Choosing a company name is not easy. After all, you want your company to have a name that is meaningful and memorable. You can choose a name that perfectly describes your brand, and you may see that it is already in use. You may like it, but the partners you trust suggest another. You may feel that you are sitting to choose it again and again. Luckily, you’re not the only one who has trouble finding that essential part of your brand.
The choice of company names is usually a strategic decision, and that is why I am going to give you some guidelines to choose correctly. I say it is usually because not in all companies the name has the same importance. It is not an easy decision, mainly because of a large majority of the terms that might interest you are already registered. But let’s see my little guide to find the right name. Choose from thousands of options.
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Why is it important to choose a good name?
A name is an image
Whether you want it or not, the company name is a main part of the corporate image. It’s an identity of your work. The name is a communication tool that will be present in many of the relationships you will establish, with customers of course, but also with suppliers, administrations, investors, banks, etc. The difference between a good name and a bad name can condition the perception of these relationships.
The first thing they see
The impact of your name for your image is reinforced by the fact that on many occasions, it will be the first thing that others know about your company, both when they search for the product or service you sell online or in guides and when you present yourself at Start a meeting or see the poster on the facade of your business.
The importance of the name varies by company
The name can be a fundamental element or have a lower relevance, depending on your business.
If you have an independent service station on the highway, the potential customer will give you quite the same if called one way or another. If you are a doctor and you have a private consultation, you can give your clinic a nice name but patients will probably come more by recommendation. On the contrary, in all businesses in which the purchase decision is not recommended by third parties or bound by circumstances, the name will be a much more decisive factor.
It all starts with your unique sale proposal
Do you remember when you defined your business model? At that time, you started to raise your value proposition, taking into account your differentiation strategy, that is, what makes your product or service unique to the competition. We call this the unique sale proposal, and we dedicated an article to it some time ago.
Well, your brand strategy, and therefore the choice of your company’s name is framed within your definition of the unique sale proposal. We have said it before, the name is going to be the first thing your customers are going to see, and therefore it is an excellent tool to try to communicate the most important differentiation values.
Nothing is simpler as calling things by name. Formerly it was what companies did, but the custom has changed over time, mainly because a descriptive name is usually long and sound too old.
If you wonder how to choose the name of your company, you probably want to find original concepts, for brands and societies. In the previous article, we have given you many clues so that you go looking for the name you like best. However, it seemed appropriate to give some examples of the most common businesses.
Try to Use a Business Name Generator
We talked in some posts about the history of the names of some companies, where they come from, the styles that inspired historical names, the meanings, and anecdotes of names of companies and products: with the advent of the web, the ways to find new ideas for names have multiplied up to “creative business name generator” sites for companies and businesses.
Those who founded a company or a startup know the “discomfort” of the white sheet, the embarrassment of having the right idea but not being able to give it a name. The search on the internet for “ideas for names” unites different sectors. And obviously, where there is demand there is offer: therefore looking for ideas for names you can find sites with real name generators for companies. Sometimes, we try to choose a business name sounds similar or looks similar to a big company or corporation, but this place a negative impact on the business sometimes. Customers are smart nowadays so it is better to choose a unique name for your business and name generators to help a lot for it.