Naming your company: the 6-step tutorial

Naming a product or a company is not an easy task. There's so much wrapped up in a brand name - images it calls to mind, the personality of the word itself, the relevance to the company's offering - and in most cases... it's permanent! Compound that with the fact that every trademark and domain name out there seems encumbered somehow - it can be pretty frustrating.

As frustrating as it can be, it's pretty important to get it right. A name separates you from your competitors and is many times your first impression on a customer. An unforgettable name is a great asset - a way to create a unique and lasting impression on your customers without buying $1 million of advertising.

So let's think of how to go about really naming a product or company for the long run. Igor, a Bay-area naming firm, has come to the rescue with great tutorials on what's in a name.

Check out their "Branding the Beast" free downloadable book at:
http://www.igorinternational.com/process/naming-guide-product-company-names.php

Igor defines names as Functional (like Infoseek), Invented (like Google), Experiential (like Fathead), and Evocative (like Yahoo!). Their book includes an effectiveness score with hundreds of examples and case studies of various well-known brand names.

Here's just a taste of the 6-step process for naming a company in their book:

Step 1: Competitive Analysis - take a look at the other names in your space

Step 2: Positioning - figure out the nuances of your offering and incorporate those into your potential names

Step 3: Name / Brand Development - taking into account your brand, namestorm! Think of all the possibilities and then evaluate those possibilities in the context of your brand essence, character, promise, points of difference, and positioning

Step 4: Trademark Prescreening - you can check out http://www.uspto.gov/ to see live and old trademarks. You should also check the availability of related domain names - http://www.whois.com/ is a good resource.

Step 5: Creative / Testing - run the name or names by some people unfamiliar with the product or company and get reactions. A survey of family and friends or a full-on focus group may do the trick, depending on your budget.

Step 6: Name and Tagline - you have your name, now it's time to apply some context - imagery and taglines can help explain and define your name for your customers.

Happy naming!