People often say, “don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” The reality however, is that the cover is what initially draws us in and stays most easily ingrained in our memories. In the same way, your brand name has the ability to make a lasting first impression on all who come in across it. While deciding on a brand name may seem like a daunting task, that doesn’t mean that you need to feel uncertain about how to go about it. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started.
So whether you are coming up with a brand name for the first time, or you are still just considering if you want to rebrand your current business venture, the creative process is the same. Below are the top two most essential guidelines to make sure that whatever name you come up with is creative, effective, and most importantly, memorable.
Things to keep in mind when coming up with your new brand name
1. Simplicity & user-friendliness
When it comes to the length and level of complexity of your brand name, keeping it short and simple will make your life a lot easier in the long run. You want something that rolls off the tongue, with straightforward pronunciation, is easy to remember, and super user-friendly so that you can leave a lasting impression.
How simple and user-friendly your brand is will directly correlate with how quickly and easily it will catch people’s attention, and hold it. Less is more when it comes to the letter or character count, so sticking to something with just a few syllables is a good rule of thumb.
2. Unique approach
What makes your brand stand out? This is a good opportunity to really think about what other brands in your field are doing, and how you set yourself apart. For example, if you happen to notice that many of the brand names have a certain pattern in them, find a way to break that. In other words, this is your opportunity to be the trendsetter, and not just one more fish in the sea.
Knowing this is not only important for coming up with a good brand name, but it will also help you stay on track in the long run. Everyone knows that any thriving market will have lots of competition, so take this opportunity to really study your competitors carefully, and notice in what ways you can differentiate yourself from the rest of the crowd.
Ultimately, your brand name is something that you want to potentially be able to build a legacy with. So on top of preserving simplicity, keeping it user-friendly, and having a unique approach, just remember to keep that in mind that a great business starts with the name.
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Thank you The Zebra for providing this insightful guest post on what makes a strong brand name. 🙂
If you’d like to read more about choosing a new brand name – check out my blog post on the process I take my clients through when deciding upon a name: How do you choose a brand name?
