Entrepreneurs: all you need to know about naming

What is the naming? What is the interest of the name in brand identity? How do you go about finding the ideal name for a company, brand, or product?

You are already well advanced in the first steps of your business creation or the launch of a new product on the market, but one thing is missing: the name of your future business. AMIGAMAG tells you everything about the strategic point of the naming.

An essential and unavoidable element of the life of a company is its brand identity. Whether it is unique or whether it is tailored to target niches, the basis of any communication is to give a coherent and attractive image.

THE NAME IS ONE OF THE CENTERPIECES OF YOUR BRANDING.

If a name can find its source in various ways, it is nonetheless delicate to ensure its sustainability and accuracy. How many are these entrepreneurial names to be passed on to posterity for having been victims of an ill-considered and hasty choice?

This is why the discipline of naming becomes an opportunity to make choosing a name a unique and sometimes visionary experience. Let’s start by understanding its meaning and scope.

What is the naming?

The naming is part of a long process of reflection, leading to the creation of an identity for your company, your brand, or your products.

The importance of naming comes from the fact that, if you can’t be named, you don’t exist in people’s minds. And who says to exist does not say in any way because there is nothing worse than a poorly chosen name.

So that to define the brand identity that will emerge from your appellation, several areas of expertise or influence must necessarily be taken into consideration:

• Communication strategy,
• The marketing positioning,
• Intellectual property and legislation,
• Linguistic aspects.

To understand the crucial stage of naming, you have to know its value.

Why is choosing a name so important?

The fact of naming an entity or a product gives it a clean and defined existence, not only with the public but also from a legal point of view.

If for a long time, choosing a brand name did not ask to overcome great difficulties, this is no longer the case today. The internationalization of the markets and the exponential multiplication of independent activities made the task difficult.

It is no longer just a question of finding a name; it must stand out, be attractive, be consistent with your business vision, and this name must be available as property. Intellectual. So many factors that can make your life difficult.

So that to succeed in generating a strategically robust and legally available name, it is imperative to go through various essential stages. Let’s see how to go about it.

Find a name for your business or product

The first step in proper naming is preparation. It consists in defining the contours of your project and its components. By having a global vision of its challenges, your objectives, and your activity, you will be able to orient your name search more effectively.

The second step will be to create several categories in which to place your name ideas:

• lexical (incorporating a term from the semantic field of your sector of activity),
• inherited (composed of the names of the founders of the company or the creators of the product),
• acronymic,
• evocative (directly naming your sector of activity or mentioning the use of the product/service offered),
• invented (a neologism, for example).

The third step is brainstorming. Jot down ideas that come to mind, choosing short terms that are easy to pronounce, easy to remember, and … without problematic double-reading.

Perform a first sort among the generated names, before proceeding to the next step.

Next comes the research on the legal availability of names and their digital availability (domain name, profile name on social networks, e.g.). At this point, there should only be 2 to 3 names left per category.

Your choice will then be made on the one who will win the votes with your communication teams and why not with your audience.

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ACQUIRED A COMMUNITY (SOCIAL NETWORKS, MAILING, NEWSLETTER, E.G.), OFFER YOUR FANS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE CHOICE OF YOUR NAME!

For all those who would like to delegate this important task, know that communication agencies are specializing in naming.

Companies with a limited budget will not be outdone, as there are also collaborative initiatives allowing entrepreneurs to benefit from collective brainstorming sessions.