So you finally made the decision to turn that brilliant idea into a legitimate business—congratulations! You’ve probably got a whole to-do list in your mind right now, including how to market your product or service, how to determine who your target market is, and how much capital you need to actually get things going.
Of course, all of these are important parts of your business plan, but have you already settled the most basic element of your brand identity, such as choosing a brand name?
Yes, we’re talking about your brand name—It’s tough to come up with a brand name, and if you’re having difficulty brainstorming or coming up with one, that’s perfectly normal. The naming process can be tricky, but a great brand name is crucial for making a positive first impression on potential customers and standing out in your industry.
Creating the Perfect Brand Name
Coming up with the right name for your brand isn’t about fitting a certain ‘standard’ but rather about establishing a strong brand identity. Every brand is unique – don’t pigeon-hole your brand name because you think it has to fit an arbitrary standard of what other businesses are doing.
Consider your brand’s position, mission, and story as stepping stones that can lead you to a natural brand name fit. Going back to these basics is a great way to get the creative juices flowing and might help you land on a few potential name candidates for a strong brand name.
And if you need extra help coming up with name ideas, these 5 tips will help you pick out a memorable and effective brand name that your audience will remember.
Gather Ideas and Brainstorm
Before anything else, we recommend starting a thorough brainstorming session. Gather your business partners (or friends and family if you’re a solopreneur) and just start throwing potential names on the page. Add in any words, phrases, or feelings that sound right – don’t worry about perfection at this stage of creating a brand.
The trick is to come up with as many brand name ideas as possible, list them all down, and slowly tick away the bad ones until you are left with the best candidates that meet your criteria. Aim for at least 20-30 potential names to choose from.
Use Clear, Descriptive, Easy-to-Remember Words
In our experience, the best brand names aren’t the super odd or out there ones, but the ones that are easy to remember (and spell when you’re looking them up online).
Try using words that can be easily connected back to your product, service, or business, the mission your company stands for, and what potential customers can expect from your brand. Stay away from made-up words or obscure names that customers won’t be able to immediately grasp or connect with your offering.
Make Sure It’s Unique
The last thing you want to deal with is a lawsuit or brand confusion, so before setting your heart on a brand name, thoroughly research and make 100% sure another brand isn’t already using it – especially in your same industry and location. Search business registries, Google, and social media to confirm no other brands are actively operating under that name.
If you get an exact name match, there might still be some wiggle room in the process to pick a name that works for your brand. For example, is the existing business operating in a completely unrelated industry or location from your potential customers? Even if there’s no risk of market confusion, we still recommend tweaking your brand name slightly (adding descriptive initials, locality, or product type) to ensure complete uniqueness.
Another important note here: As you’re considering final brand names, check domain name availability. If your team has their heart set on a certain name, you may be able to purchase the domain rights from the current owner, but you’ll definitely want to negotiate that before finalizing your brand name decision.
Skip the Buzz Words
Using trendy buzzwords in your brand name is one way to try and make it memorable or modern. It can even help you temporarily appeal to a younger target market. But at the end of the day, lingo trends come and go.
If you want your brand to stand the test of time, it needs a name that won’t lose relevance or become cringy in a few months or years. Save the trendy lingo for timely marketing campaigns and taglines instead!
Make Sure the Name Aligns With Your Brand Identity
Whatever brand name you land on should complement the rest of your branding like logos, taglines, and slogans. Brand consistency across touchpoints is critical for recognition and growth, and it all starts with an aligned brand name.
For example, if your brand name is clever or humorous, you’ll want subsequent branding elements to match – not clash with – that more relaxed, fun tone and style.
Now that you’ve got a great brand name, it’s time to start putting it out there and actively promoting your unique brand identity. Learn how to build a complete brand marketing strategy from the ground up here.
More Tips for Coming Up With the Right Brand Name
The brand naming process takes time. While coming up with dozens of name ideas is a good starting point, narrowing down your options to find the perfect name can be tricky.
Beyond the criteria already discussed, here are some additional considerations as you evaluate potential names for a powerful brand name:
Get Input From Others
It’s hard to be objective when you’ve been staring at a list of potential names for weeks. Consider showing your top 5-10 contenders to others to get unbiased input. Create polls on social media or run focus groups of people who match your target audience to help pick a name that resonates.
Listen for which option people best understand and can recall later. If multiple finalists get confused reactions, it’s back to the drawing board.
Say Names Out Loud
A name can look great on paper but be surprisingly hard to pronounce naturally in conversation. Before officially deciding, say your finalist names out loud, include them in sample ad copy, etc. If words are often mispronounced or awkwardly voiced, that’s a red flag.
