Business Name for

Social Media &

Search Engine Ranking

Social Media Marketing & Management (SM3) Training

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Empowering Technologies Ltd
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................. 2

WHY SHOULD YOU NAME YOUR BUSINESS .................................................................................................. 2

WAYS TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE NAME FOR YOUR BUSINESS ........................................................................ 3

TYPES OF NAMING CONSTRUCT ................................................................................................................... 4

BUSINESS NAME GUIDELINES ....................................................................................................................... 5

BUSINESS NAME CHECK ................................................................................................................................ 6

CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE BUSINESS NAME ................................................................................................ 7

BUSINESS NAME EVALUATION ..................................................................................................................... 8

CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................................. 8

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INTRODUCTION
When it comes to starting a business, choosing a great name for your startup is a critical first step
towards building a memorable and profitable business.

A lot of people think that naming is naming — it doesn’t matter much if you’re naming a company,
product, service, initiative or child — you just slap a name on it, and call it a day.

And so they take the task of naming their business lightly saying “if we find a name that works fine,
if not we’ll just stick with what we can find.”

From our understudy of business startups, this as a surefire way to waste a lot of time and money,
because the success of a naming your business largely lies on confidence. If you just think of it as an
exercise in seeing what you can come up with, you will not end up with a bad name

While we are aware that coming up with fresh name ideas can sometimes be challenging and it often
feels like all the good names have already been taken. Successful companies however take the pain to
put in their best effort to the task of naming their business or product, by employing a detailed and
systematic process as outlined in this guide

What exactly is a Business Name?

A good business name is one that tells people what to expect. It is the most essential distillation of
your company. It tells you and the world who you are, what you do, or what you stand for.

Product managers often use a name to suggest the nature of the product and to assist with product
positioning. They do this in order not to lose sight of the fact that names should be memorable.

WHY SHOULD YOU NAME YOUR BUSINESS

As soon as you start doing business under a new name, you start building equity and social capital in
that name. So every day you spend without the right name is:
(1) A missed opportunity to build equity in the right name, and
(2) Making you and any other employees or stakeholders more attached to the wrong name

And unfortunately, once you have equity and attachment to a business name, it becomes very hard to
change due to:
a. Your emotional attachment to it: As the feeling that “this is our name!” grows, it becomes difficult
to face the idea of leaving it behind.
b. the Irrational feeling of getting rid of a name that people have started to know because of the
equity already built around the name.

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WAYS TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE NAME FOR YOUR BUSINESS

There are 3 options by which this can be done:
Option 1: Do It Yourself (DIY)
Option 2: Online Naming Tools
There are a number of free online naming tools – wordoid.com, nameboy.com and more –
that will help you generate ideas.
Option 3: Branding Consultants: most naming and brand consultants have enough experience to steer
you away from common naming pitfalls

OPTION 1: DEVELOP YOUR BUSINESS NAME by Doing It Yourself (DIY)

Answering the following questions shows a road map for developing an effective business name by
your self
1. WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS (OR PRODUCT) DO?
Your answer to this will serves as a guide for coming up with a name. it should clarify the following:
a. What is unique about your company or product that your audience will care about?
b. If you have a very specific and narrow offering or will expand soon to provide more products
or services in the future?
c. What you aspire for your business to be or what vision you hold of the future
Lots of companies get so involved touting all of the things that their brand embodies that they wind
up standing for nothing in particular. A good brief will highlight the things you do well that are
important to the people you want to reach.

2. WHO ARE YOUR AUDIENCE OR TARGET CUSTOMERS?

Understanding who it is you're trying to reach, helps you with the choice of name that is compelling
to your audience. Your answer to the following questions will help you clarify who your audience
are:
a. Are you selling to normal consumers or business customers?
b. What is their language? Their style? Their age? Their income? Their education? Their level of
sophistication? Their interest? Their religious outlook? Their brand preference?
c. How does your audience benefit from what you do as a company or what your product or
service does? Is the benefit tangible, like “improved performance,” or more emotional like “a
better life?”

3. WHO ARE YOUR COMPETITORS AND WHAT SORTS OF NAMES ARE THEY USING?
Assemble a list of your competitors and the names they’re using. Be thorough. As you do this, you
will be able to discern naming patterns which will allow you to spot opportunities for differentiation.
It will also allow you to make informed decisions down the road when reviewing trademarks for
potential conflicts.

