Naming a brand can be a daunting task. Why? Because picking a solid name is a great way to communicate your brand identity to your target audience and help you shape how your target audience perceives your business.
That said, here are some tips that’ll simplify your brand naming process.
Here are Some Vital Steps to Picking the Perfect Name
1. Align Your Name with Your Audience
When choosing a name for your brand, it’s important to consider your target audience. Think about the values and characteristics that you want to convey to them. You want your name to reflect your brand’s identity and values and to connect with your target audience.
2. Consider Metaphors, Visual Imagery, and Alliterations
Using metaphors, visual imagery, and alliterations can help to create an impactful and memorable brand name. For example, Unsplash works because it uses a metaphor of a single splash of water to represent its mission of offering a simple and easy way to access high-quality photography.
3. Brainstorming Names
Brainstorming names can be a great way to generate ideas for your brand name. Consider using crowdsourcing and other creative ways to generate ideas. Here are some examples of brand names and how they use metaphors, visual imagery, and alliterations:
- Uber: The “U” in Uber hints at the idea of a “you-centric” service. And coupled with the fact that Uber was derived from the German word that means “above the rest,” was a clear statement that the brand is a top-tier company focused on its customers.
- Slack: Slack is an excellent name that communicates a calm, relaxed, and laid-back approach to workplace communication.
- Quora: The “Qu” in Quora not only suggests the idea of “questions” and “answers,” but it also ties in beautifully with the word, ‘quorum,’ which tells customers that Quora is a place where users can have open conversations and gain knowledge.
Using squadhelp brand name generator will make it a lot easier to discover exciting name ideas that align with the core identity of your business.
Top Ten Brands and Analysis of their Names
- Dropbox: The “drop” in Dropbox suggests the idea of an easy-to-use file storage solution.
- Spotify: The “spot” in Spotify hints at the fact that their users can easily find the music they want quickly and easily.
- Lyft: The “Lyft” in Lyft clearly suggests the idea of a “lift” or a ride-sharing service.
- Pinterest: The “pin” in Pinterest suggests the idea of “pinning” content to a virtual board.
- Instagram: The “gram” in Instagram combines the words “instant” and “telegram” to suggest the idea of instant communication.
- Etsy: The “t” in Etsy suggests the idea of a “trendy” marketplace.
- Airbnb: This name is a compelling combination of “air” with “bnb,” a shorter form of “bed and breakfast,” to communicate a unique visual picture of a home away from home.
4. Validate your Names with Trademark Research
Before making your final decision, it’s important to do some research to make sure that your name is not already trademarked. Many companies have received cease and desist letters from companies who owned the rights to a similar name. To avoid this, it’s vital to do trademark research before settling on a name.
5. Use Audience Testing before Making your Final Decision
Once you’ve analyzed and narrowed down your list of potential names, it’s important to do some audience testing before making your final decision. However, it’s important to be careful what questions you ask. Instead of asking people which name they like the most, focus on which names draw attention and inspire action and which names best align with your brand ideas.
Conclusion
Naming a brand is an important decision. It’s critical to take the time to consider your target audience, brainstorm ideas, and research to make sure your name isn’t already trademarked. Lastly, it’s important to use audience testing to make sure you’re choosing the right name for your brand.
Grant Polachek is the head of branding at Squadhelp.com, an award-winning 3X Inc. 5000 company. Squadhelp has gone through millions of names to develop a list of the most popular names online. As the top crowdsourcing naming provider in the world, we have assisted Fortune 500 companies and early-stage startups in finding catchy brand names. Our innovative naming services have helped us revolutionize how people think about business names.