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As your startup begins its journey to success, it needs a name that’s inspiring and of-the-moment. But what’s popular one day goes out of vogue the next, which can make landing on the perfect name feel like an impossible task. 

Thankfully, NameStormers is here to help. Read on to learn our naming strategy for striking the balance between trendy and timeless.

Figure Out Why Your Favorite Names Inspire You

Dissect examples of names that you love or names of successful competitors. What makes them work? Do they play around with Latin root words? Do they subtly hint at core company values? Being a copycat is a recipe for disaster, but understanding the recipe that yielded an amazing moniker can help you arrive at your own original, catchy name. 

Keep Your Name Concise and Easy to Pronounce

A company name can be unique, clever, functional, and available, but if it isn’t memorable, none of those qualities matter. With few exceptions, brevity is a necessary ingredient of memorability, so make sure your name is concise. A good rule of thumb is to make it no longer than 15 characters and three or fewer words. 

But don’t just focus on length. Make sure it’s easy to pronounce and has a pleasant cadence when spoken out loud. Whether a target’s first encounter with your brand is through hearing it or reading it, they should be able to remember it. 

Make Sure It’s Yours to Use

If you want your name to stand the test of time, do your best to prevent future legal issues by performing a thorough trademark screening. That means doing more heavy lifting than a simple search on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. The work will be worth the satisfaction of knowing your name is safe to use and won’t cause your company future headaches. The last thing you want is to be forced to change your name after building brand equity, or for your targets to confuse you with another company. 

When you choose to involve NameStormers in your naming strategy, we perform trademark screenings using tools that trademark attorneys use. We also perform online availability screenings and weed out name candidates that are not viable before we present clients with available options.

Start Your Own Trend Instead of Jumping on a Bandwagon

Your target audience is exposed to a perpetual tidal wave of content. Trends turn quickly, and brands that are doing what every other trendy brand does can miss out on a chance to make a splashy impression. Before piggybacking on trends like creative misspellings, puns, first names as business names, or adding suffixes like -ly to a word, consider whether doing so is more likely to make you stand out . . . or blend in. 

Be Evocative, Not Descriptive

Many companies we work with approach the naming process believing that their name must paint a detailed portrait of who they are and what they do. But that’s like trying to paint the Sistine Chapel with a box of crayons; names are so short and limiting that attempting to use one to describe your company is a wasted opportunity to make your target feel something. 

Emotion is the key to memory. Is it better to tell your target that you make healthy protein powder by calling your company “Healthy Protein Powder,” or are names like “Muscle Milk” and “Primal Fuel” more compelling?

Why Hire NameStormers to Spearhead Your Naming Strategy?

At NameStormers, we pride ourselves on balancing creativity with attention to detail. Our team is just as comfortable perusing data and crunching numbers as we are batting around ideas during a brainstorming session — which are vital components of our seven-step process

We’ve spent decades perfecting this approach, and you benefit from our knowledge and resources for one flat fee. That means that if you don’t love the names we provide, we are happy to brainstorm and vet name candidates again and again until we find one that fits like a glove. Contact us today to get started on your company naming adventure.

 

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