Once you’ve worked out the details of your business, like what services you will offer, who you will need to employ and where you will be located, it’s time to come up with a catchy name. A clear, powerful name can attract customers and get sales. Selecting the best business name is an important business investment that will be very helpful when it comes to branding and marketing.
Savvy entrepreneurs know that selecting the right name can make all the difference when it comes to propelling a business to success.
With the help of Forbes and Entrepreneur magazines (see how easily recognizable and memorable those names are?!), allow us to offer some advice to consider when naming your hard-earned and well-built business:
Avoid hard-to-spell or hard-to-say names.
In the words of a leading brand name expert online service called Eat My Words, “your brand name shouldn’t look like someone got drunk and played Scrabble.” You don’t want potential customers getting confused on how to find your business online with “clever” spellings (think “Flickr,” a photo-sharing website) or hard to remember initials. Sometimes a name looks fine on paper but sounds bad when said aloud. Imagine the business name easily and memorably being said on the radio, a video or just in conversation/referrals. Keep it clean and simple!
Don’t pick a limiting name.
We know firsthand about this piece of advice. Back in 2011, RODA marketing used to be called Affordable SEO Success. During that time, we solely focused on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), so our name was fitting. However, once we decided to add additional services (website design development, social media, etc.), we knew we needed to pick a new name that encompassed everything. Enter RODA marketing – a family-owned Internet Marketing Company. Be sure to choose a name from the get-go that will not limit your business to a set service, particular product or specific city.
Do your homework.
Do you already have a brilliant business name idea? If so, be sure to do your due diligence and research the name thoroughly before getting your hopes up completely. Do a simple internet search of the name and look at the various meanings, synonyms and derivations of the name to be sure it doesn’t have any negative connotations (i.e. when GM named a new car model the “Nova” without realizing that the name meant “doesn’t go” in Spanish!). Next, complete a search of the Secretary of State’s records, as well as a trademark search to see if you are working with an available business name.
Obtain the .com domain name.
Do everything in your power to obtain the .com domain name rather than settling for alternatives, such as .biz, .net or .org. For whatever reason, customers seem to associate more established businesses with a .com name. Utilize GoDaddy or Network Solutions (domain services) to check the availability of domain names. If your desired .com name is taken, there are steps you can take to track down the owner of the domain name and see if they would be willing to sell it to you. Think of it as a worthwhile business investment.
Get feedback – Does it clearly convey what you do?
Put simply, if your business name doesn’t clearly convey what you do, be sure that your tagline does. When you first hear a business name (or tagline), you should know right away what it is or what it does. Send your list of name ideas to friends, family and trusted colleagues. Personally, when we decided to change our Affordable SEO Success name, we spent over a month tossing around clever and creative name ideas. It finally took someone on our team to suggest using our family name, Roda, and the rest is history!
Now that you know how to pick a great name for your business, it’s time to secure a digital marketing team to help your business soar.
We offer a number of results driven Internet Marketing services and can provide strategic guidance to you and your team. If you want to grow your business and work with a company who truly cares about your success, RODA marketing is the team for you!
Contact us today, or give us a call at 888.653.0331 to discuss the marketing needs of your business.