How do I create name for my business?

Begin by defining your brand 

Your brand is more than a name, a logo and a colour. A brand is the personality of a business. It’s about your purpose (other than making money), your values and the way you are with customers. 

Your business name might not describe your purpose and values directly, but just come to be associated with them over time. But the name still has to be a good fit to work well. 

For example, the name Apple describes very little about the company but has grown to immediately convey a host of business qualities. That said, a name like Steve’s Computers is unlikely to have helped them achieve their purpose to the same degree. 

Taking the time to carefully consider and write down your business purpose and values – along with a brief story about what you do, why you do it and how you are with customers – will give you something to test potential names against. 

Also create customer personas. These are short, detailed descriptions for each of your main customer types, complete with made-up personal details, such as a name, age, job, income, challenges, aspirations and more. They provide another way to test what your target customers might think of potential names and other business decisions. 

Make it easy for customers to find you 

One of the reported reasons for Apple founder Steve Jobs’ choice of company name was that it began with A. That meant it would appear near the top of phone book listings.  

Today, the importance of alphabetical priority has been replaced by appearing among the first results in an internet search engine, such as Google.  

Google’s goal is to provide searchers with the best possible experience. If a company’s name includes one or more of the words people commonly use when searching, then its website is likely to be given a higher priority by Google. That’s because the name typically appears in the company’s website content and in its website address or url. There’s a lot more to search engine optimisation (SEO) than that, but it can help. 

Choose a name that’s easy to remember 

Another way to narrow down your list of potential names is to prioritise the ones that are easy to remember. There are two things that make a name memorable. The first is being quick and easy to read and pronounce. The second is ‘stickiness’, or how long it stays in people’s memories. 

There are lots of ways to make a name memorable, such as humour or cleverness. Another is to paint a memorable picture. For example, in recent years there has been a trend to use a colour and an object to create names like Green Gorilla, Blue Frog, Red Balloon and so on. Their uniqueness helped the name stand out in a crowded market, especially when the idea was new. All of these methods work by encouraging the brain to think for a second or two about the name when it’s first seen. 

However you make your business name memorable, it still needs to fit with your brand and appeal to your target customers. Their sense of humour or idea of cleverness may not be the same as yours. 

How to test a business name 

Once you have a short-list of business names, it’s time to test your top picks. The first step is to check whether any of the names on your list are already in use, or if very similar names exist. Once you have checked each potential name, it’s time to see what your target customers think. 

How to check if a business name is already being used 

Start with a simple Google search using the name and see what comes up. You could also enter the web address or url you’d like to use. If someone is already using the name, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t. A small business with the same name in another part of the world is unlikely to be a problem. If they’re already using the (business name).com web address, you might still be able to register the .co.nz or .nz version instead. 

Also do a quick search around social media apps like LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook to see if similar names come up and how popular they are. You won’t want customers accidentally going to their pages and potentially reading comments or seeing images that don’t represent your brand. 

Next, dive a bit deeper and search for registered business names, trademarks, and other unique or protected things like social media handles. A really easy way to do this is to enter the name on the New Zealand government business website ONECheck. 

If you think you’d like to trademark your business name, you can also see if the name or similar versions already have registered trademarks, by visiting the New Zealand Intellectual Property Office website. 

How to test a business name with customers 

Once you think you’ve found the perfect business name and checked that it looks okay to use, it’s time to see how people in your target market respond to it. You can start with friends and people you trust but remember they’re not necessarily the people you want to attract to your business. 

Look at your customer personas and see if friends and family know anyone that fits those descriptions. You’ll probably know a few as well. If they agree to give you some time, just let them know you’re testing a name for a company. Don’t tell them anything about it to begin with. 

Here are some questions you could ask: 

• What was the first thing you thought when you heard/saw the name? 

• If you had to guess, how would you describe the business? 

• What do you think the business might see as important? 

• Have you heard of similar business names? 

• How easy do you think it would be to remember the name? 

• What do you think the business sells? 

• How does the name suggest the business might be different to others offering similar products or services? 

• Can you think of a better name?