Avoid the pain and agony of naming your small business and 6 points to consider before you name your

Naming your baby and naming your business

The naming of an infant is a very significant event in Judaism – we believe that this name will - in many ways - mold the destiny of a child. A good, strong name can be prophetic to the goodness and strength of the child as it grows and matures. Naming your business is, in many ways, just as important and as significant as your business takes on a life of its own, develops and grows.

It’s easy to name a brick and mortar business!

I love the name of the business in the photograph above: You Need Coffee. This sweet roasting house shop on Jerusalem’s busy Yaffo Street really says it all! It’s not so much a business name as a CTA (Call to Action)! Every time I pass the store – I always say to myself: "I certainly do need a cup of coffee!".

The naming of a brick and mortar business can be a pretty easy matter, since there should be numerous visual cues to stop the potential customer in her/his tracks and bring them into the shop - without ever having the customer really READ the sign; such as an eye catching and/or color appropriate-to-the-business sign, an eye-catching/entertaining window display and an open/welcoming door.

In addition, many businesses can boast olfactory cues, such as a fragrance or aroma that most potentials will smell as they pass the store and will associate with this type of business; for instance the aroma of coffee or baked goods or certain spices.

In addition, you may have noticed that chain stores such as Castro and TOGO have distinctive fragrances that you may only notice for a fleeting instant when pass the store (in a shopping center) or as you enter the store. This distinctive fragrance will act as a Pavlovian reminder to the type of merchandise the store offers or even the actual shopping experience.

Online, non-brick and mortar businesses have it tough

And then there is the NAME of the business: Coffix, Castro, TOGO, FOX, H&O (which I always confuse with H&M) and on and on and on ad infinitum! The strength and perhaps memorable-ness of the business name is, many times, secondary in importance in a brick and mortar business; however in the world of online, non-brick and mortar businesses the name can sometimes mean the difference between success and failure.

Here are 8 points to consider before you name your baby – I mean – business.

1. EASE OF USE

• Is the business name easy to pronounce for the majority of your target market?

• Is the business name easy to spell and therefore to find you? Or are people always going to be asking if you spell ‘YOU’ as a word or a letter or is it a numeral 1 or the word ‘one’?

2. MEMORABLE

Do you want to incorporate a location as part of your business name such as Isrotel or perhaps your name or your type of business or BOTH, as part of your business name; as found in susietours?

3. MEANING

• Consider including words that have meaning or convey a benefit.

• Consider including emotional or hot word(s) that convey a feeling.

• Does the business name make sense to your target audience?

• Is the business name too abstract for your target audience? Remember: you don’t get extra points for being cute unless cute is your message and your product. A cute baby name can be perfect for an infant’s clothing store but not necessarily for an IT business.

• Make sure your business name does not have a negative or offensive connotation in a foreign language, especially a language that may be additionally spoken by your target audience. This is especially important in Israel, where most people speak two, three, four and more languages with ease.

4. RETHINK

• Initials-only business names don’t always work – IBM and all the industry giants with business names containing initials were great for their time. But in today’s hyper-choice world, simple initials just can't convey a message or ignite someone’s imagination or sense of curiosity quick enough to make people want to google your business.

• Don’t copy someone else’s business name either in its entirety or basic look and feel.

• Make sure no one has used the business name already.

• Check out if the words of the business name appear in key word searches (such as in Google AdWords). Using words found high on key word searches can create a strong business name.

5. TEST

Test your business name on your friends and family. What is their reaction to your name? Is it memorable to them? What associations does the name have for them?

6. GOING FORWARD

Sometimes we worry so much about our business name, we may forget to think a step or two ahead and consider how our business name can impact on our business logo and branding.

In our highly-visual world, your business name, your logo and color pallet (in one form or another) must be featured on your website. as a favicon, on your Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media pages, business cards and on any marketing collateral your produce.

• Consider how your business name will look as a logo or even if it can be developed into a logo. Facebook is a good example of a company name vs its logo. The Facebook logo is displayed in two versions: as a lowercase f - placed off-center in a blue font on a white box on the Facebook menu line and a lowercase f off-center in a one font on a blue box in a favicon in the tab in your browser.

• Alternatively, you can consider a logo and corresponding color pallet as secondary to your business name, such as in the case of Google and Google Doodles.

• In addition, consider how your business name will look as your email and domain names. It may be too long or short to be a meaningful name.

Finally: Remember no business name is etched in stone (at least not in an online business) – you can change the name of your business, so don’t let the naming stop you from opening your business! Building your business is a work in progress. Get out there and build and develop the best business you can!

Do you want to open yourself to a more successful business? Are you lost in the social media jungle? Let me help you re-energize your business and rediscover your passion in your profession. We’ll work together to improve your marketing strategy and online exposure and find the perfect target markets for your business. Contact me today to schedule a free introductory meeting.

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