“Sorry Shakespeare! a lot is in the name”

A major problem is choosing the right name for your start up. It is not surprising that start up founders spend countless nights deliberating over a name. Some might say, hey, it it is just a name? No, naysayer, it is not just a name. To say the least, a name should be be catchy and sell-able. What if Xerox had a name like 'Best photocopiers'. Thumbs down, definitely! 

Do not ask somebody for a name. Understand that your name will be your brand for many years to come. It is important to believe in your product but it is also very important to believe in your name. No, this is not Philosophy 101. This is the much needed truth. You need to believe in your name. This exudes confidence- something which you need if you want to have a standing in the market.

Brainstorm.

Narrow down on a list of names and brainstorm those names with your team. An easy way to start this process is to identify few keywords that reflect your product and play mix and match with them. Do not feel embarrassed if you feel the need to look at competitors' names for inspiration. Also, there are many online tools if you still experience a creative block.

Use simple words.

It is the truth of marketing that simple words can create powerful brands. For instance- Apple, Amazon etc. People tend to create visual imageries of what the product is, when they see the brand name. Some might say that difficult and odd names have also created powerful brands. That is true but there is one not-so-small a thing which is usually ignored. They had money to spend on branding. New startups do not usually have that kind of money.
The name should be memorable and sticky yet not obscure or too generic. No one will download your app if he/she will have to research about your startup to find its name. He/she will most likely lose interest in it. Names like Evernote, Whatsapp (making it sound like ‘What’s sup?’ was a brilliant branding strategy, wasn't it?), Pinterest show how words of daily life usage and needs can become powerful brands. They are perfect examples of how existing words can be modified to generate intrigue and consequently attract the customers.
 

 

Keep the target audience in mind.

If your startup is catering to a niche audience, take their tastes and preferences into consideration. For instance- if you have a business of high end luxury clothing brands, choosing a goofy name may not be a good idea.
Decide if you have a global audience. If you have a global audience, it is better to keep your brand name in English. Also keep
in mind the connotations your brand name might have in other languages.
Ensure that it has not been copyrighted. No explanation needed here. Keep any name you want but do not break the law or infringe someone's intellectual property.

 

Keep as less syllables as you can.

It is not a rule but an important observation that many have made over time. Most of the successful brand names have 2 syllables- Google, Facebook, DropBox, Tumblr, Flickr, Reeder etc. 

 

Do not limit yourself to availability of domain names. The focus should be on to choose the greatest name. Dropbox was getdropbox.com; delicious was del.icio.us; twitter was twttr.com 

 

Lastly, remember, what is important is to build a great product. Nobody could have thought that a quirky name like 'Google' would rule the world one day. Keep your product's spirit in mind and you will definitely arrive on a good brand name.