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TYPES OF NAMING CONSTRUCT

Having answered the above Strategic Questions, you need to brainstorm and develop a pool of
names so that you can have a few good choices at the end of the day using any of the naming
construct below
1. Names from Mash-ups
Think about two or three words that are meaningful for you and your business. Can they be
combined in some way - either in pieces, or entirely? Some examples include TripAdvisor, Evernote
(from "forever" and "note"), and Netflix ("internet" and "flicks"). A name like "SaladGo" quickly
demonstrates that you're running an eatery that specializes in salads-to-g-o...all in just three syllables.
2. Names from Mythology and Literature
Nike is one of the most iconic brands...and in Greek mythology, she's the goddess of victory. Other
well-known companies like Oracle, Hermés, and Mars have mythological names, too. Do some
research and see if there's a mythological figure that's relevant to your company.
3. Names from Abbreviation
It is usually advised against both acronyms and initialisms, as customers almost always end up using
the initials and not the expanded form. However, occasionally, an acronym makes sense. For
example, CORA is an agency that helps victims of domestic violence. The name expands to
Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse, while MADD is the acronym for Mothers Against
Drunk Driving. Others includes NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), HBO
(Home Box Office), IBM (International Business Machines) etc.
4. Names from Suggestive Words
For instance, Dropbox, Evernote and FireEye each convey something about the nature of their
respective services, albeit in styles ranging from fairly descriptive to suggestive.
5. Names from other Languages
For example, Swahili is playful and lively (take Kijiji). Latin words tend to sound stable and
traditional (Veritas, for instance). Keep in mind though, it’s especially important to check your names
for negative meaning or associations when using non-English words and word parts.
6. Name from Common Element
This could be a common letter in a word part (e.g., the final “o” in Lingo, Deco, and Tempo phones
all produced by Kyocera), or a shared thematic direction (e.g. Apple’s operating systems such as
Cheetah, Panther, Lion, etc.).
7. Names from Misspelling
Illiterate names have caught on everywhere, i.e. names that involves deliberately misspelled words.
E.g. Kwik-Fit, the company that promises to fit car parts speedily.
8. Names from Descriptive Words
If you are providing a service, decide whether your company name should describe your customer’s
problem or your unique solution to the problem. For example, a vehicle breakdown service could call
itself Panic Breakdowns, which only serves to emphasize the negative state of mind of the customer;
or Instant Rescue, which sends out a reassuring messafe that helps is at hand.
9. Names form Keyword Merge
Great brand have often evolve from name merge with industrial keywords that describe what the
company does. For example “NAME + software,” for a software company, or “NAME + insurance”
for an insurance company.

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BUSINESS NAME GUIDELINES

1. What do you want the name to communicate?
Is speed one of the key attributes of your brand? Accuracy? Maybe your product has a really unusual
shape. Or perhaps you see your company as forging a path through uncharted territory, in the
manner of mythical heroes.
2. Any legal or linguistic constraints?
These might relate to the industry, the product or packaging, or your intended audience. For
instance, are there words you can’t use for legal reasons? (In the food industry you can only use the
word “organic” if your product meets certain requirements.)
3. Don’t expect your name to tell the whole story.
No name is an island. Whether it is a website name, product name etc., there will always be context to
help tell your brand’s story. So don’t expect your company or product name to say it all.
4. Trust your audience’s intelligence.
Avoid being overly literal and rejecting a name because of an inconsequential or slightly negative
meaning or association— as long as its associated word meanings work with your brand. Your
audience will figure it out. You wouldn’t expect people to think the Ford Freestyle was being offered
free of charge, would you?
5. Don’t get stuck in hunting for a name that has never been used before.
Most names have been around the block a few times, in different industries or contexts. That’s okay.
You can usually adopt a name that’s similar (or even identical) to a name being used in an unrelated
space—as long as it’s not in your space. Think Ford Explorer and Internet Explorer. These brands
happily coexist. So use common sense. Many a great name is rejected out of an excess of caution, or a
misunderstanding of marketing differentiation.
6. Embrace the unusual.
You want your business to stand out in the marketplace, right? So don’t shy away from ideas that
may seem a little strange at first. Be brave. Even though it is natural to be more comfortable with
ideas you’ve seen before. But the truth is if you’ve seen a name for an idea before, chances are so has
your audience, and they will less likely notice your brand. Don’t forget that the best names are a little
different.
7. Avoid perfectionism.
It’s okay to want a name that’s short, easy to pronounce, original, totally cool-sounding, relevant in
meaning, absent negative associations, and available as a domain name. However, prioritize your
wish list, and be prepared to go with a name that only meets your top criteria.
8. Try to be Unique
Making sure that the name is a strong mark in and of itself. You want to be able to protect your name
and prevent other marketers from using the name for similar (or even dissimilar) products. The key
will lie in how distinctive the name is. The more distinctive, the stronger and more legally protectable
it will be.
9. Keep in mind the image that you want to project.
In many cases using words or images that are suggestive and carry with them an easy to remember
picture work best. It is no coincidence that many strong brands are remembered just by their
association with an animal, castle, or symbol than for the name itself.
10. Avoid combinations of trendy or computer type buzzwords.
There are simply too many businesses around with names like “comsoft”, “microserve” etc. These
names are very easy to forget, as there are so many of them. They simply lack the distinctiveness

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necessary to become strong brands, unless they are hugely successful for other reasons, for example
Microsoft.
11. Will a domain name be needed?
If the answer’s yes, you can simply add a descriptor or some other relevant word to the name for
domain purposes. For instance, Method Cleaning Products can become “methodhome.com”, or
Catchword as “catchwordbranding.com”
12. Stick with it.
There comes a time in every startup's life when they face an identity crisis: a shift in product,
marketing, awareness, strategy, or some other fundamental aspect of the business. You might change
your branding, tweak your logo, and shift your approach, but try not to change the name of the
business. This creates massive unease. For this reason, pick a business name that will remind you of
why you started your business, and transmit or communicate that excitement to your audience.

