But what do I call it?

This is a question I get a lot. Usually someone has started a business and given it a name, and is questioning whether they should re-brand to use their own name (or vice versa). Considering you have about 10 seconds to convince potential clients you’re “The One” (or stick around long enough to decide) I dug up some valuable insights from a couple of pros who can shed some light on this subject from a wider perspective…

“The name you choose for your business is not just an asset you will own forever, it is one of the most important elements of your brand strategy.”
–Bernadette Jiwa, specialist in brand naming

Consider that your business name is really where your story starts, it’s where you start the conversation. It’s an opportunity to establish an emotional connection.

As Jiwa describes, “A great brand name doesn’t just describe your business, it sets the stage, articulates your position, and conveys the unique personality of your brand.”

Here are some prompts to help you solve this riddle, borrowed from David Airey’s book Work For Money, Design For Love:

• What’s your mission?
What difference do you want to make?

• What’s your vision?
What are the results of your work and what does your business do in the future?

• What are your core values?
What attitudes and beliefs shape your business culture and what you stand for?

• What’s your unique value proposition?
Why do you do what you do? Why will people want to do business with you?

• Do you have an emotional selling point?
What’s the intangible thing you’re selling? Think about feelings vs. facts. Is it a sense of freedom? Connection? Belonging? What appeals to your customers?

• What is the essence of your brand?
What’s at the core of what you do? What image does it portray?

• Describe what you do and why you do it.
Can you condense this into one line that communicates everything?

• Who is your target audience?
I’m sure you’ve done the exercise of painting the picture of your ideal client. Once you understand them: their goals, aspirations, personal and business priorities, you’ll have a clearer idea of what would be attractive to them.

• What’s your brand identity?
How do people perceive your brand? What words would they use to describe it? What words do you want them to use?

• What type of name do I want to consider?
Is this for a personal brand? Do you want it to be evocative, descriptive, invented, or something else?

The practicalities to consider:
• domain availability
• username availability across social media channels
• legalities re: registered trademarks (if you aren’t using your own name)
• how it sounds, is it easy to pronounce, read?
• spelling, is it easily searchable?
• memorability, does it stand out?
• meaning, does it have one with your audience?
• feeling, how does it make you feel?
• positioning, are you potentially pigeonholing yourself if you change services or products down the line?

Final words from Jiwa:

“A great name can take you places a good name can’t. A truly great brand name makes room for a new story in people’s hearts and minds and can position a good product beyond its utility.

So don’t just set out to name your company, set out to name the vision of what you want to see in the world.”