by Printipy

Let’s say you want to start up a business, is naming your brand the first thing you should think of? No the name of your brand may not be the first thing you think of and don’t be afraid if you don’t have a name for your brand.

There are many things you should consider before naming your brand like your brand’s mission, purpose, personality, audience, your competitors, values, your message, brands uniqueness, and brand voice, but your brand visual identity should come after the name which must align with everything I mentioned before.

So now how can you create a brand name that aligns well with your brand?  I will answer this question in three ways which are to tell you the types of brand names, what makes a good brand name and finally things you should avoid when naming your brand.

TYPES OF BRAND NAME

1. Descriptive names
2. Made up names
3. Acronym
4. Real words
5. Founders name
6. Crowd sourcing
7. Name from another language

 DESCRIPTIVE NAMES

 Descriptive names are the type of names that explains themselves easily, sometimes it can be two words joined together to form the name, a good example is FACEBOOK or FOOTJOY this name explains the brand message in the name.

MADE UP NAMES

Made-up names are the type of names that have no specific meaning, examples of such names are Google, Yahoo and Pinterest these types of names are good because it might be easier to copyright but make sure you research before using the name so you don’t end up using another brands name most especially pharmaceutical drugs names.

ACRONYM

These kinds of names are the ones that use letters in the brand name to represent the brand name examples are UBA, PHCN, IBM, and KFC. These kinds of names are very good to replace brand names that a too long to Remember.

REAL WORDS

These kinds of names are the types that use real words and meaning to name a brand an example is the famous taxi brand UBER which literally means outstanding and Clearly explains the brand message.

 FOUNDERS NAME

This is the type of name that involves using the founder name, a good example is Dangote, and the brand name is easily pronounced and can be easily memorized but you have to make sure the name is relatable to people because if not some customers will lose interest due to the name take for example using the name Judas.

CROWDSOURCING

 This type of brand name is gotten from the choice of your audience or people close to you, this is good but sometimes it’s not the most reliable method of naming because when you choose a brand name from a particular group you might lose the other group that choose another.

NAME FROM ANOTHER LANGUAGE

You can also explore other languages and find a name that has a meaning that best relates to your brand, a good example is Nike, Nike name is originated from the Greek goddess of victory which really aligns with the brand’s message.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD BRAND NAME?

A good brand name is one that is pronounceable, easily memorable and aligns with your company’s brand message, one of the best ways of knowing if your brand name fits is to write down your brand name with other brands in your area of expertise and try using their brand name in a sentence and also yours in a sentence e.g. I like (your brand name) more than I like (other brand names).

THINGS YOU SHOULD AVOID WHEN NAMING YOUR BRAND

1. Your name being too long: this is very important because you will use your name in many places like your email, id card, website etc. and it might be hard for your audience to remember.
2. Avoid wrong domain name: make sure you research on the name you pick so it doesn’t turn out to be another person’s domain name because sometimes it might require you buying the domain from another person.
3. Avoid hard to pronounce words: this is very important, you can’t afford to have your audience not being able to pronounce your brand name.
4. Sensitivity: make sure your brand name meaning is well translated so it doesn’t give wrong message to a particular audience due to language barrier.

CONCLUSION

Just as important it is that every human should have a name that is also how every brand should, in the stages of branding naming your brand might not be the first but it is very important so as to give distinction between your brand and other brands, remember your brand name must be easy to pronounce and remember so it can achieve its goal of representing your brand anywhere at any time.