6 Steps to Create a Brilliant Brand or Product Name
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Naming things is possibly one of the most difficult things you have to do when you’re starting and running a business.
First, you have to name your brand. Get this right, and you’ll be sticky in the minds of your ideal customers. Get it wrong and you’ll find yourself rebranding down the track.
Then you have to name products. Sometimes a product is a brand. But if you work in a service-based business, you’ll find yourself naming suites of products, programs and offerings on a regular basis.
So, how do you get it right?
Unfortunately, there’s no magic wand.
But there are some steps you can follow that will help you work your way to a fantastic name.
These are the same steps I use when I’m naming something for my clients. And they will make finding the perfect name for your brand or product much easier than simply winging it.
Step 1: Understand Your Tribe
At the end of the day, no matter how much you love your name, you’re really naming your brand or product for the people you serve.
So, it makes sense, that before you even begin, you think about who that person is.
Who is your ideal client? Who is it that will buy your product?
What do they think? How do they feel? What do they want to achieve in life? How does your brand or product fit into that? What might motivate them to take action?
Along with these questions about your target market, it’s equally important to answer the question of who ISN’T your customer. This will come in especially handy later when you get to Step 5: Ask For Feedback.
There are 15 key questions you need to ask in order to understand your tribe, and I’ve put them all in a handy workbook that you can download for FREE here.
Step 2: Consider the Different Naming Types
There are four key types of name, and understanding what they are, along with the pros and cons of each type will help to set you on the path to choosing a name that will really resonate with your customer.
The four name types are:
1. Descriptive Brand Names
A descriptive brand name does exactly what you think it does – it describes what the product or service is or what it does.
2. Acronym Brand Names
An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of a series of words. Acronymic names are often an abbreviation of a descriptive name.
3. Invented Brand Names
An invented brand name is a made-up word. You can invent your name by merging two known words together, or even changing the spelling of a known word to create something new.
4. Experiential Brand Names
Experiential brand names tend to be the strongest type of brand name because they build upon the experience or feeling a brand creates.
You can learn more about the four types of brand names and how to use them (along with some great naming examples) in my article The Top Four Types of Brand Names & How to Use Them.
Step 3: Competitor research
If you’re starting a business, then competitor research should already be a key part of your business plan.
I’m not one for focussing too much on your competitors. I think if you get too obsessed with what your competition is doing, then you lose focus on doing the important work of serving your customer in the ways only you know how.
But looking at what names are already in the market with help you differentiate yourself.
Make a list. Is there something in the naming that makes them all sound similar? Would using a similar naming style to your competitors be a good thing to do? Or should you use a name that will make you stand out?
And since you’re doing competitor research, keeping a note of the colours and logo styles they use will be helpful later on when you’re ready to brief a designer to create your branding. You want to make sure that your look and feel create differentiation for your brand too.
Step 4: Brainstorm & Shortlist
Now that you’ve got all the important research under your belt, it’s time to start brainstorming.
You can do this solo, or with your team, or with a group of trusted friends, and you should brainstorm in whatever way works for you.
Some ideas are –
Writing everything on a whiteboard or giant sheets of paper (this is one of my preferred methods)
Typing all your ideas straight into a word document on your computer
Creating a mind map
A combination of all three of the above.
However you choose to brainstorm, the one thing I want you to remember at this step is that THERE ARE NO BAD IDEAS.
If you get too caught up in whether something is a good idea or not, you can ruin the brainstorming process. The whole purpose of it is to follow your brain from one thought to the next thought. One bad idea can lead you to a good one – that’s just how the creative process works.
My other brainstorming tip, is to give every idea the overnight test. Sometimes something can seem bad when you first consider it, but after some time, you’ll notice that it has more potential than you originally thought
Once you’ve completed brainstorming (and this could take several days, depending on how you like to work), you can make a shortlist.
When you have your shortlist, it’s time to ask for feedback.
Step 5: Ask For Feedback
Feedback is an important part of the naming process. But in my experience, it’s at this step that things can go very wrong for your self-esteem.
You think you’ve found a great name. You might even have one that you’re strongly leaning towards.
Then you ask for feedback.
Over the years I've known so many business owners who become disheartened when they get negative feedback from their significant other, family or friends.
The thing is, not all feedback is equal.
When seeking feedback on your name you should make sure that:
You ask the right people
Not everyone's feedback matters. Not everyone is a specialist in brand and marketing.
Can they look at your brand or campaign with an objective lens?
Not everyone is your target market. If they aren't likely to buy from you in the first place, you shouldn't care whether they like the name.
You ask the right questions
The worst question you can ask is "Do you like this?"
Get specific. What is it you really want to know?
Keep only what serves you
Not all feedback is equal. Not all feedback is helpful. Not all feedback is constructive.
Know that whenever you ask for feedback, you only have to keep what serves you to make the next step.
I'm not saying ignore feedback. But ask the right questions, of the right people, consider it wisely and then only keep what serves you.
Definitely get feedback as it will help you know if your decision is the right one. But if you follow these feedback steps, I guarantee you’ll get useful feedback that will help you make an excellent naming choice.
Step 6: Business Assets, Name Protection & Trademarking
When it comes to naming (particularly brand names) you want to make sure that your name is protected from other people using it.
While I tend to do this step last, you should always do it while you still have a couple of naming options you like.
Because getting all the assets for a name can be a huge roadblock for the naming process.
For a brand or product name that will be the name you use to market your primary business, you want to make sure you can get the following assets –
1. Registered Business Name
You can check the Australian Business Name Register with ASIC here.
2. Domain Name
To protect your name in the online space, you’ll want to make sure you can get the .com.au (if you’ll be operating out of Australia) and you should consider also securing the .com, .au and any other domain name asset that could be relevant to your business.
3. Social Media Handles
A social media handle is the social media user name for your brand and is often preceded by the @ symbol.
The trick with social media handles is that you want them all to be the same.
Having @heartc on Facebook and then @heartcontentau on Instagram makes it harder for people to find you, and creates challenges in your marketing by having to list all your different handles across different platforms.
Having the same handle streamlines things.
You can check the availability of social media handles across many popular platforms with this free tool.
4. Trademarking
You should also consider trademarking your brand name so that it’s legally protected from someone else using it.
And you should check the trademarks register to make sure the name you’re choosing doesn’t breach someone else’s trademarks (domain name and business name availability will usually give a clue that a name might be trademarked).
You can opt to use an online trademarking service or have a chat with a trademarks attorney who can guide you through the whole process.
Getting your Brand or Product Name right is just the beginning
There is more to a brand than its name.
Your brand name is only one element of the whole brand experience.
If you want to create a brand that will stand the test of time, you’ll need to make sure you’re getting your brand story strategy right.
When you’re clear on your vision, mission, values, points of difference, tribe and personality, you’ll be able to elevate your brand from just a name amongst many names, to something that lives in the heart of your customer.
