{"id":5672,"date":"2021-11-11T10:57:45","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T16:57:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.atom.com\/blog\/?p=5672"},"modified":"2024-10-01T07:27:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-01T12:27:00","slug":"the-danger-of-falling-in-love-with-your-brand-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.atom.com\/blog\/the-danger-of-falling-in-love-with-your-brand-name\/","title":{"rendered":"The Danger of Falling in Love With Your Brand Name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When naming a business, most first-time founders want a name to pop up and grab them. They want the fairytale: love at first sight. But naming doesn\u2019t work like that — it\u2019s more like \u2018real love\u2019<\/em> than \u2018fairytale love.\u2019<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, you might get butterflies from catching someone\u2019s eye across the room. But in the end, that person is unlikely to end up being perfect for you. In order to find real love, you need to get to know someone. Sometimes, the butterflies come later!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like dating, when trying to name your brand, the right thing isn\u2019t to grab the first name that catches your eye but to build a list of several names that fit your business, and then take the time to make sure they not only embody the vision of your brand\u2019s future but that they\u2019d also be a great long term fit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a lot of giving and taking. No person is perfect, and likewise, no name is perfect. The path to a happy marriage is paved with hard work, the same way you\u2019ll end up with a great brand if you\u2019re willing to go through the right steps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From our experience handling over 30,000 naming projects, falling in love with your brand name without thinking about how it relates to your brand\u2019s story, getting feedback from real people, and speaking with a trademark<\/a> attorney is a big mistake!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But What\u2019s Wrong with Falling in Love with Your Brand\u2019s Name?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\"i<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtesy: Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Any entrepreneur searching for the best name for their business must resist the urge to look at a list of six, twenty-five, or even two thousand names and just pick one at random without ensuring it aligns with their business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making hasty decisions and choosing names like that comes with a lot of problems because some of these names are usually:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Difficult to Trademark<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    One thing we see with entrepreneurs who pick names they\u2019ve fallen in love with is that they don\u2019t simply ignore checking if the name is in tune with their naming criteria; they also skip testing the name with an audience, and ignore every red flag until they enter the trademarking process<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And while trying to trademark the name, they finally discover that they can\u2019t use it because another company has already taken the name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s at this point that the problem begins because now that you\u2019ve seen all these names and invested all your passion in a name you love\u2014but it got rejected\u2014it becomes difficult to find another name to replace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    And getting a name trademarked is a lot harder because businesses like WordPress and Shopify churn out millions<\/a> of businesses, making it super difficult to find a business name that another brand hasn\u2019t taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Now, unlike in the 70s and 80s, where it was difficult to build a website and almost impossible to launch an e-commerce site in ten days, today it\u2019s a lot easier. But despite the many positives of these simple, fast tools for starting a business — this ease has made naming even more challenging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. Unaligned with the Entrepreneur\u2019s Business and Customers\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Most times, entrepreneurs are in a hurry to choose a name they love as their brand name because they like it, it makes sense and resonates with them deeply, but when the name is put to the test, they discover a shocking truth; it doesn\u2019t align with their business and customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Picking one name without considering every aspect of your brand<\/a> can be dangerous to the survival of your business. So, the solution to avoiding these dangers lies in not choosing only one name but in choosing several names, and here\u2019s how you can go about that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      How Entrepreneurs Can Find Great Names for Their Businesses<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      \"person<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Courtesy: Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It\u2019s very easy for entrepreneurs to get discouraged when a name they love fails, but here are some quick tips that can help you avoid this situation altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Set Up Your Naming and Branding Criteria <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Understand that every brand\u2019s name should do three major things. They should be easy to say, easy to spell, and also easy to remember. These are the fundamental principles that every name must abide by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      But don\u2019t just stop with making sure your name aligns with your naming criteria<\/a> and the fundamental principles; also, make sure it has a link to your brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Let\u2019s say you want to start a modern business; then, your name should have a modern feel. If you want a high-end company, then your name should have a high-end feel. This simple strategy would set you on the path to creating a name that\u2019d be a valuable asset to your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So, while generating your brand\u2019s name, your goal isn\u2019t to say, \u201cThat one! I want that one!\u201d <\/em>Instead, it\u2019s to say, \u201cHere\u2019s a list of four, fifteen names. I can say them, spell them, remember them; they fit my brand directionally, and somewhere in there, is the perfect name that fits my criteria.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Doing this would make it a lot easier to walk through the next phase of gathering your team, looking through the list, and working together to decide which name is the best one for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Your team should cut down the entries, and when you have these select names, proceed with the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Test Your Names with an Audience<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      Now it\u2019s time to engage your audience and say, \u201cOkay, audience, which one of these do you think is the best fit for our company? Which name is going to get you the most excited about learning more about our company?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It doesn\u2019t matter if your brand is targeting the global market<\/a>, by engaging with your audience, you\u2019d be able to get a first-hand reaction that\u2019d not only tell you if customers love your name but also point you in the right direction to finding one they can engage with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And when it comes to building audience engagements, one quick way to do that is to find names that are easy to say, spell, and also tell your brand\u2019s story. Some great examples of highly engaging names are Apple, Burt\u2019s Bees, Tesla, and Hulu. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Trademark Your Name<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      In this world where everything is immediate, and Amazon would deliver you almost anything within two days, it\u2019s difficult to accept that trademarking a name isn\u2019t an easy task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Trademarking is a massive process that hasn\u2019t only frustrated but stopped lots of entrepreneurs in their tracks. There\u2019s nothing more frustrating than saying, \u201cThis is the one name I must use! My team is behind it; it has to be this,\u201d<\/em> only for the name to be rejected by the trademark attorney.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And it doesn\u2019t matter how madly in love you were with that name or how desperately you wanted to tattoo it across your back; you just have to let it go, because it\u2019d bring a whole lot of legal damages that might destroy your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      So how do you move through the trademarking process? The key to trademarking a name for your brand lies in sharing several names with your trademarking attorney, not just one, but between three to nine names or more. This way, you\u2019d end up with a couple of names that\u2019d make it through the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Like we said earlier, one peculiar thing about trademarking is the fact that it\u2019s getting tougher to trademark a name even as other things are getting easier and customers are embracing the \u201cI like it, I want it, give it to me\u201d <\/em>culture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      That\u2019s why everyone must do their due diligence to avoid a name that\u2019d make their business susceptible to a cease and desist letter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Follow the Process: Know the Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      \"yellow<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Courtesy: Unsplash<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Like we said earlier, when trying to find the best name for your business, don\u2019t just pick one name, decide that\u2019s the one, shove it down everyone\u2019s throat, and move forward with it without caring about trademarks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Instead, get your team involved, set up your branding and naming criteria, and search for some strong names that align with these criteria. And a great place to start your search is with a powerful business name generator<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The next thing after finding some strong names that are in tune with your criteria is to get your team members behind the perfect name. It\u2019s typically not a great idea to choose a name that a good number of your team members don\u2019t support. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      But while trying to get your team members behind a name, make sure their decision to back a name is based on the branding and naming criteria you\u2019d established earlier. And one more thing, make sure that whatever brand name you choose has a .com or other professional domain; otherwise, your business would struggle to establish its presence online.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In the end, the general naming process is simple:<\/p>\n\n\n\n