Naming your business, product or service is important, but it’s not always easy to get right. A magnetic and distinctive name will be firmly planted in the mind of the consumer. The wrong name will be forgotten.

The right name has the potential to set you apart and to evoke a story. It will start every communication you have with your audience and it will bear the reputation of your brand. There’s more to coming up with a great name than throwing together some words and syllables.

Nine tips for naming your business, product or service

1. Your first 50 ideas are the same ideas your competitors brainstormed. Move past them to get to a memorable, head-turning name. Leave mediocrity behind and be different.
2. See the name from the perspective of the buyer. Naming, as all marketing, is really about them.
3. Shorter is sweeter. It’s easier to remember.
4. Say it aloud. It should sound good and be easy to pronounce. An awkward or off-putting name can steer your audience to your competitors.
5. Think about how your name can signal something new and how it can evoke a story. Over time your brand story can be expanded around this into a textural and powerful story told via your visual identity, colours, sounds, messages and images. Your name is the title of your unique and great story yet to be told.
6. Consider domain availability.
7. Get your trademark lawyer involved to ensure the name can be used.
8. If the brand is international, take into account cultural and linguistic perspectives.
9. Remember, names set expectations in the minds of your audience, so be sure your brand delivers on them.

Spinning great names

The best name brainstorming is founded on strategy that clarifies the brand personality, audience and competitive landscape. Pushing beyond the norm with numerous ideas, angles and word play all help when writing the perfect, unique name. Let’s not forget the value of exploring alliterations, haplology, metaphors, free association and poetics. It takes creative thinking that goes deep and imagines the story that is to be unfold in the coming years.

It’s not easy to come up with an original name when it seems like all the good ones are taken. Yet, with some strategic and creative exploration and research, it can be done. With the right name, you can successfully express your brand essence in a concise, relevant and long-lasting way.