How to Create A Brand Name
A good brand name is important especially if you are wanting to engage with consumers. Not sure where to begin? Here are a few tips to get you started.
First, what is a brand?
A brand is an experience with a consumer that distinguishes an organization, product or service from its competitors. Products, services and companies can all be branded. Your company cane have many brands under one roof. Take Apple for example. They have an Apple iPhone that delivers iOS and ApplePay to its customers. Apple, iPhone, iOS and ApplePay are all brands. Apple is the company, iPhone is a physical product, iOS is a digital product and ApplePay is a service.
What makes a good brand name?
A good brand name is one that is distinctive and memorable. The brand name should clearly represent the brand. It should be easy to remember, easy to spell, and easy to pronounce.
What are some types of brand names?
1. Descriptive Brand Names
A descriptive brand name is one that tells the consumer what your brand does without having to think too much about it. Examples: Internet Explorer, Kentucky Fried Chicken Pros: Consumers can easily identify what your brand serves. Cons: Limits your ability to offer an extensive variety of products without causing confusion.
2. Compound Word Brand Names
A compound work brand name is one that is comprised of two words that link to what the brand does. Example: SnapChat, OpenTable Pros: Gives room for more creativity than a descriptive name. They can be unique and distinctive. Cons: The brand name itself doesn’t describe your product or service. A clear marketing strategy will need to be put in place to avoid confusion.
3. Misspelled Word Brand Name
A misspelled word brand name is just that. A brand name that is a mispspelling of an actual word or name. Examples: Google, Trix Pros: The misspelled word becomes a new word. This means your brand has a unique word that will gain a higher search engine rank than something that is already out there. Cons: There may be a learning curve on how to spell and pronounce your brand when introduced to a new consumer.
4. Brand Named After People
Anither type of Brand Name is one that is named after people. It could be the founder of the company or in honor of someone. Example: L.L. Bean, Versace Pros: Easy to tell the story or meaning behind the brand by relating it to the person behind the name. Cons: The person the brand is named after can negatively influence the vision of the brand by his/her actions or beliefs.
5. A New Word Brand Name
This type of brand name is created by creating a whole new word. Examples: Twitter, Gatorade Pros: This type of brand names gives you the ability to be fully creative and unique. Cons: Customers won’t understand it until you put meaning to it through marketing.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Brand Name:
Pick a name that is web friendly. You will want your brand name to also be the website address. It would confuse your customers if your website url was completely different than your brand name. My suggestion would be to visit a domain registrar such as GoDaddy when selecting a brand name and see if a domain (.com) for your brand is available. If so, snag it before someone else does. You will also want your brand name to be web friendly is because it will be a major keyword for you. This means you don’t want a brand name that is commonly used. A brand name that is also a commonly used word will just get lost in search results. Having a distinctive brand name will make your search engine ranking higher. Another good idea would be to search the internet and social media to make sure others aren’t using the brand name you are considering. You definitely don’t want to be confused with others. Finally, keep it simple. Don’t use any special characters. This makes it extremely hard to search for on the web.