David Sandy

Domain Clearance and Due Diligence

May 15, 2017 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

Conducting a Domain Clearance

Checking the history and backlink profile of a domain should be the first step before purchasing a domain followed by investigating the trademark status of a domain. I’m putting it first because checking the domain history is fast so you are wasting less time if the result is something you don’t want to fool with.

The first step is to check a cache service such as Way Back Machine that captures still images of websites at various points in time. Typically it is best on homepages, but it will frequently have interior pages as well. Really you just want to exclude notably spammy uses such as porn, steroids, or make money type sites.

Ideally, you’d see a well done professional site. This would give the site some potential for aging benefits and positive SEO effects. It’s not a big deal at the current time so I wouldn’t stress about this. If you want an aged domain with links then you will need to accept a limited number of choices in terms of the name. I would mainly be concerned with potential negatives.

I would log any former uses and save the screen shots for your trademark search.

Second is to check the backlink profile of the domain. If the backlink profile is clean then the site is still probably safe to use, though if you have any doubts I would check with an SEO service. I would check Open Site Explorer and Majestic, which currently offer limited free services. You just type the domain in both sites and you’ll either see low scores at the top or no result returned, which are both what you are looking for. If you want to be really careful there are lots of sellers of full paid reports from these serviceson fiverr.

If you decide to continue on with checking out the name then I would next investigate the potential trademark status of the name which is a more complicated area.

Trademarks and Trademark Clearance

March 26, 2017 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

NOTE: This article is provided for General Information ONLY. You should consult a TRADEMARK attorney for legal advice. NAMEPERFECTION does not warrant names as to trademark or provide any guarantees as to their suitability for trademarks. You should consult a trademark attorney for specific advice. Ask about a reservation period if you need to have an in depth search conducted.

Trademarks are established by use not registration. If you stop using it then you’ll lose it. The laws surrounding trademark derive from common law (English Law created by judges) unfair competition laws. This creates a confusing hodgepodge of rules that don’t lend themselves to clear answers.

What kind of geographical range does a trademark have?

Trademarks are granted by country. Many countries, but not the United States, have joined a system called the Madrid Protocol.

What kind of search should I perform to check to see if there might be a trademark issue?

Because trademarks are established by use, checking to see if there are any issues involves a time and expense tradeoff.

The first search is just Google. Run the name through Google and see what comes up. It’s free and Google is in some ways more comprehensive than the United States Patent and Trademark office system or Trademarkia. Since trademarks are established by use and you are purchasing a domain name then you will be especially interested in other online uses, even if it’s as a product name that a company might not have bothered to trademark.

If that’s clear then I would check both the USPTO Tess system and Trademarkia. You are looking mainly for live entries; however, dead entries can still interfere potentially since they might still be operational just not completing filings or just limping along.

If you are investing a serious budget in your startup then you should consider a professional search and opinion letter. More expensive options will include searches of state trademark offices and business directories.

Note no search will be 100% effective. There might be a Vibito Eatery fruit stand that’s an unincorporated sole proprietor with no social media presence or business license. You could establish a great Vibito Fruit Company that spreads over the nation selling low sugar fruit spreads, but the Vibito Eatery would still be able to operate in their original area since they are a preexisting use.

On my site I own all the domains so if you want me to hold off for up to 5 days on pushing the domain so you can have a professional search run that won’t be a problem. If you find an issue I can just process a refund. If you purchase a domain somewhere else, try to either get a commitment to hold an offer for long enough to have a search done or see if they’ll sell you a five day option for a nominal amount. A trademark search can usually be completed in 1-3 days.

If someone has a trademark on the name can I use it?

We tend to think of trademarks like patents, the first to file gets it. However, thinking about even some real world examples you can see this isn’t true. There’s a Delta Airlines, Delta Faucets, and several Delta Banks. The companies do not have any corporate connections.

You can use the same name if it wouldn’t cause a “substantial likelihood of confusion”. Note that while you need to register a trademark for all the classes where you want the benefit of registration, having a different class does not create a safe harbor for substantial likelihood of confusion. United States courts will generally use a test called the Polaroid test from a 1961 case. (Polaroid Corp. v. Polarad Elecs. Corp., 287 F.2d 492 (2d Cir. 1961)

There are numerous factors such as likelihood of confusion, actual confusion, sophistication of consumers, intent and several others.

I would suggest a consultation with a trademark attorney before you start to use a name that might cause confusion if you even get an inkling in the common sense portion of your brain that there might be a problem.

Generic – Term may be used synonymously Misspellings are still generic,

Descriptive – Describes a quality of a good. Requires a strong showing of secondary meaning.

Suggestive – between fanciful and descriptive Citibank eamples somewhat of a middle ground. Requires use of imagination

Foreign words read as though they were English. So Pain is still Bread, even though it is French.

