Today’s Tip
Best Practice: Product name with initials/numbers is shorter, easier to remember, but people may not know what you sell. Tagline can help.
Today’s Article: Creating an Product Name with Initials or Numbers
Product name with initials or numbers are simply comprised of letters and/or numbers. These letters or numbers may be way to shorten a loner product name, a concept tied in product or just like the look or sound of it.
Example: WD-40 product came from:”Water Displacement, 40th formula”.
Pros: Can be easy to easy to say, spell, remember and allows for growth. May be a good way to shorter a longer name or ties a unique business concept.
Cons: May be difficult to find an available domain name and one that is trademark free, especailly for initials. With just letters or numbers, people cannot easily tell what the company sells. A great tagline can help with this.
Other Examples: 100 Grand, 365 Every Day Value, 3 Musketeers, 5-Hour Energy, 501 (Levi’s), 7Up, 9 Lives, A1 Steak Sauce, iPad, iPhone, iPod, iTunes, M&M’s, Q-tips, V05, V8, WD-40, X-Factor
Make a list of initials, letters or numbers to create a product name. Take the list and start combining them until you come up with 1-3 concepts that you like. Next go to the name filter below to evaluate how available and good a name is.
Name Filter: Take each name by category and score it.
Number System: 0-poor, 1-fair, 2-good, 3-excellent.
___ Easy to Say
___ Easy to Remember
___ Easy to Pronounce
___ Easy to Spell
___ Name is Web-Ready: Exact Match Domain Name with no hyphen (Domain Search)
___ Trademark is Available (Trade Mark Search)
___ Available in Your State (Online check with your State Department of Incorporation)
___ Social Media Identity Availability (Example Facebook (B2B), LinkedIn (B2C), etc.)
___ Stands out from the Competition in a Favorable Way
___ Has no Negative Meanings (Or when translated to a foreign language marketed to)
___ Name Allows You to Add New Services or Products in the Future
___ Number of Points
Recommendation: In a branding process, it is important to also look at names in other name categories: Descriptive, Attribute, Legacy, Combined Words, Invented, Related, Interruptive/Inquiring, and Alliteration/Rhyme. This helps you expand they way you look at your company to find the best name to connect with your target market.
Next Steps: If you are having trouble coming up with a 22 or higher score for a company name that you are happy with, see your options below.
You have four branding primary options to choose from: Do-it-Yourself, Ask the Expert, Second Opinion and Brand Quote. Select the option(s) that best fits the brand or re-brand project and the budget available for that project.
Brand Door is an online branding platform. Brand Door opens the door to the world of branding to assist entrepreneurs, small and medium sized businesses (SMB) or small and medium sized enterprises (SME) to create and grow a successful and sustainable brand.
Each year large company brands such as Apple, Goggle or Coca Cola are recognized. Brand Door will recognize the Best Small Business Brands of 2015. For more information in nominating a small to medium sized company, go to Nominate Best Brand.
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