Five Things You Must Avoid When Naming Your Business

Everyone wants their business to succeed in the market, and everyone knows how important a strong brand is in building a successful business. One of the most critical aspects of a company’s brand is its name, and every entrepreneur must understand the importance of a well-crafted one. 

A great name can be the difference between success and failure, but unfortunately, not all entrepreneurs can choose a perfect name for their business. 

Here, we’ll look at some of the most common mistakes businesses make when naming their brand and how to avoid them, whether you brainstorm or hold naming competitions. 

What Most Businesses Do Wrong When Choosing a Name

Many entrepreneurs rush through finding the perfect name for their business without considering all the factors that go into creating a great one. 

They often need to pay more attention to the importance of the name and how it will shape the perception of their business. 

Let’s look at some of the most common mistakes companies make when trying to find the perfect name.

1. Translation Mistakes in Other Languages

With the help of the internet – especially social media and advertisements, your business name can reach a wide range of people, from domestic customers to foreigners.

When choosing a name, it is essential to consider how it will translate into other languages. If the word has a different meaning in another language, it could damage the brand image. 

Imagine having customers passing your place of business giggling at your name or thousands more making fun of the alternate meaning of your name on social media. This can be damaging to your brand.

Several companies, like Nokia, made severe errors, while others, like Coca-cola, avoided them by conducting proper research. So be sure to have it in the back of your mind to research the meaning of your brand name in other languages before moving forward. 

2. Ignoring Trademark Conflict

Searching to see if your chosen name has already been trademarked is a necessary task that some entrepreneurs fail to fulfill, and it has caused the fall of many young businesses.

When choosing a name, it is essential to avoid trademark conflict. To do this, research the availability of the word. It’s vital to ensure that another company hasn’t already trademarked the name. 

If the name is already trademarked, your business could get penalized for using it. 

3. Choosing a Name That Doesn’t Have a Matching Domain Name

Some entrepreneurs choose a name that doesn’t have a matching ‘.com’ domain, causing them to either use an entirely different name or settle for an unknown domain extension, ruining their chances of success online.

Therefore, once the perfect name has been chosen, it’s essential to ensure that the corresponding domain name is available. What’s preferable is keeping your expectations for your domain name in mind while searching for your business name, in other words, doing them side by side.

4. Not Testing Your Business Name With Your Audience

One thing to keep in mind when finding a great name is ensuring that your target audience likes it. This is one sure way to prevent cringey brand names.

You need to run a test for your business name as soon as you’ve found one that aligns with your needs. You can do this by conducting surveys and focus groups. 

5. Not Establishing Your Tone

When choosing a name, you need to consider your brand’s tone. If your brand’s tone is professional and serious, the name you choose should reflect this. A name that is too whimsical or playful will not be suitable for a professional business. 

Remember, your goal is to be on the same page with your target audience. 

Additional Mistakes That Can Cause Damage When Naming Your Business

Naming, especially business naming, can be complicated and stressful, and mistakes can happen. Most of these mistakes happen because entrepreneurs neglect the following during the naming process:

• Not researching the competition: Researching your competitors is one quick and helpful way of knowing what works in the niche and what doesn’t. 
• Not considering the target audience: Researching your target audience shouldn’t be left out when naming your brand. And though most entrepreneurs claim to do it, the truth is that they don’t research key attributes like age range, preferences, and tone.
• Not understanding their company’s identity: Most entrepreneurs just jump into brainstorming name ideas without properly staying between the confinement of their kind of business, its mission, vision, and goals.
• Not considering the culture: Not considering the culture of where you are is a recipe for disaster. You need to know the predominant language, if your name makes sense, and what works and what doesn’t in the culture of your target audience.
• Not considering the length of the name: Customers don’t want to have to say a mouthful before they can adequately refer to you. In anything you do, make sure you restrict your name to less than 10 words.

The Perfect Name is Vital

Finding the best name for your business is vital to creating a successful business. And by avoiding these common mistakes, you can be sure you’ll find a solid name for your business. So, go through all the points and begin or crosscheck your proposed business name.

About the Author

Grant Polachek is the head of branding at Squadhelp, a 3X Inc. 5000 organization. Squadhelp is well-known as one of the leading naming agencies. We’ve analyzed over one million names and curated a solid collection of excellent domain names for Fortune 500 businesses and young startups.