Secrets of the Old Advertising Pros

December 18, 2016 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

People sometimes debate about what is the world’s oldest profession, but whatever your opinion, advertising could certainly be in the discussion. If you define advertising as the art of persuasion, humans have been doing that for millennia. Even when primitive humans were painting pictures on the walls of caves 30,000 years ago, it’s possible they were trying to persuade others of their skill at hunting, or the quality of the spears they made. Actually, men and women have been trying to persuade the opposite sex of their attractiveness for an even longer time.

Advertising has been around forever, it seems. These days it’s become more important, as companies face steep competition to get their message heard among all the background noise of our information saturated culture.

Even though newer forms of media are appearing all the time, and the advertising landscape is constantly changing, there are some classic principles that have worked through the ages, and they still work today. Let’s look at 12 of these principles, based on the work of classic advertising copywriters from the golden age of direct mail and print advertising in the early to mid 20th century.

Newspaper pages with antique advertising. Woman’s fashion magazine Le Petit Echo de la Mode from 1919

. What emotion do you want to produce? Before you write a single word of a marketing plan or ad campaign, decide what emotion you want to produce in the reader or viewer. Is it pride? Happiness? Fear? Successful ad campaigns focus on the emotions of the audience.

. Show people using your product. People need to know how your product or service works right away, so you should always get that message across immediately.

. Use short, punchy words. No jargon allowed. No long words. Keep it simple, and you’ll get your message across.

. Satisfy a desire. Everybody wants something, and if you can fit your message to a strong desire in your audience, you’ll have a winning campaign.

. Create a character. Think of the iconic characters like Ronald McDonald, Tony the Tiger, the Michelin Man. If you can create a character who embodies the benefits of your product or service, it will stick in people’s minds.

. Talk about a benefit. What’s so great about your product? Answer that question in your advertising, and you’ll be successful.

. Give it drama. People love drama. Frame your advertising as a story, give it drama, and you’ll get people’s attention a lot more than if you just spew out a lot of dry product details or data.

. Write to one person. The best advertising is person-to-person. You must write to the audience as if it’s one person sitting across from you at a table. Make it conversational, personal, and emotional. That’s how you develop a message that resonates.

. Tell them why your product is the right one. You have to separate your product or service from every competitor on the market. What’s best about it? What does it do better, faster, cheaper than any other product? You’ll stick in the customer’s mind if you emphasize the differences between your product and its competitors.

. Soothe their anxiety. We live in an age of anxiety, and if you can soothe anxiety, people will welcome that message. Does your product or service make people safer? It’s okay in that case to play on their fears in your advertising, because then you can offer them a solution for their fear and anxiety. This doesn’t just work for products that make people’s lives safer. There are all sorts of anxieties — a company that sells educational videos could ease parents’ anxieties about their children’s academic skills. If you think about it long enough, you can probably identify an anxiety that every product or service will cure.

. Make it worth their while. People are busy these days, and in order to get their attention, you have to make it worth their while to give you their time. Offer a deal, a discount, a free gift, a solution to their most pressing problem — there has to be a payoff for the audience for taking the time to listen to you.

. Make it personal. Of course, you can’t send out personal messages to millions of people, but do whatever you can to make your message different than junk mail or SPAM. People hate to be treated like a number, or just another entry in a database. Use different packaging, conversational language, unusual colors — anything to make your advertising look more personal.

. Don’t fall in love with your creativity. Finally, no matter how brilliant you think you are, remember that the point of advertising to motivate an audience to buy. The flashiest, wittiest, hippest, or most entertaining advertising is useless if it doesn’t accomplish the goal of getting people to act on your message. Focus on sales, and be ruthless about editing your work if it doesn’t get results.

It’s a challenge to get your message out in today’s media environment, but if you follow these classic advertising tips, you’ll have a better chance of succeeding.

Find Yourself a Free Domain Name!

November 9, 2016 by David Sandy 1 Comment

Despite running a site selling domain names, I’m a big fan of trying to find a “free” domain first. By free I mean either one that costs a normal registration fee or is dropping. I’ve found decent free domains for several recent ventures, and if you’ve done the legwork you’ll feel a lot more comfortable paying for a domain if that’s the route you’d like to go. Of course, if your time is valuable enough then I don’t object impulse purchases.

I like to divide the search for a name into several steps.

Try Something New on a different color sticky note from the other yellow notes on a bulletin board telling you to follow a change in routine for improved results

First: Try to identify words and concepts associated with the business you are trying to enter.

I recently started a site for a bankruptcy related product which meant I needed to include the keyword bankruptcy and there weren’t other good options. Other fields may have numerous words legitimately associated with them such as wealth management; legacy, protection, guidance, and many others. I recommend looking at industry directories and thesaurus to develop options.

Words associated with qualities and industries also bring their association to roots. For example lega combined with many ending would be brandable but still evocative of the original concept. Legatus Group sounds respectable and is an actual financial planning company.

Second: Start mixing things around

Keep in mind the common endings that frequently make a sensible word; ly, sy, a, io, ia, us, om, and o. You can probably think of some more. I would start by appending these to the end of the words you started in step 1.

