The 3-step Process of Creating an Exciting Brand Name

Remember when you scroll through social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and all you can see are business ads? Yeah, if we asked you to list all these ads you came across, how many could you possibly list? Not a lot, right? Well, we don’t blame you; there are just that many of them.

You see, putting together your name or initials and adding ‘& Sons’ or ‘Plc’ doesn’t cut it anymore. Your customers need to be intrigued by your brand’s identity, and finding an epic brand name is a key factor.

There are tons of websites out there offering help in finding the perfect name for a brand. As tough as this task sounds, we at Squadhelp, with our 35,000+ satisfied clients, are here to tell you that there are 3 easy steps to follow for the best results.

1. Understand Your Brand

We’ve already established that your brand name is the most important aspect of its identity. Now, this means that there’s no way you can come up with a top-notch name if you lack a proper understanding of your brand. Remember that your brand venture shows the customer what you do; however, the brand name tells them how you want to be seen.

Let’s use The New York Times as an example. When you hear someone mention the news outlet, what do you imagine? A well-grounded, modern, classy news publication firm, right? But can you use the same name for a computer or, let’s say, a shoe company? Obviously, you can’t, and that’s because that name doesn’t align with the purpose of these brands.

Another example is VirginAIR. We hear this name and immediately think of an aviation company, not a juice factory or cotton mill. This is what makes brand imagination very important for naming a brand.

Brand imagination is the process that involves the mental visualization of your brand goals and objectives. It entails defining elements such as:

● What look do you want for your brand?

● What values are you basing your brand on?

● What sort of tone do you want to use?

● What type of emotions do you want to trigger?

It’s only when you understand these elements that you can truly begin a brand naming process.

2. Brainstorm Different Name Ideas

Okay, this is where things get exciting. Gather your friends, family, and colleagues, grab some chips and cans of soda, begin unleashing as many names as possible. What makes the brainstorming stage fun is that you don’t need to analyze every name, so even the silliest names are welcomed.

To give you a hand, here are tools you can use:

● Thesaurus

● Rhyming words

● Visual words like colors and places

● Industry slangs

● Root words such as the popular gen, Omni, case, spot, and door.

In the end, even if you end up with a hundred names, you can begin to shortlist these names based on compatibility with your tone and message.

3. Validate Your Options

Now, it’s time for your chosen name to go through some tests before it can finally be used. These include:

● Audience feedback: it’s important to get a positive response from members of your target audience before making your name global. Here, you can run a poll or carry out a survey, and the results will highlight how well the audience receives the name.

● Domain: an indispensable aspect of a brand’s identity. You should check if the domain name you want is available. You can also tweak a few things, such as using the ‘.co’ extension and adding ‘The’ to make it unique.

● Trademark: a precaution against future problems. You must ensure that your chosen name is void of any trademarks. Afterward, you should move on to get the name trademarked.

Conclusion

A brand’s name has the power to attract global success or plummet your business to rubles. If you aim for the better option, then make sure you understand the essence of your brand, brainstorm different names that’ll create the necessary buzz, and validate properly for a flawless result.

Grant Polachek is the head of branding for Squadhelp.com, 3X Inc 5000 startup and disruptive naming agency. Squadhelp has reviewed over 1 million names and curated a collection of the best available names on the web today. We are the world’s leading crowdsource naming platform, supporting clients from early-stage startups to Fortune 500 companies.