At the start of a business project, there is a decision that is often made in too much of a hurry and yet it is very important for the future of the project. It is about choosing the name of the company. I am referring to the commercial name, the one that will be the first element of communication with your clients and business partners. I will give you recommendations, and also examples for businesses in various sectors.
Carry out a deep reflection on the strategy
Before choosing the name, it is necessary to state very clearly the strategy and vision of the company. Obviously, it is not the same to create a specialized and local business or a project with a vocation to be international and with a very wide clientele.
It is necessary to be very clear about the market segment to which we are going to address and consider what image we want to transmit. It is also important that we find out the names of our competitors, as we will try to differentiate ourselves.
The name as a tool to inspire the customer
Choosing the correct words allows to generate some feelings in the client. For example, using sounds that are reminiscent of a language allows us to convey the qualities that consumers usually associate with countries. They are prejudices but they are in the minds of our clients and we should not underestimate them. A German name will give an image of reliability, an English name may sound more modern or technological, French will be associated with fashion or cuisine, Italian with design, etc.
Some words are synonymous and yet have different valuations. For example, the word mom is positive while the term mother is more neutral. A brand called “Mom’s Kitchen” would certainly have a better impact than another called “My Mother’s Kitchen.”
The risks of internationalization
An aspect that sometimes we do not take into account is the meaning that our name can have in other cultures and other languages. A famous example is the Mitsubishi Montero that in the rest of the world is called Pajero, and if we continue with Japanese cars there are the Nissan Moco or the Mazda Laputa.
Clues to find a name
The name of the founder of the company. This was the most common in the past but nowadays it tends to be less frequent. Renault, Ford, Ferrari, Michelin are examples of these large industrial companies that continue to bear the name of their founder.
The geographical origin. Many of the companies with names associated with their place of creation have gone much further. Banco Santander, American Express, British Airways are part of these companies with a name based on geography.
A direct reference to what we are selling. Pizza Hut, KFC, Toys r Us, Facebook are some of the companies that make it very clear what they sell.
Modern names. These are words whose meaning is not well known (Google is the number that corresponds to a one with a million zeros behind it), or it is a creation that sounds modern and is associated with the product. Sony, Samsung, Mivi, are some of those names.
It is advisable to make a list of possible names and try them. Depending on our budget we can collect the opinions of our acquaintances and friends or mount a real survey with a specialized Creative Business Names. Another aspect to take into account is to register the corresponding domain on the Internet. It may be the same name as the company (it would be ideal), but in some cases it may be worthwhile for the domain to be a little different, especially if the company name is long.
SEO friendly Names
Ideally, a domain should contain the most common keywords in the business sector (to appear well placed in search engines). But if not, there are many ways to improve positioning thanks to SEO experts. If your company becomes well known offline, your customers will search for it online with the name they know. So it is important that name and domain match, but sometimes it is not possible because the domain is already registered. In this case you will have to consider whether to change the name, adapt your domain name or try to buy the domain from the current owner.
For both hairdressers and beauty salons, the idea is to try to create a name associated with beauty. There may be some pun, but light. The important thing is to generate a sensation. For greater professionalism, the proper name of the entrepreneur (or the entrepreneur) can be included. You have to take into account that many of the clients of a jewelry store are boyfriends looking for an engagement ring. The name has to be quite serious, as it is an important investment. As with florists, you can search for the gemstone you like best and name your business with a variation on that word.