To check availability you can run a bulk list through Godaddy, which is an okay registrar and can generate some suggestions that aren’t too bad if the name isn’t available.

Third: Try the generators.

I wouldn’t spend too long on step two. There are a number of domain generators out there that work quite well.

The one I usually start with is lean domain search which displays whatever you type in with whatever is available out of a list of the most popular words and endings of registered domains. I found bankruptcybase.com using this software and bingeout.com was also named using lean.

I like lean because it allows you to focus on real combinations of words. I personally don’t like to go over two words with the exception of the use of small prepositions in the middle(my, go, etc.), like foundmyfitness. Prepositions sound cheesy but running my+a related keyword through lean can come up with some catchy sounding phrases.

Fourth: Try to Catch Something.

Catching a dropping domain will in all likelihood cost you more than the registration fee. There might even be an auction but typically you’d probably pay 5-35% of what you would pay on a marketplace. It’s a great way of finding good domains on the cheap. Unfortunately, only a limited number of good ones drop so choices can be limited. I buy domains weekly and accumulate an inventory of good one.

It’s also costly in both time and you’ll need a drop tool. I use domcop.com. Basically you just enter your constraints in the advanced search and you’ll see all the domains available. Be sure to enter a max price of 70 so you only get true dropping domains.

Dropping domains come in two categories. Pre-drop auctions at the registrar where the domains are registered. These can be fairly reliable. I would not bid on a name until the last minute. People search for domains with bids so they don’t have to find the good ones. I’ve started many bidding wars.

True drops involve having the domain lapse and then dropcatch services like dropcatch.com, snapnames, or pool.com will send in automated requests to register the name. First one to get it wins. If the winner has multiple bidders then they will conduct an auction.

So that’s a quick guide to securing a free domain name. Try to do a domain clearance and think about trademarks before you register a domain so you don’t run into problems later.

Picking the Right Name for Your Music Venture:Band, Label, or Blog

October 10, 2016 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

It’s famously said that for any company name of any kind to stick in people’s heads, especially if it’s a domain name, it has to be catchy, yet representative of what that company stands for, and it’s no less true of people in the world of music.

Musicians and others in the music business know that branding and catchy names are incredibly important. Of course, it’s also said that with creative works, the work is just as important as the name, or you won’t be very popular, regardless of the cool name you come up with either as an artist, business-person, or both.

Then, of course, you might not necessarily seek popularity for its own sake, but popularity within your own niche can happen, regardless of whether you seek it or not because your music is top-notch. But this is the case with any musician: your music and your overall creative voice are essentially your brand, even though your sound might evolve over time.

“The Times, They Are A-Changin’”

As a musician, producer or blog writer (or all three!), you might have noticed quite a few musicians choosing to learn the business side of their art and start a recording label of their own so they can be completely independent of having a recording contract with a big music studio. Trent Reznor from “Nine Inch Nails” is one of them, and so is Loreena McKennitt, a famous voice in the world of Celtic-folk-style music. Of course, they’ve already got their brands built because of the music they write and perform.

Many other musicians, like Trent and Loreena, have gone independent like this so they can be more in touch with their true fans and give the fans what they want, rather than be beholden, financially, to “Big Recording,” as it were. Some musicians are just starting out, and some, like Chip Davis of “Mannheim Steamroller” fame, have been around quite a while.

But regardless of how long you’ve been in the music field, building a brand through your music as well as your band/solo artist website is important, because it’s not just about the music, it’s also about how you might engage with your fans, otherwise. This is particularly true of pop, rock and country music, but there are many in other genres who seek to do the same.

So, because these times are truly changing, you may be starting out as a musician and music-business person and thinking, “How do I want to build my brand? What name do I use to convey the very heart and soul of my music and my recording label?”

And those are two of the most important questions to ask yourself as you move forward.

Choosing Artist/Recording Label Domain Names

It’s likely that you’ve already got a band name, or if you’re a solo artist, you’ve gotten a website going that features your band/artist name, and that’s unique enough that it doesn’t take a lot of thought, especially if you’re recording under a contract with a music label.

However, if you’ve chosen to stay independent and have the ability to create and produce music in your own studio (which many do, these days, thanks to the advent of digital audio workstations which don’t always require a physical keyboard), then you’re likely looking to create a domain name that reflects your recording label as well as the music itself. In which case, if your name happens to be ‘John Smith’ or ‘Mary Jones,’ you don’t have to rely on that for a domain name. In fact, it’s better if you don’t because those are not the most unique names in the world.

Or even if you do have something of an unusual name, but it’s difficult to pronounce for most, then choosing a domain name based on your music, your personality, your insight into the world, etc, are good starting points. Keep in mind the 3-or-4-syllable rule of thumb, though, when choosing a name. Here are some possibilities for recording label domain names, based solely on your chosen genre.

