Do you need to come up with a new name for your business, product or service – one that people love to promote to their friends and colleagues? The following five steps are offered as a simple checklist to help you quickly and easily evaluate, rate your ideas and choose a name that works hard to build your business.
There are many ways to go about choosing a new business or brand name, and much has already been written about this topic. However, in our experience it’s useful to have a simple checklist to help guide your search and prioritize your ideas. The following checklist is not meant to replace your current methods, but boost them and help you get really focused.
Step 1: make it legal
A super-strong name does not infringe anyone’s trademark. Before getting too excited about a name, it’s useful to do a quick check on-line to see if it’s already being used. We like to search the United States Patent and Trademark Office database and our local country trademark database.
Of course, this is just a very rough check, and doesn’t replace the need for professional trademark searching and advice.
Step 2: make it reproducible
A super-strong name has a consistent presence, especially on-line. What’s important here is to be able reproduce your name across key Internet-based platforms and services.
For example, be sure to get the .com URL and secure key complementary social media services such as the Twitter ‘handle’ (name) and Facebook name.
We use a domain name provider such as namecheap to search the availability of a name. Twitter and Facebook name availability can be checked at their sites.
Step 3: make if findable
A super-strong name is very easy to find on-line. As the Internet gets more choked, this findability is becoming increasingly valuable and well worth paying attention to.
A simple way to test name findability is to search for it using Google. The fewer matches that come up, the higher the name will appear in the listed results. Our preference is for zero-Google matches. This means that your name will be the only match that appears – a very strong position to be in.
Step 4: make it sneezable
A super-strong name is easy to recommend to others. In business, it’s your moment of joy whenever someone recommends your business to a potential customer. Marketing guru, Seth Godin, coined this action ‘sneezing’.
Choosing a name that’s sneezable means making sure it’s simple and memorable enough for people to spread quickly and easily when recommending you. Literally, my brand coming…”AH-AH-AT-YOU!!!”
Step 5: make it beneficial
A super-strong name is related to your category of business and/or a key customer benefit. The name you choose is typically a person’s first experience of your company, service or product. Having a name that signposts a key benefit not only helps them quickly understand what you do, but also it helps to set positive expectations about what you can deliver.
There are many references that can help you here. We found the following books especially useful for this step and the wider discussion of powerful name choice:
The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries (Amazon link);
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout (Amazon link);
Purple Cow by Seth Godin (Amazon link).
Use the five steps as a scorecard
The bottom-line is that there is no perfect way to choose a name, and with increasing competition it can become a difficult, frustrating and drawn out process. That said, it’s worth putting in the time and effort. Creating a super-strong name will pay you great dividends in the long run.
Be patient with the process. Rather than trying to find names that only fulfill all of the above criteria, use the five steps as a scorecard to rank your choices. They will help you to quickly and efficiently focus on creating a super-strong name.
Your experience and expertise
- What process do you use to choose a name?
- What other criteria would you add to these five steps?
- What are names that you think work well? Why?
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31 Responses to this post
December 15, 2009 at 4:47 pm |
I like a little alliteration!
December 16, 2009 at 8:28 pm |
Right back at-you! Great post, one I’ll recommend to authors considering a book or series title.
December 16, 2009 at 9:10 pm |
Great article!
Have just gone through the process myself, renaming ‘Brighter’ to ‘Fifty Digital’. Finding a domain with the .com and .co.uk available is increasingly difficult, not to mention then finding the exact same twitter username.
I was fortunate in snapping up http://www.fiftydigital.com, but it also pays to be creative. Alternatives such as http://www.wearefifty.com, http://www.thisisfifty.com, or http://www.madebyfifty.com would work very well too, are memorable, and are far more likely to be available.
At the end of the day uniqueness is one of the most valuable assets for web-focussed businesses.
Joshua Hughes
Fifty Digital
December 18, 2009 at 2:19 pm |
Very useful although I have to say I hate the sneezing pic and the term. I wish it was called seeding or something with a picture of a dandelion being blown and spreading all it’s little seeds.
Re Coca Cola. It’s apparently popular because of the two k sounds at the end of the first word and the beginning of the second. Not just the more usual alliteration. I know this as I read ooodles of information before naming my children. Needles to say they have excellent, memorable, catchy and sneezey names. Some people are just born lucky!
December 29, 2009 at 9:00 pm |
Interesting as always. Since he was brought up, I gotta comment on the Maltaannon name. Being that it is a “stage” name, it is a very interesting choice. On the pros side, the name stays in my memory because it is so unique. His personality is likewise quirky, so after watching one video, the name was locked in. On the other hand, I have never spelled it right. Usually the double A does me in. So I never go directly to his site, it’s always routed through a google search in order to get the right spelling for the url.
I went pretty boring myself. For the personal resume and reel I just use scottfedor.com. For the more freelance side, I have SMFStudio.com – basic initials. The benefit of initials is I can pretend it’s something other than my name as needed — Samurai Mother F%$ker
December 30, 2009 at 8:52 am |
Thank you guys for featuring me
I will promote my new brand in the next weeks…
Two notes for you:
1. the trademark link is not working
2. here’s the link for the german trademark search and info: http://www.dpma.de/
very thanks for your help and greetings to our common friend maltannon!
we also had a very nice chat about company names and it was also very inspiring.
Thank you people to share your knowledge with us – you’re great!
Greetings from Germany
December 30, 2009 at 8:48 pm |
Very interesting. I wanted my company name to describe my work, also something easy to remember, so I named it Slick Media Studios. Pretty simple, yet powerful.
Thanks John and Robin for another top notch episode, you guys rock.
Leo
Kansas City
January 2, 2010 at 4:16 am |
I might have another thing to consider:
check if your name is not a word that has a negative meaning or is considered as a swear word in a different language. for example mitsubishi “pajero” is such a word in spanish…
greetings from germany!
