What you need to consider when creating a brand name

Skip the generators and choose a name that outlasts you.

We have all spent hours swivelling in our chairs in an attempt to find the perfect brand name. It can take days, weeks, or even months. We end up feeling frustrated because our great idea turns out to be unsuitable or is already taken and once you launch, altering the name becomes increasingly challenging. We know that sometimes complicating the process causes needless frustration, so we have broken down a few useful steps that we find could potentially help you.

Let’s break it down into five simple steps.

Availability

Always do your homework. Before committing to anything, check the availability of your name. Determine if an established company or website has the name you’re considering and ensure that the name is not trademarked or copyrighted. Secure your social media accounts without any interruptions such as dashes or special characters. Starting off with this level of precision for your brand name enables you to avoid heavy heartbreak down the line.

Perception

Your perspective might not always be objective. When launching, it is important to remember that the way in which your brand name is perceived falls beyond your control. So really consider how the name sounds with various accents and pronunciations. Avoid difficult pronunciations, abbreviations and anything that can be inappropriate, offensive or seen as controversial. A great brand name should be easily recognised, memorable and effortless.

Emotion

Harness the power of emotion. Our brain processes emotional content much more effectively into our long-term memory, which leads to stronger brand loyalty, recognition, and investment. Avoid any personal connotations to the name until you have gathered feedback, as you don’t want anything that could cloud your judgement or create an unconscious bias.

Consider the different emotional responses a word could provoke. The word’s pitch can change the emotional reaction. High-pitched vowels like e’s and i’s convey excitement and urgency like Febreeze or Nike whereas low-pitched vowels like a’s and o’s convey idleness, wonder, and awe like Google or Barclays.

Experimentation

Gathering feedback is crucial. Use what you have learned from the points listed above and test them to gather feedback from your target audience about your brand name. Experiment with several variations and emotions to understand your audience’s perception. It’s always a good idea for your experiment to have a diverse pool of participants, to really gauge a variety of perceptions. If the audience’s reaction is at odds with your concept, start a fresh test with a new framework and repeat the experiment until you are satisfied with the outcome.

Protection

Finally, secure your brand name by trademarking or copyrighting it, protecting your brand from being stolen or exploited. You will be able to take legal action against other parties if they attempt to use your brand name, but it’s best to take these security measures beforehand to avoid any costly legal action without an absolute guaranteed outcome in your favour.

To summarise, when creating your brand name always consider these 5 things:

Availability
Perception
Emotion
Experimentation
Protection

A name lasts a lifetime. You can work on developing other areas of your business too while experimenting. Your brand name does not always have to come first.

At Enterprise Starter, we simplify the process of establishing, launching, and growing an enterprise. Our mission is to support and advance entrepreneurs to accomplish their ambitions by encouraging them to take the leap building the foundation needed to grow their enterprise.

Since the founding of Enterprise Starter, our purpose has been to make “enterprise” more accessible to people, particularly those with socioeconomic disadvantages. We are here to effect positive change. We inspire entrepreneurs, support removing hurdles and enable ease of access for anyone wishing to start their entrepreneurial journey, thus contributing to the wider community.

Our dedicated entrepreneurial team is here to support you and your team in generating ideas, protecting your company name or providing you with feedback. We have a range of resources, guidance and advice available.

We are building a community where entrepreneurs thrive, and ideas come to life.

or send us an email at startsomething@enterprisestarter.com