Pop Rock: happytimes.com

Indie Rock: sixsoulstrings.com

Heavy Metal/Hard/Acid Rock: beatsofsteel.com

Country/Bluegrass: downhomemusic.com, musicharvest.com

Soft Rock/Show Tunes: finehearts.com

Celtic/World: standingstone.com, earthdrums.com,

Ambient/Symphonic Electronica/New Age: cosmicwaves.com, spacedreams.com

Granted, this is just a small sample of the genres and subgenres that are out there, and yes, some of these domain name ideas might actually be taken, but they’re here to spark ideas and prime the pump. Of course, you’ll likely have clever ideas of your own based on your personality and the direction you wish to take your music ventures.

Those are just some ideas if you’re a musician who wishes to have their own recording label, and you have a blog attached to it.

Of course, if you’re simply into producing and publishing music and want to create a recording label for artists to record under, and have a type of musician’s demographic you wish to reach, genre-wise, the above names should also get ideas going. For instance, in the New Age genre alone, there are some clever, yet to-the-point names that encompass the basic philosophy behind the New Age spiritual movement. “SoundsTrue” is one such company. While they don’t limit themselves to producing or publishing music, the notion and concepts of “sound” and “frequency” is still within their name, and it encompasses their mission. “RealMusic” is another such production name in the New Age genre, with a similar philosophy, though their sole focus is music.

Blogs

Finally, we come to blog names. While having a blog is essential for a musician and/or recording company to keep people updated, and some musicians strictly use a blog to keep fans in the loop, not everyone is going to be a professional musician. Many music blogs are simply written by music aficionados who “geek out” about music in general, or have a deep fondness for a particular genre or philosophy of music, such as a focus on local bands. Some bloggers might do karaoke, or sing at weddings, but that’s about it for their performance desires.

But whether you’re a performer or simply an avid writer/blogger about music you love, and you want/need to make a blog part of your career, here are some blog domain name ideas. But you don’t specifically have to use them. After all, the point is to be memorable and creative.

For Performers:

“Take Five”–for jazz/rock musicians

“Sound Off”–general blog name (you could come up with all kinds of variations on this)

“Making Waves”–for those deeply into electronic music

“In Tune”–general blog name

“Amplify This!”–general blog name

For Those Who Write About Music:

“Cosmic Hangout”–blog name for someone who’s into ambient/space/New Age

“Chill Pill”–blog name for someone who likes jazz/house “fusion” tunes.

“That’s My Jam!”–general music enthusiast’s blog who writes about everything.

“‘La Vida Local’”–blog name for someone who follows local/indie bands.

“Concert Crush”–blog name for someone who loves to attend a lot of concerts, of any genre.

Whichever name you choose, in the end, keep in mind not just the short-syllable rule, but mainly how your domain name and website will present who you are as a musician/producer/blogger (or maybe just a blogger), and as a person.

How to Find Good Names for Businesses in the Fashion Industry

September 6, 2016 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

During the last few decades, the fashion industry became a multibillion-dollar global enterprise. Because of this, it’s easily understandable why there are so many entrepreneurs trying to penetrate this market and enjoy their own piece of the cake. Whether you are focusing on selling or making clothes, you will need to find a way to stand out from the crowd and make a name for yourself. It is a branch of industry that targets an oversaturated marketplace, making it hard for any fashion startup to reach success.

In this world, everything revolves around fashion, which is defined as a style of clothing and accessories worn at any given time by groups of people. The things that the fashion industry encompasses are design, advertising, marketing, retailing, distribution, manufacturing and promotion of women’s, men’s and children’s apparel. The overall strategy you will be implementing in developing your business is going to be defined by the services that you want to provide in the fashion industry.

One of the most challenging things that await you on your way to success is finding a good name for your fashion business. There are already many strong associations that customers have formed in this branch of industry.

For instance, when most people say jeans, they think Levi’s; for running shoes, it’s Nike, and the list goes on. As you can see, you will have to come up with a stylish and catchy name that will go along nicely with your services and products for many years to come. This is why we have compiled this list that could help you come up with a name for your fashion business.

Explore your Confidence

Of all the branches of industry out there, the cult of personality is the most common occurrence in the world of fashion. Deciding whether you want to position your brand as the product of a designer or not will determine the direction of your naming process right off the bat. If you want your customers to strongly identify your brand with your personality, you can name your business by using both names. On the other hand, by using only your surname as a business name, you can build this attachment via different means.

It takes a lot of confidence to start a business in the fashion industry. You should keep in mind that a good name of your business can help you develop your brand in a shorter timeframe, with a fairly modest marketing budget.

Discover Your Target Niche

Sometimes, it is better to enter the industry through a small door in order to reach success. In most cases, when entering the fashion market, you will not have a budget as big as the leaders in the field. This is why you should try spending your time to identify your target customers.

If you do a research and find out who your potential customers are, you might end up with several good business name ideas. Knowing the problems and needs of your potential customers can prove to be useful tailoring material that you can use to sew stylish business names.

