A business name carries a lot of responsibility. It should align with key differentiators, audience needs, and brand culture, as well as your overall brand identity. It had better be legally available, too. Oh, and eventually someone’s bound to ask about the story behind your business name. Take a deep breath though. This should be an exciting moment for you. In the interest of encouraging your success, here are six steps to consider when naming your business.
1: Generate a batch of names as you get your branding in order.
Getting your brand strategy and brand identity in sync from the start creates stronger storytelling opportunities. Write down these brand-positioning aspects:
- Brand story
- What’s your “why?” (Why does your company exist? What brought you to this moment?)
- Brief competitive analysis
- List the names of top competitors and note their “why,” their services, and what they do well.
- Target audiences
- Key differentiator traits
- How will your business serve those target audiences better than the competition?
- Identify three traits you want your name to convey. Include those traits in the rubric below. Rank them as a high priority.
Review the following identity aspects and rank their importance for your future business name (1=low priority, 5=high priority):
- Key differentiator traits (5 is recommended)
- Simple to read, write, and say (3+ is recommended)
- Founder or owner name is included
- Industry descriptor is included
- Combination or mashup names are OK to use
- Acronyms are OK to use
- Visually vivid
- Abstract
- Concrete
- Primary language over foreign language
Draft your initial list of five to ten names and rank them according to the aspects above.
2: *Check for these constraints when naming your business.
- Consider whether your prospective name might limit or constrain your business down the road (e.g. geographic or product-specific mention, trendy word choice).
- Conduct an Internet search to determine which of your prospective names are available for use.
- Start by entering the desired name into the search bar of your favorite online search engine. This will give you a quick pulse on how widely used the name might already be.
- Visit uspto.gov to check whether a desired name is already trademarked in the United States. While you can file a trademark request for your name here, it’s wise to have your legal counsel file that request.
- Conduct a business entity search through your state government website.
- Search the name on social media platforms.
When a name is already trademarked, you cannot use it. If it’s not trademarked, but another company is using the name, seek legal counsel if you really want that name. Depending on how similar your industries and service areas are now, and in the future, you may have flexibility to use the same name.
3: When naming your business, verify which URLs and social media handles are available, too.
Once you’ve condensed your list to only available names, do a search for the most relevant names you might choose for accompanying promotional assets (e.g. website domain, social media handles)
- Head to the Network Solutions website to check potential website domain names. If a desired domain name is taken, you could contact the owner of that domain to ask if they’re looking to sell it.
- When naming your business, it’s important to choose social media handles (@names) that align with your domain name. Search the various social media platforms to see whether they are available. Ideally, your chosen handle is the same across all social platforms (e.g. Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest).
4: Review how well your remaining prospective name(s) align with your brand positioning.
Weight the factors below according to strength of alignment (1=low alignment, 5=high alignment):
- How well do the potential domain names and social media handles align with your brand?
- What’s the emotional impact of each potential name?
- Are there any negative meanings or connotations for the various names (in any language)?
- How does each prospective name look in print and with various font styles?
- How does each name sound out loud, through audio and on video?
- Share your potential names with a group of trusted brand ambassadors. Get feedback from the group.
5: *Register your name, domain, and social media handles.
Once you decide upon a final name, activate the items below, but be ready for others to notice.
- Register your business name and consider having it trademarked. Your legal counsel can assist with this.
- Refer back to Network Solutions and purchase your domain name. Decide whether you’ll keep the Whois information private.
- Select your new social media handles.
6: Announcement your new business name.
- Prepare how you’ll announce the new name across various promotional channels.
- Lean into the story behind the name.
- Engage your audience so they can share in your excitement.
*Disclaimer: Defer to legal counsel for (1) the greatest certainty that your desired business name is legally available, (2) that you are registering your name with the proper authorities, and (3) to pursue a trademark to secure your long-term ownership of the desired business name across your market base and industry.
