7 Tips to Create a Truly Unforgettable Brand Name

Now the global financial situation is looking more promising, and people have increased levels of confidence in their national economies, it’s unsurprising so many normal people are opting to leave their traditional jobs and start their own companies. This is a big step for most, and so anyone who manages to turn their idea into a reality should be congratulated. Even so, there are going to be some pretty large and complex stumbling blocks ahead, so you’re going to need as much information and advice as possible during these early stages. With that in mind, today I’ll be giving you some handy tips that could help to make your firms branding process a little easier.

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Regardless of which marketplace you intend to enter, ensuring your company is represented accurately by your choice of branding is vital. This is a key element in attracting potential customers and clients, and doing it properly could mean the difference between immense success and terrible failure, which is why you need to give me your full attention for the next five minutes as I try to explain things in the simplest way possible. I’ll do my best to refrain from using jargon and useless business buzzwords, as this post is designed to make your life that little bit easier, not complicate things.

Tip #1 – Work On The Theme

Firstly, before you do anything else, you’ll need to determine what the theme of your brand name will be. This can sometimes present difficulties for a single person, and so it would be wise to consult others who have an understanding of the nature of your firm. Do you remember those brainstorm charts you were forced to make during your school days? Well, something like that could come in handy during this process, so grab some markers and an A3 sheet of paper.

Tip #2 – Use Wording Tools

In the past, it would have been advisable for you to use a thesaurus to come up with lots of different words relating to the same meaning. Whilst this is still a valid way of performing word association, these days the tools available to you are a little more impressive. If you spend some time searching online, you should have no trouble locating amazing websites that are designed specifically to help you with this process. As a writer, I often use these word association portals when coming up with my titles, so I can personally recommend them.

Tip #3 – Set The Mood

Mood is something very few people consider when it comes to branding, but it’s also something that can have a huge effect on how the name you eventually choose is perceived by others. So, take some time out to collect images you feel appear interesting or appealing and see if you can create a few different mood collections to help inspire your name. Perhaps you might like to consider pictures of speeding cars or professional runners leaving their competitors in the dust?

Tip #4 – Start Mining Metaphors

I really can’t stress enough how effective metaphors are in branding. You’ll probably recognise the term “connecting people” from mobile giant Nokia’s advertising campaigns, right? Well, this is one of the best uses of metaphor around at the moment, and it is used to make customers envision themselves being figuratively connected to people through the use of their mobile phone. Do you get the picture?

Tip #5 – Consider Phrases

In my own experience, phrase based brand names tend to work really well for some companies, and so this is something you don’t want to overlook. Even made up phrases like “I can’t believe it’s not butter” have helped many firms reach the level of success they set out to achieve, which means you should definitely take time to consider any phrases that might suit your firm. If you’re struggling with this, another brainstorming session may be required. However, it is possible to cheat if you’re savvy enough to work out how (just buy a common English phrase book aimed at tourists).

Tip #6 – Add Some Humour

This always works well so long as you manage to find the right balance between humor and professionalism, and sometimes your logo can play a big part too. For example, consider the content marketing firm Fat Joe. Their name seems to represent the fact that both CEO’s are called Joe, and although their chosen branding in itself is only slightly humorous, their choice of logo (a rather happy looking orange monster) adds to their appeal and creates the perfect impression for potential customers and clients.

Tip #7 – Don’t Be Afraid Of Puns

Believe it or not, you don’t have to read the Sun newspaper on a daily basis to enjoy a good old pun from time to time, and branding your business through this means can be a brilliant way of ensuring you always remain fresh in people’s minds. Just to give you some idea of the effectiveness of this technique, a rather large chain of middle eastern restaurants opted to rebrand a few years ago after experiencing financial issues. Their new name of “Pita Pan” was a roaring success almost instantly, and this immediately led to a balancing of their books and a far increased customer base.

So long as you’ve read through all those tips thoroughly, and you apply my advice when coming up with a long term, effective brand name for your company, the chances of your firm reaching the level you’re aiming for will be greatly increased. Although many business owners do put this amount of effort into their branding, lots of others don’t, which means you should be out in front by simply reading this post.

Finally, if you really want to create an unforgettable brand, you might consider the possibility of making your company name rhyme. This is a pretty weak and unimpressive tactic, but it has been known to work on the odd occasion. Just check out firms like StubHub or Shake ‘n’ Bake.

See you next time!