You can consider pursuing a naming strategy that will focus on coming up with memorable and evocative names. This way, your name will help you differentiate your business from other designer labels. The great example is a “Torrid” line of clothes. This company specialized in designing and manufacturing clothes for overweight teen girls.

Another important fact that could help you get the name you desire is the generation you will be providing for. We live in a world that is very dynamic and prone to unpredictable changes. Try to find everything you can about the generation you want to turn into your customers. This way, you can avoid a name that only sounds catchy and cool to you.

What is your Style

It might be much easier to find a name for a business that will be designing and manufacturing clothes that fit your style. After all, you know how you feel when you successfully express yourself through what you wear. These emotions could help you invent a name that can talk with your audience. You can also use this to create a great branding story that will attract even more customers.

You should look for a word that relates to your audience and style. But, try not to put that much effort in the naming process, because it can become counterproductive. Some designers say that they come up with the name for their companies while they were creating their clothes. Relax and do what you do best, and the idea will pop up.

Read Fashion Blogs

There is abundance of fashion blogs online. The amount of information you can get there is incredible. Try to read the most visited blogs on a daily basis. By taking a deep dive into the fashion world, you will get a feeling of what might be a good and a bad fashion business name.

Try leaving comments on blogs and don’t feel afraid to ask for a help in the comment section. Who knows, maybe the idea for a good name will come when least expected. While you are at it, try to read about leaders in the fashion industry and see how they have named their businesses. You need all the inspiration you can get.

These are just a few ideas that could help you come up with a good fashion business name. By now, you must be aware of the name and brand importance, and the impact it has on any business at any given time. Don’t expect that you will come up with a name in an instance.

Take your time and consider every option that has crossed the mind. See how it plays along with your business plan and will it be able to go well with any business expansions in the future. Thinking of a marketplace globally will help you avoid names suitable for a specific geographical region. If you deplete all options, feel free to seek inspiration on the internet. You can find many guides and examples that could spark up your creative side.

Coming up with Great Business Names for a Hip Teenage Apparel Shop

August 31, 2016 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

The world as a whole is constantly changing, affecting the behavior of every single generation in the world. Teenagers are growing up in completely different surroundings when compared to all the other generations. Generations born during the 1990s had one thing that all other generations lacked: hyper communication and an abundance of information.

This has caused them to develop in truly unique ways, making them much different than everyone else. This is why it is important to keep some things in mind when you are thinking about a name for a teenage apparel shop and establishing a successful brand.

There are those usual basics that you have to keep in mind when thinking about a name for your business and picking the right domain name. You should think about the way it sounds, whether it is catchy, whether it will help the customer connect it with the line of work you are in, whether it is a word that carries a meaning, and many other things.

But, with modern teenagers who are widely referred to as Generation Z, you have to go the extra mile during the brainstorming session, as the name is something that should be followed by a series of other things in order for you to establish a powerful brand.

Personalization is important

One of the first things that you should be thinking of is personalizing of your brand. You have to connect with modern teenagers through the use of imagery. So, not only should your brand name be catchy, it should be presented to younger generations with an interesting design, as appealing and unique imagery is the best way to conquer the hearts of Generation Z. Millennials are more focused on communicating through text, whereas members of Generation Z use images to express themselves to their peers and the whole world.

This is why it is necessary that, besides a cool name, your online shop is also rich with cool people using your products; it is going to help teenagers more easily connect, as they will feel a level of personality that is standing behind your brand name.

Joint growth

This generation is very focused on independence and individualism. This is why it is important that you have some type of offer that is also going to mean a lot for them. There has to be something that is in it for them. For example, a majority of teenagers nowadays have big plans for themselves, as they are interested in making their own brand.

You can more easily connect with them if your brand is going to help them become stronger and more powerful influencers in some way. So, focus on creating a sounding brand name that is going to attract a lot of customers as it resonates in the ears of thousands of customers. To achieve this, it is very important that you put your profits in the last place, at least while you are growing your business.

Create appealing marketing campaigns, offer something to your customers that the competition isn’t offering. Being unique in as many ways as possible is your main goal! This is going to attract the most teenagers to your brand.

Quality behind the name

The quality of your product is what is going to make your brand name spread throughout the world. Thinking of a name is a long process for a majority of companies, but you can have the best name in the world and still end up selling not one single thing. This is why it is important that you are actually offering high quality merchandize to your customers.

It is especially important nowadays, as teenagers can communicate with each other with great ease. Add a catchy name on some top quality merchandize, and you are going to experience incredible growth easily, as you are going to have a high number of interconnected brand ambassadors, who will spread the word faster than lightning.

Let your name become a symbol of a brand that truly cares

Generation Z is primarily focused on making the world a better place, and this is exactly what your brand should also stand for. An appealing name and the right cause will get you a much higher number of sales. It is going to allow teenagers to identify with the cause you are fighting for.

This helps the teenagers connect your brand name with a brand that truly cares about the world, which will create a strong and continually growing community, which is the main objective of all the businesses in the world.

