6 Things To Remember When Naming Your Business

Choosing your brand name is one of the most crucial (and challenging!) steps when establishing your business. Below are six tips for choosing a name that starts your business off on the right foot while connecting you with your ideal audience.

1. Establish your brand voice.

Defining your brand voice – or the presence and personality of your brand – is the first step to coming up with an appropriate name for your business. Is your brand an authoritative field expert that aspires to be an industry leader? If so, your brand name should come off as grounded, substantial and trustworthy. On the other hand, is your brand an uplifting organization that connects with people at an emotional level? If so, your brand name should come off as warm, inviting and intimate.

2. Choose a versatile name.

The number one mistake we see amongst emerging entrepreneurs is choosing a brand name that they outgrow within five years. Specifics like geographical location (i.e. New York), services offered (i.e. floral studio), and business structure (i.e. & Partners or Co.) can inevitably change as your brand grows. Unless your business is contingent on a specific locale, service or business structure, avoid these terms and choose a versatile name that you can grow with.

3. Check for availability.

In the digital age, it is a big ask for customers to remember multiple handle names for one company. Simply put, your company should have the same name display across all social media platforms, as well as your web URL. If your company name is not available, you should consider changing it so it remains consistent across all platforms.

4. Do a trademark search.

Although trademarking your name is not mandatory to start a business in the US, it is a good idea to ensure that the company name you have in mind has not been trademarked by another company. Start by submitting a query with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. If trademark security is crucial to your business, consider hiring a trademark attorney to do a thorough search before you register your business.

5. Google your company name.

Search engine traffic is one of the most critical ways to garner attention for your business. To rank high in search results, you must have a unique company name that won’t be crowded out by other search queries. This helps users find your website or content more quickly by simply typing in your company name.

6. Say it out loud.

Your brand name should be easy to say out loud. Uniquely spelled or culturally resonant names may sound good on paper, but it will hold your business back in the long run if you find yourself having to spell out your name multiple times to clients over the phone or if clients have a difficult time finding you because they’ve misspelled your company name.