Almost Everything

SYNOPSIS IN POINT FORM

• The name of your business is about the most important factor
• It automatically and strongly portrays a certain image
• Select the name that gives exactly the desired image
• It directly influences prospects to look for further details and consider you or discard you
• Catchy and interesting names are good, but not complex and obscure ones
• If targeting an international audience check the meaning and sound of the words
• Choose words which are easily understandable and pronounced in other languages
• If you want to sound different & avant garde be original, if conventional then find a traditional and conformist name
• To distinguish yourself from competitors go for a different type of name, if you want to ride their wave find a name which can be confused, or at least associated with theirs
• It always pays you to be high on an alphabetical list

FULL ARTICLE

The name of your business, project, shop, outlet, website, trading name or venture is not only extremely important, but if you want to isolate any one single feature, then it may probably be considered as the most important of all.

It is what defines you, what you are known as, how people remember you and what creates the mental image projected into people’s mind.

Let us look at some fictitious examples. Compare restaurants called :
Joe’s Diner, Linda’s Eatery, Mamma’s Meals
as opposed to :
Le Grand Canard, Heat & Eat, Aqua

I just made all these names up, but the difference is immediately apparent. While the first set evokes very informal, casual if not clumsy dining, the second immediately summons up much grandeur visions.

Let us try the same with imaginary accommodation properties :
In ‘n Out, The Friendly Lodge, Cathy’s Cottage
as opposed to :
The Cunningham, Grand Golf Hotel, Clifton Lord’s Palace

Again these are all bogus names simply created to highlight how significant a name can be. And the same applies to absolutely any type of business. I purposely chose restaurants and hotels as these should be easily understandable to everyone.

Your choice of name will make an enormous difference in the overall success of your business. If you don’t accord total attention and thought towards it, then you are really starting off in the wrong direction.

So what are the basics about selecting the right choice of names? There are many pointers which can effectively lead you in the right direction. Like most other things, it may sound like a fairly complex process, but then again most things in life tend to be that way. Following these methods will however put you on the right track.

The name is your very first and most powerful marketing tool, so use it fully to your favour. Start off by asking yourself what your customers will search for and what they want to hear.

To continue using the above examples for simplicity’s sake, is it cheap and cheerful and homely and informal that you are offering, or is it chic and classy and stately? Do you want to project yourself as a quick bite when you’re hungry and don’t feel like cooking at home, or your special night out on that most special of occasions in the best of venues? Are you the local inn offering the most inexpensive accommodation for budget travellers, or aspiring to be the best hotel in town for visiting dignitaries and for the jet set?

This reasoning may be replicated to any form of business and without going to such obvious extremes, no matter the line of business and the positioning, your name should strongly represent the image you are trying to portray.

Clients are strongly influenced by a name and much of their choice of provider will be based on this one factor. Let us not forget that in today’s information age we are all swamped with options and what is the very first, and often the only, thing that comes up? The name!

When searching online and elsewhere, we always start off by a list of names, some of which inspire us to look into and others which we are happy to skip and overlook. So the very first rule is to be true to your image and audience. Try to find the best name which evokes what you are really all about and which will instantly attract your desired audience.

The name should be catchy and appealing, it should be memorable and strongly tied to who and what you are. So reflect well on each word in the name, which should all clearly lead the viewer to exactly who you want to be.

Names which are too complicated or ‘clever’, those which are ambiguous and also introspective, referring to matters which few besides yourself can understand, are simply not a good idea. So catchy and interesting yes, but complex and obscure definitely not.

If you are appealing to an international audience then this must definitely also be taken into consideration. Be extremely careful to check the meaning of similar and similar sounding words in the languages of your target audiences. Choose words which are easily understandable and more so easily pronounced in their languages. If you are aiming at a wide international audience then ensure that you name is as cosmopolitan as possible and not showing a marked penchant towards any nationality. Try to use global, easy sounding words, of which many exist.

Many theories abound about the advantages of long or short names, about abbreviations, about personal names within a business’s name. In my opinion all of this depends entirely on each specific case and to generalise would therefore be risky.

What I believe should also be kept in mind is that originality can be very useful if you want to be labelled as different and avant-garde, while conventional sounding names are better if you want to portray tradition and conformity. If you want to strongly distinguish yourself from existing competitors, then go for a strikingly different type of name to theirs. If on the other hand you want to ride their wave then find a name which can be easily confused with theirs, or at least directly associated.

Back in the old days when it was all about directories and listings, it was always strongly recommended to have an alphabetically advantageous name, ideally starting with an ‘a” or even a number, for very obvious reasons. Entire studies were conducted to prove that enquirers would simply scroll through the first few names and send out requests, or even purchase directly from these, without ever bothering to look any further down the list. This reasoning is exactly in line with being on the first page of Google upon a given search. This reasoning may have understandably waned over the years, however I am still a keen supporter of the concept that if you had to choose between two shortlisted favourites, then definitely go for the first one alphabetically.

Give your name a lot of importance and a lot of thought. For it is also something you will hardly ever be able to chance.