Endlessly brainstorm

If you want to create a truly great brand name, it is important to combine all of the abovementioned factors and include it in the brainstorming process. Think about the message you want your brand to carry, how does your business name connect with the message while being catchy and easy to spell and pronounce.

This requires a lot of thinking, as business names are things that can significantly affect the success chances of a business, especially nowadays, with these newer generations entering the business market. Take your time, research online, and form a connection between your business message and the name it carries. It will greatly help build a stable customer base over time, helping you reach growth from the moment you start your online apparel shop.

These are the things that you have to think about when you are coming up with great name for your business. Take into account who your target audience is and you will be easily able to decide what kind of name will suit your hip teenage apparel shop, helping you regularly sell a lot of goods. Once you have a name, let it settle in for a couple of days and consult with other experts. This is going to help you reach the best possible decision.

5 Simple Tips for Coming Up with Creative Business Names

August 29, 2016 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

Even the most powerful of business empires start with nothing but a raw idea and a vague plan for execution. The road is long and bumpy from the first rough draft to an executive chair, but with a lot of hard work and a bit of wits, nothing is unachievable. As always with epic feats, beginnings are especially hard and troublesome for aspiring businessmen, yet the most difficult of startup conundrums you’ll experience is coming up with a unique, alluring and catchy name for your project. Here are a couple of tips to alleviate your creative struggles in coming up with creative business names.

1. Describe Your Vision and Objectives

If lingering on a standstill from the very beginning, start off by revising your initial business idea. Choosing a startup name is a process that will help you simultaneously shape up your foundations and crystalize your objectives, which is why you should never rush it. There is a number of equally important factors to consider here, from your vision and mission statement, your unique contribution to the market and the innovativeness that will allow you to stand out from the crowd, to your target audience and long-term business plan.

All of these elements should be easily readable from your name, and it’s crucial to spend some time thinking about them, analysing them and making sure they are perfectly understandable, as well as realizable. To get into action, try writing a number of keywords that clearly reflect the overall concept of your future business.

2. Play With Morphology

Once you have a list of words explaining your vision, expertise and goal, the time is about right to start playing with them. Even if morphology wasn’t your favourite subject back in your school days, its simple tricks will help you liberate your inner linguist. What you’ll need to do is to find a stem or a root word, if that seems easier for you, of every term you’ve penned down and then brainstorm as many different words from them as you can.

You’re entering a quite elaborate game of words here, so be sure to use spreadsheets and organize them well in thematic groups. Wherever the game takes you, don’t forget to write everything down to avoid the risk of abandoning an ingenious idea in the process.

Broaden Your Association’s Net

To keep the creative juices flowing, consult the thesaurus for synonyms and widen your list with an additional one that will include a number of possible associations for each initial word. If your business is in the healthcare niche, for instance, focus on words that trigger the idea of wellness in the audience’s mind, such as “wellbeing”, “fitness” or “vigor”.

Combine those associations with words that describe your vision and play with compound words forged along the way. Precision Nutrition, for example, is a health blog name that promises prowess in a field while referring to a specific healthcare branch that this blog specializes in. Additionally, it is a nice example of accessibility and memorability.

Blend, Add and Permute

While generating a list of compound words, feel free to use foreign terms (the well-known Spanish word “casa” in Casahop), experiment with prefixes and suffixes (suffix –ify in Spotify or Shopify), get creative with portmanteaus (Pinterest as a blend of words “pin” and “interest”) or even deliberately misspell the word (Reddit from “read it”).

With a bit of brave innovativeness and wits, morphology is an endless playground for crafting the most memorable business name in the niche.

3. Follow the Rules

There is a number of clear, but aggravating rules in the art of name forging that you will need to follow in order to make the best out of your brainstorming sessions. Even if you’ve already narrowed down your list to a couple of winners, make sure to review all of them individually and see which one is most fit to become quotable.

Catchiness: The whole point of reducing your business statement to just one word is to make it easy to notice and remember. Long, vague and overly abstract terms that none of your customers will be able to understand are less likely to allure new clients and make them recommend you to their friends. Additionally, this rule requires your name to be quite easy to pronounce, which is another key factor to consider.

Researchability: Whatever the niche, your business will most certainly have its online presentation, which is why its name’s accessibility through internet search engines is just as important of a factor as any other. Just like unchallenging pronunciation is crucial for spreading the word of your business, spelling is a key element that makes your chosen name effortless to find.

Availability: Before settling down for the name you consider perfect for your startup, don’t forget to do some research and check if it already exists on the market, even in a similar form. The name is the first indicator for brandability, and it should be unique and unrepeatable, just like your business needs to be original and innovative in order to beat the competition. Furthermore, some names and even words are actually forbidden to use in public domain, so remember to look up a list of sensitive words on the web before unintentionally using one.

Double-Check Your Invention: However brilliant they might sound, some names actually look way worse when written down (or vice versa), and if you’re not careful enough, your business may become a subject of viral mockery. For that reason, verify that the word used is not offensive in some contexts or cultures.

