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Pitfalls of the naming process.

What’s in a name? – everything!

A name is one of the cornerstones of your business – it is part of the personality, the visual (the eyes) and audio (the voice) of your company. The way a name sounds, the way it rolls off the tongue, and the way a name creates a picture when heard, tells a lot about your company.

OK, so a name is important, what now?

How should you go about choosing one? Well, to make the process as easy as possible, here are 5 pitfalls to avoid when putting a team together that will eventually decide which name is best suited for the company, product or service you have created.

Our top 5 pitfalls to avoid are:

  1. More is not always best. We live in a democracy, and it would be logical to think that the more people involved in the selection process of a name, the better or more accurate the result – nope. The problem is, that the larger the sample rate, the more vanilla your choice will be. Do they know your Purpose? Do they understand what you are setting out to do? Do they match your target audience? If the answer is no, then their involvement should be no too. In other words, the more people involved in deciding, the greater the decision moves towards mediocracy and away from your target. Choose one or two individuals that understand your market, are current and who really get what you are trying to build.
  2. Short vs. long. Shorter names have a higher recall factor and are often easier to say. Longer names often get shortened and very long names often become acronyms. Really think about what you want to be called. If you don’t want to be condensed to an acronym, then choose a name that is short and easy enough to say without shortening.
  3. Standard should not be the standard. Avoid names that explain your business, such as “Standard Concrete” or “ABC Construction Contractors”. Your name should reflect your brand’s personality, it should build on your company’s Purpose.
  4. Personal brand vs. corporate brand? What are you really naming? You love hunting, fishing and the great outdoors – this defines who you are. That’s awesome, but what you personally stand for is not what your BioTech company stands for. Make sure you choose a name that is relevant to what you are doing.
  5. Say what? Do. Your. Research. You want a unique name but you also need to make sure it can be understood (and said) by your audience and its meaning matches your intention. Ensure that the name you choose is not so obscure that it goes over the head of your customers. Names that are hard to pronounce or names that conjure an image that is not pleasing or misleading, should be avoided. Also make sure that the name isn’t slang for something you do not want associated with your company. This is especially important when your audience speaks multiple languages.

Bonus: You’ll want to complete a trademark search as well on any new name. See the Canadian Trademarks Database to search on your own. You can also hire a lawyer who will include this as part of their trademark application process… or choose to work with a brand agency (like Fever) who does their due diligence.

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