January 4, 2010 at 7:37 pm |
Hi John,
very interesting as always and thanks Francesco for the link tho the german trademark-site.
But what about “fantasy” names? For example my company “TRICEPTO|filmworks” (website is coming
)
Years ago, I was looking for a cool DJ-name and suddenly this word came to my mind -”tricepto” – I dont’t know how, but it sounded very strange an because of that, (for me) very cool and since then I took it for every cerative thing I made, but always with a different “suffix”, like “TRICEPTO|clothing”, “TRICEPTO|filmworks”, …
I studied design and film in germany and gratuaded last year. I’m working as a freelancer for several little companies and made some music-videos and I often have to design logos and logotypes etc. and that has never been a problem, but what really bothers me is the fact that I can’t design a logotype for me and my company. John, you said, that the new “motionworks”-logo was done by a friend. Would you always say it’s better to let someone else do this for you? Because, everytime I think “THIS IS MY NEW LOGO, I found it, …” – I sleep a night, wake up, look at it an think “no, you can do this better, …” or something els inspires me to something completly different and it will never stop.
Sorry for my bad english writing. (Talking is much easier
)
Bye, best wishes, Johannes
January 5, 2010 at 4:51 am |
hi john great podcast as always – i’ve just spent a couple of hours on this site which your readers might also find helpful
http://www.makewords.com/
it’s a keyword name generator that also searches for availability on godaddy – i’m still no closer to finding anything for my business productivity area in fact it gave me a bit of a headache i have to admit – this sneezeability thing is sooo hard…. maybe i’ll just stick with my name for now
thanks for all your insights with your brother…they are extremely helpful.
cheers
Helen
January 5, 2010 at 7:02 am |
Hi Guys, My name is Dennie
And all my life i’ll have to correct teachers or new people, that my name is with an “e” and “ie”
Because there are a lot of more Danny’s than Dennie’s in the world
I think your company name must be directly clear on how to spell it!
I emphasize it again
Greetz dEnnIE
January 10, 2010 at 1:56 am |
Great conversation. I recently just started a beanie company Usko (www.uskobeanie.com) for the skateboarding culture. And I am surprised that I had thought of these exact same techniques before watching this video, so this really got me stoked. Definitely the way to go. Successful companies are just one memorial sneeze away…
January 18, 2010 at 2:19 am |
The irony is I was searching google for company names and I tried motionworks which led me here and to this podcast. good site, good podcast and back to the drawing board for me!
January 19, 2010 at 6:38 am |
Hi everyone^^
I created http://www.bartmiko.com from my name Bartlomiej Mikolajczyk.
There is a polish actress, Izabella Miko also Mikolajczyk, (Coyote Ugly, Clash of the Titans), she lives in US, so, I can imagine there is a problem whit pronunciation that long and vired “cz” (like Jerzy^^) surname for pure americans, she has shorted shes surname. So, a took this advice from TV and also shorted my name whit a view to carrer in US someday;)^^ keep an eye open;)
Best
Bart
December 15, 2009 at 4:55 pm |
Great addition, Neil. Yes, I also like alliteration if possible – Coca Cola, Nomadic Neil
Thanks for dropping by.
Best, Robin
December 22, 2009 at 7:18 pm |
Thanks, Ben. I love to get that kind of recommendation.
Best, Robin
December 22, 2009 at 7:20 pm |
Thanks, Joshua. That’s excellent feedback. I totally agree with you about the value of uniqueness – especially as the Internet is getting exponentially crowded.
Great connecting with you,
Robin
December 22, 2009 at 7:22 pm |
That’s a great comment about sneezing, Annabel. I suppose, coming from a scientific background, I didn’t give it a second thought! I do like your dandelion idea though.
Thanks for your contribution.
Best, Robin
January 1, 2010 at 6:14 pm |
Hi Scott, yes at first I thought the name Maltaannon didn’t do Jerzy any favours but the Google recognition really works in his favour. I think scottfedor.com is easier to sneeze than SMFStudio (which is harder to pronounce). Best wishes, John.
January 1, 2010 at 6:25 pm |
Hi Leo, any reason for using the word slick? For me, that word can have negative connotations… Best wishes, John.
January 2, 2010 at 2:34 am |
John,
I see what you’re saying. I chose that name because “slick” is the word a lot of people use to describe quality, professional looks.
I guess my marketing background influenced my business name choosing as it describes my work and it’s easy to remember (also no mis-spelling issues, etc).
What are your thoughts on names like “stuido c” or stuff like that which means nothing to anyone who hears it?
Thanks, John!
Leo
January 3, 2010 at 3:16 pm |
Good point Francesco. Best wishes, John.
January 3, 2010 at 3:19 pm |
Hi Leo, my preference is for a word the can’t be misinterpreted. Studio C doesn’t say anything about the benefits of the business. Best wishes, John.
January 5, 2010 at 3:10 pm |
Hi Johannes, Tricepto is indeed memorable. Probably pretty easy to sneeze but you would have to tell people how to spell it. I had someone else do my logo so that I could spend time on other things, like developing new products! I knew if I did it myself I’d never be completely satisfied! Thanks for your great comment. Best wishes, John.
January 5, 2010 at 3:17 pm |
Thanks for the tip Helen, I agree finding the perfect name can be a headache! Best wishes, John.
January 5, 2010 at 3:21 pm |
I totally agree Dennie, the easier you can make it for people to remember and spell your name/company name, the better. Best wishes, John.
January 10, 2010 at 11:20 pm |
It sounds as if you are tuned in Josiah! Well done and best wishes, John.
January 19, 2010 at 3:05 pm |
That is truly amazing Jon, Synchronicity…. gotta love it. Best wishes, John.
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