4. Ask For a Second Opinion

Even if you’re certain that your chosen name flawlessly reflects your business and entices the interest of your audience, asking for feedback is never redundant. Ultimately, you are doing it all to intrigue and excite your customers, which is why their choice always matters more than your own.

Consider consulting with your friends and business partners, or create a public customer poll and share it on your personal social media accounts. The name is a representation of your business vision and efforts, and being a delicate matter that will follow you around through the course of your career, it’s certainly not one to be egoistic and stubborn about.

5. Get Legal

Once the name is ready for publishing, you can finally start a process of registering your business. The protocol itself may depend on the type, niche and the legal structure you choose, but for any startup out there, legal permits and licences are required.

If you decide on protecting your business name from further use, you’ll need to have it trademarked after registering the business. From out there, you can start exploring your business’ domain name, which can be an alteration of your registered one or a somewhat different variant of the same.

If still uncertain, surf the web for a quick blast of inspiration. Currently, the market is flooded with ingeniously crafted business names that suggest brandability – by following the example of those and taking your word game up a notch, the catchy, intriguing and original name for your business may be a bit easier to find.

How to Create a Business Name that Gives Your Brand a Fun Personality

August 10, 2016 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

It’s a common practice for high-end entrepreneurs to support and add value to their companies by insisting in branding strategies that communicate quality and professionalism. Besides appearing overly formal in their advertising, such businesses usually bear the brandable business names that don’t quite resonate with the wider audience.

As proven by a number of their rivals, rigid conventions and business etiquette are nothing but misconceptions – successful branding, which always includes a company name as well, advertises quality and professionalism more subtly and unobtrusively, while addressing the audience in a spontaneous and fun tone.

Whichever the niche and however important your line of work is for a common good, there are still ways of lighting it up a bit. With a good sense of humour and a perfect amount of it, your company name can appeal to a much wider audience without ever losing its hard-earned renown. Here are some rules tricks and ideas for coming up with a business name that’s both professional and fun.

Why Fun Personality Is Important

Customer-oriented, today’s business world finally recognises the importance of engaging with audience and understanding their customer behaviour first-hand. Having a much deeper insight in their preferences and expectations, modern branding is now majorly focused on drawing the customers’ attention and keeping them interested in the long run. If market analyses are as correct as they seem to be, a new customer needs their providers to be as flexible, fashionable, attractive and entertaining as they can.

Naturally, these needs could never have been applied to certain fields of work, but wherever there’s space for introducing amusement and a bit of light-heartedness into storytelling behind products and services, a company stands to significantly benefit from such an approach.

Heavily relying on storytelling, branding is now facing new challenges – in order to keep audience entertained and intrigued, companies are compelled to find a balance between amusement and respectability. Business names, as one of the crucial branding factors, are certainly a fine way of channelling both of those ideas.

Play with Words, but Remember the Rules

Before putting all of your wits into creating a name, you should commit some time to understanding the psychology behind business names. However fun and brandable, the name should also be clear enough to express your company’s offers and goals and memorable enough to stick with your audience and be the first thing they think of when in need of the type of products and services that you provide.

These two requirements alone require your name to be understandable and straightforward, but short and catchy at the same time. Additionally, you’ll have to think about being searchable in the online environment, which suggests easy spelling and SEO friendliness. As if all this wasn’t enough trouble, you’ll also have to make sure that your name is still available for registering.

Once all of these unwritten rules are met, you can allow your creative juices to flow freely and devise a company name that’s creative, engaging and fun.

Be Cautious Of Unintentional Bloopers

To have a fun personality, a brand should be quirky, unique and appear as unrehearsed and amicable. There are many great examples of company names conveying such message, but don’t think for a second that they are not a result of some serious brainstorming.

Even if such a name suddenly comes to you, you’ll still need to ponder its originality and availability before registering. The problem with fun names is that they are usually made of sensitive words, and as such, unsuitable to represent a professional business in front of the public.

Such names can still be attractive to your audience, but remember that yours will be in the headers of all of your legal work and administration, and probably appear in the media as well. Be careful about these delicate aspects of coming up with a name to avoid the risk of giving the impression of being amateurish and frivolous.

Witty Ideas

Now that you’ve considered all the important factors that contribute to how your name will present your business to your customers and collaborators, you can finally enjoy the fun bit of creating a name. There are many ways of bringing a humorous element into the equation, and for all of them, you’ll have to lean on your creativity and command of language. Here are some ideas.

Ditcher, Quick and Hide. When you first see the business card of this law firm, their name will seem as a quite legit one, given that naming a company by simply listing surnames of partners is a common practice within this niche. But once it becomes obvious, you won’t be able to forget it ever again – the hidden message behind the name of this company that specializes in divorce trials is actually “ditch her quick and hide”.

Hair We Are. Not only does the name of this business clearly suggest the niche – hair salon – but it’s also clever enough to stick with the customers. Similar misspells of common expressions and puns can be found in examples like Juan in a Million, Faux Sure, and your new favourite, Curl Up and Dye, yet another brilliant name for a hair salon.