BUSINESS NAME CHECK

The Law of Name Availability says the more you like a name, the less likely it will be available.
The following steps will guide you in checking to know if your desired name has not been registered
by another brand
1. It is important to check that the list of names you have chosen are not currently in use. To do that,
follow these steps:
a. Do a Google search: Just type the names that you have formulated into Google and see what
the results yield for the first few pages. This will tell you if it is a completely diluted, generic
term e.g. “milk,” which could be a cool name for your company but obviously has billions of
existing businesses on dairy
b. Check on Facebook to see if Facebook pages or Twitter accounts who are already using the
same or a very similar name.
c. Check on CAC Search Portal to ensure that your potential startup names has not already been
registered with CAC.
2. If your search results shows existing businesses operating under the same name, in the same or
similar field, in the country you want to operate in, this might be a conflict, you might want to
consider moving on to other name option on your list

3. Use a spreadsheet to track the results of your search. It’s the easiest way to keep tabs on results
for your list of names. Once you have your results, weed out names with obvious conflicts, and
highlight names that seem clear

4. Having done this check exercise, you will have a list of options that have passed the preliminary
check and trademark screening and now you’re ready to shortlist.
Note that shortlisting is an iterative, non-linear process that can take a few days as you hone and
re-hone the list until only the very best candidates remain.
A good rule of thumb is to shortlist 10 percent of the names list; then look at your shortlist with
fresh eyes a day or two later and prune it some more.

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CHECKLIST FOR EFFECTIVE BUSINESS NAME

Pick the very best names only. In this case, “best” can mean anything. But it should primarily mean
the names that adhere to most of the basic criteria of good naming listed below:

 Distinctiveness
Will it pop up in your space, field or industry when a keyword related to your industry is searched
by a guest or visitor on a search engine, or blend in without a trace? (There’s Alaska, American,
United, Delta…and then there’s JetBlue.)
 Conciseness
Is it as short as possible? (Which name grabs you—Gap or PriceWaterhouseCoopers?) The perfect
brand name for your startup will generally be short, simple and easy to say. Ideally, it will be a two
syllable word, as these generally gain more traction with target audiences and are more easily
remembered.
 Euphony
Does it sound good? (Jamba Juice is poetic, Aria is melodic; what do you think of Vudu?)
 Accessibility
Is it easy to say and spell? (Jwaala, Xoopit, Myngle, Fairtilizer—don’t go there.)
 Appropriateness
Is it free of serious negative meaning in a major language? (Virgin, Swastika, fail.)
 Longevity
Will it remain relevant if the brand expands? (Amazon, yes; Book World, no.)
Will it sound oudated if naming trends change? (RIP, Napster.)
 Likelihood of Confusion
If upon legal search your business name turns up with other names similar to yours, the most
important question you can ask yourself to avoid trademark ligations is whether there’s a likelihood
of confusion. That is, are the two names so similar as to potentially confuse a customer?
The rule is if two names which look and sound similar, are in the same business space, and share
associations, the answer is Yes, and the name should be eliminated. On the other hand, someone
else’s brand name can be identical to yours, but as long as it’s not in your industry space, it may be
fine.
For instance, no one’s going to confuse the Ford Explorer with the Internet Explorer web browser.
 Connection
This is more or less the last bustop in our checklist. A recent survey carried out by Brand Managers
revealed 60% of respondents felt that the brand name should say something about the product. Your
Business name should map back to your strategy. It should communicate the key messages that you
targeted. It should make you different from the competition and relevant to your audience. It should
resonate with them enough to compel them to act? Or quickly understand your company

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BUSINESS NAME EVALUATION

Ask a few trusted friends or family members to weigh in on your name ideas. If you say a name and
they immediately look confused or barrage you with questions, you may want to rethink its user-
friendliness.

CONCLUSION
Finding the right name is a key part of your business strategy. So don’t start off on the wrong foot.
While the image associated with a name can be built with advertising over time, brand managers
realize that a carefully created and chosen name can bring inherent and immediate value to the
business.
Hence, a new brand name should not only appeal to the customers, it should have other desirable
properties depending on the nature of the market. These may include connotations associated with
the brand name, relevance to the product, memorability, and the ability of the brand name to offer a
distinctive image over competing products.

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