Creating Business Names

Your Business’s Name is one of the most important aspects of your business and can make or break you based on how potential clients respond to it. Great business names will draw in customers while a weak business names will likely result in you working really hard to get new customers to come to you.

Many creative and Smart approaches can be used when drafting your business name… Here are some key factors that can help you along the way!

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Consider Your Audience

What type of people are you trying to attract? Are you targeting single moms, large families, teenagers, males looking to bulk up, newlyweds, etc…

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Make it Unique, Yet Simple

Brainstorm words that apply or relate to what your business is all about; however do not be so specific that you won’t be able to expand your business later on… Try saying the words aloud and see what kind of effect they have (positive/negative)… What do you “see” (in your mind) when you think of the word… Is it common? Try to keep the start of your business name closer to A than Z since many directory listing go in alphabetical order. The closer you are to the top, the more likely you will be seen.

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Avoid Unusual Spelling / Pronunciation

Some business have gone the route of unusual spellings and made up words, but this often backfires. You want something that people can share easily. I recommend Avoiding Hyphens, Underscores, and Spaces.

Make sure its translation is not offensive

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Check for Availability

You want to be sure that the Business Name is available, as well as .com domains and email addresses. Your business name and domain name should be the same. An exemption to this is shortening your name if it’s kind of long… (such as mine, Cassey’s Studio of Designs is at CasseysDesigns.com, I simply removed the unnecessary words in the middle). With your domain names, you want to try to obtain as many alternate spellings as possible so that you can use those domains to redirect people to your main domain in case they enter your address incorrectly.

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Come up with a catchphrase or slogan to tell people exactly what you offer

If your business name isn’t really clear in what you offer, come up with a catchy or memorable saying to fill the void. For example: Nike – Just do it. ; M&Ms – Melts in your mouth not in your hands. ; Subway – Eat fresh. etc…

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