Hairanoia. With a little help from morphology, the process of thinking up a name can result in some extremely witty examples. This one, apparently a name of a hair salon as well, is actually a smart blend of words “hair” and “paranoia”, which addresses our compulsive fears of walking out of our hair dresser’s with an apparent horror and disappointment on our faces. Optimeyes resembles this example in creativity of approach, but unlike Hairanoia, it promises that this ophthalmology practice will make the absolute best (“optimise”) of your sight.

The Codfather. Although derived in a similar fashion as Hairanoia, The Codfather is even quirkier and catchier, simply because it plays with familiarity. Instead of our favourite movie – even the company’s logo is the same as The Godfather’s – we are presented with a fish market that is apparently the Marlon Brando of its niche. By sounding familiar and being instantly recognizable, examples like Surelock Homes, Lord of the Fries, Lawn and Order and Florist Gump are all making a perfect statement about their company’s lines of work (locksmith firm, French fries eatery, landscape maintenance and a flower shop, respectively), all while showing great potential for brandability.

Brainstorming a business name never comes without any creative blocks; if approached with an element of fun, this art is less troublesome to master. More importantly, playing with words will eventually lead you to a perfect name that will present your company in an amusing way and be catchy enough for your audience to remember it.

Cool Business Names – How and Why They Boost Brand Recognition

August 8, 2016 by David Sandy Leave a Comment

Coming up with a name for your business is not just a game. You cannot simply play with words. The name you pick for your company has impact on how people will remember you, discover you, and it has an impact on what kind of message you are sending out. So, in the following article, we are going to discuss how to come up with cool business names, and what benefits it can have on your overall performance and brand recognition. Here are some tips you should follow when coming up with a name for your line of work.

Being unique

Truth be told, it’s not too difficult to come up with a unique name; it’s basically just a made up word that can be both spelled and uttered with ease. For example, you can name your company Zeelix, Ludge, Fown, etc, but the question is: “Would that kind of name bring you any benefit?” On the plus side, it’s good to be unique and it’s good to stand out from the crowd. If the name just rolls off the tongue, then people will easily remember it.

So, coming up with a funny and easy-to-utter name can get people talking about you, which is good. Also, if you come up with a name that can be spelled in different ways, you might incite a discussion on how it should be pronounced, which is also beneficial for brand awareness.

Of course, there is a downside to picking a made up word. It may not be received as well as you hope, and people might only get confused. Secondly, people might forget how to spell it, or they might only hear it, without seeing how it is written, which also makes it difficult for them to discover you. And, finally, a lot of new firms are popping up each day, and a lot of them try to be unique and memorable, and by adding more brand names with made up words in circulation, you only create mass confusion.

So, this may have been effective in the past few decades, but now, it can easily backfire, and since it is such a wild card, perhaps it would be better not to risk it. However, if you do go with this option, just remember to pick a word that can be spelled easily, so that customers won’t have too much trouble trying to find you on Google or any other search engine.

Keep it simple, easy to pronounce and easy to remember

This is basically the best formula for coming up with your name. Pick an existing word that is simple, business-related in some way, easy to pronounce and easy to remember. Customers will be able to find you even after one encounter; it will also make the whole marketing and optimization job a whole lot easier.

Unfortunately, this method has one massive drawback that you probably know already. The name that you want is most likely already taken, and not just by one business owner; we are talking tens, maybe even hundreds.

So, when you use an existing name and someone tries to find you online, chances are that they will have to check out all other businesses with the same name before they discover you. So, if you plan on having an ecommerce website, and do a lot of jobs online, then you’ll have to spend a lot of time coming up with a name.

Luckily, if you like a particular word, or if you want to have a name that people will easily notice, then you might not even have to come up with one. You can simply buy the name that you like and it will be all yours. There are providers who specialize in selling domain names, and they have some pretty cool names in stock. So, just check out which one you prefer and also remember to check its strength and popularity, because that’s one of the things that determines the price. And, if everything fits, just buy a cool name for your company,

Use keywords as a part of your name

This is one of the best options you can go with as a small business. Basically, you introduce the name of your product or service as part of your name, and the whole online store optimization process is made a lot easier. Names like Game Central, Book Depository, Toys R Us, etc. are all named after their product, and these are all easy to remember.

Coming up with a name in this fashion is incredibly useful if you are just starting your line of work and if you want to make a new website. You can still come up with a cool name, just do some brainstorming and find what other word goes well with your keyword.

The only problem, and quite a meaningless one, is facing the fact that you are doing something “common”. Basically, a lot of small businesses are playing it safe, so their name itself doesn’t have that “WOW” factor that alludes that you are aspiring to greatness. However, you can turn it into an acronym and create a brand new word from it. This is a great way to bypass this flaw.

So, there you have it; these are some tips that can help you to come up with a cool and memorable business name. It’s up to you to pick which option you wish to choose.