinations will give you brand names like “Sweet as Sugar” or “Scrumptious Baking”. Regardless of your industry, you can use the same process and even use connecting words like “and” to put two words together, such as “Sweet and Scrumptious”.
Get Inspired by Similar Brands in Your Industry
Finding inspiration from your competitors or similar brands in your industry is a great way to get your creative juices flowing and think of ideas for your brand name. However, do not under any circumstance copy or imitate another brand in your industry. This can get you into deep legal trouble and cause a variety of issues you won’t be able to fix.
Finding inspiration means looking at what similar brands use for their names and trying to think of something even better and more creative than them. This will help you stand out among your competition and grab your customers’ attention right away.
Avoid Names That Are Too Long or Hard To Pronounce
No matter how creative or amazing you think a name is, if it’s too long and too hard to pronounce or even type into a browser, it’s not going to stick. People have short attention spans so they won’t remember complicated and complex brand names. This is especially true if they’re interacting with the brand for the first time.
Your business name should be easy to say and remember, easy to type, and easy to stay top of mind. This is also crucial for when customers want to recommend your company to others – if they can’t pronounce or spell the company name easily, you’re losing business and potential new customers.
Include Your Own Name in Your Brand Name
If you have a short and easy to pronounce first name or last name, you can always include it in your brand name. For example, if you want to start an apparel brand and you’re the designer, it’s a good idea to insert your own name into your branding so customers will always know who made the clothes.
Most fashion designers use their own names as brand names – think of Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, and Donatella Versace. Most of these designers use their last names as brand names.
Check If the Domain Name for Your Brand Name Is Available
Now that you have a few names in mind, it’s time to check if you can secure the domain names for each of them. You don’t want to infringe on another company’s copyrights, but if the name contains one or two commonly used words, chances are it’s already taken.
You might need to tweak it a bit until you find an available domain name and if you can, secure several domain name extensions such as .com, .co, .net, and .org. Finally, perform a name search online to see if there are any other websites or companies with a similar name to make sure you’re not in the same industry or selling the same things.
Find the Perfect Brand Name for Your Company With These Simple Tips
Whether you’re launching a new company or want to rebrand your existing one, these tips will help you find the perfect brand name for your business. The only thing left is to make sure your domain name is available so you can launch a website for your new brand.
Discover more business tips and tricks over on our blog where we share the latest industry news, trends, and updates to help you establish a strong and successful business.