Watch for Unintended Meanings
Words that seem perfectly innocent in your native language may have alternate connotations or translations elsewhere. Do some international due diligence by translating shortlisted names into major global languages. Eliminate ones with unfortunate secondary meanings.
Check URL Availability
Your brand name will become your website URL, social handles, email addresses and more. Beyond checking if a .com domain is available, also run shortlisted names through platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Gmail.
If the versions with your name are taken, that can limit marketing. Try adding a location or descriptor word to open up more available URL options.
Imagine Referral Scenarios
Envision how customers might refer others to your yet-to-launch company. Come up with realistic word of mouth scenarios. If the names are overly complex to accurately repeat from memory or lead to confusion, it may be challenging to gain traction.
Research Legal Considerations
Beyond trademark conflicts, ensure your name choices meet legal naming requirements for your entity type and jurisdiction. Especially for heavily regulated industries like healthcare or finance, confirm names pass necessary compliance rules first.
By going through this expanded checklist before finalizing your ultimate new brand name, you give it the greatest chance at resonating in the market and communicating what you stand for.
Examples of Effective Brand Names
Here are some real-world examples of brand names that made their business name into a powerful brand. While there are many examples and types of brand names, these companies have managed to pick a brand name that’s easy to spell, builds brand recognition, and is easy to remember.
Slack – Simple and Descriptive
Slack’s name works on multiple levels. As a messaging app designed to enable seamless workplace communication, “slack” describes both the experience it enables users to have, as well as neatly fitting the positioning as an antidote to “work chaos”. The one-syllable word is supremely easy to say and remember.
Without knowing anything about Slack’s product, you can infer it likely involves casual, back-and-forth messaging functionality simply by hearing its name. The name choice has supported strong viral growth through word of mouth, since “Slack” is effortless to accurately explain to others.
Roomba – Hints at Functionality
Roomba’s name uses a blend of made-up words and real terms to paint a descriptive picture for customers. The “room” portion gives a literal connection to the vacuum’s purpose, cleaning room-by-room. But “boomba” adds a playful element that hints at how the device maneuvers around with a mix of randomness and logic.
This blend gives customers enough context to grasp what Roombas do, while still coming across as fun and approachable. The quirky name fuels buyer curiosity while answering basic questions about Roomba’s cleaning functionality right upfront through the name itself.
Mailchimp – Friendly and Clever
One standout aspect of Mailchimp’s brand name is how the company has fully embraced the “chimp” portion through its iconic branded mascot, Freddie. This consistent tie-back gives the somewhat odd name choice an approachable, friendly face.
But on a deeper level, the name fuses together “email” and “chimp” to connect directly to Mailchimp’s initial product offering of email marketing services, enhanced through a friendly primate mascot. The name takes a basic software function and adds unique personality. And customers can immediately grasp the link back to email tools by hearing the “mail” prefix.
The alliteration makes “Mailchimp” satisfyingly fun to say aloud, with customers often referring to the company verbally in conversation about marketing solutions. In a relatively boring software space, the energized name delivers vitality.
Shutterfly – Hints at Ease and Speed
As an early dot-com era startup in online photos, Shutterfly’s name aims to fuse photography with mobility and simplicity. The “shutter” portion ties directly back to capturing photos, while “fly” gives movement and freedom. There’s also a subtle connection to memories flying by.
The smooth combination into a single word paints an effective descriptive picture for customers of what the company enables. And that clarity and resonance has allowed Shutterfly to expand over the years into adjacent categories like cards, photo books and coordinated gifting options while retaining strong consistency with its original core name and brand story.
Choose a Brand Name That Brings Your Story to Life
Finding a brand name aligning perfectly with your business goals, values, and offerings takes effort. But the investment is well worth it in the long run. An authentic, perfect brand name makes connecting with your audience intuitive and helps propel growth.
Once you’ve checked all the boxes and made your final selection, it’s time to start spreading the word. Bring your new name to life across marketing materials, signage, digital properties and anywhere customers interact with your company (shameless plug here – the Marq platform is great for this). Consistent and targeted usage of a perfectly crafted name can elevate a business from unknown startup to household brand over time.
When in doubt, don’t be afraid to enlist some external support through resources like online brand name generators, naming agencies, or brand identity consultants to help guide you to make the right choice. But make sure to still weigh all names against your core brand values, mission and identity.
The most important thing is that your brand name feels like an authentic representation of who you are and what you offer as an organization. The rest will naturally follow with a consistent, strategic brand marketing approach.
