How to Create a Brand Name

Feb 16, 2022

Starting a business is only the beginning for entrepreneurs hoping to claim a stake in their corner of the industry. Building a brand is how that building remains sustainable, and that begins with the name they choose for their business. It’s not enough to create something that catches attention; the naming process should be better-researched and more nuanced because of the complex nature of language.

One of the most significant benefits of a strong brand name is that it will outlast any products or services you offer – a reminder not to build a brand around one good idea or best-selling device. In addition, choosing the wrong name could entirely negate any marketing and branding efforts going forward. 

Choosing the Right Brand Name

There are countless guides out there with advice: Do you keep it short and snappy or clear and to the point? Should you choose a brand name with an available website domain? Is it true that every great brand out there has the same letter in it? Unfortunately, there’s no strict guideline to follow, but if you keep these three areas of the process in mind – the technical, the creative, and the strategic – you’ll build a brand name that lasts.

Technicalities: First, think about the legal aspects of developing a brand name. You (or your business attorney) must do the research to ensure that the names you’re thinking of are available for your business to use. Beyond that, you want your brand name to avoid any detrimental associations or alternate meaning and is easy to say and spell.

Creativity: Because most brand names end up logos, brand names should also look as good as they sound. Get creative enough to make a memorable brand name that could invoke an emotional response or has elements of rhyming or alliteration. Even brevity is a great way to make a lasting impact on potential and current customers.

Strategy: Indeed, brand names don’t have to include relevant keywords or industry phrases, but those brand names are strategic – built around a comprehensive branding approach that offers context. Strategic brand names also stand out from the competition and remain appropriate throughout all stages of a company’s growth. 

What Happens Next?

With that in mind, it’s worth noting that it should take some time, some thought, and even some sleepless nights to get the brand name right. Start by taking the process seriously and creating documentation with plenty of notes and ideas. Work with industry peers, employees, and even your friends and family to narrow down a choice, and do a complete trademark check before settling in. 

Once that’s done, the hard work begins: building a brand around that name and leveraging marketing to help it grow and thrive. Our approach is different. Because we “Do It For You” with comprehensive marketing services for a set monthly fee. All of our programs include fundamentals like building or redesigning a new website. Most importantly, we also nurture and maintain your site for you with ongoing new content, technical updates, security, and SEO best practices to continuously improve your search results.

Where Can Customers See My Brand?

We also link your site to the rest of the top online platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn (plus others like Pinterest and Instagram if relevant for your business). We also nurture those accounts with a steady stream of original content.

Whether you just want to look professional to prospective customers or employees who are “kicking your tires” or if you also want to gain a steady stream of new leads and phone calls generated from Google searches that lead to your website, we can help. Contact us today to get started!

The post How to Create a Brand Name appeared first on Cole Dalton.

Forecasting the Next Ten Years of Marketing

10 Apr, 2024
Marketing is gearing up for significant changes as we enter the new decade. With new technologies, shifts in buyer behavior, and changes in consumption culture, the way businesses reach out to customers will look very different in the coming years. While we can't say what marketing will look like in 10 years, we can examine emerging trends and strategies to forecast its future. Here are some predictions experts are suggesting could take shape moving forward. Increasing Personalized Advertising Personalized marketing should undergo even more profound transformations in the coming decade, leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analytics to forge deeper customer connections. With the ability to glean insights from vast amounts of data, companies will craft highly tailored ads and messages that resonate with individual preferences and behaviors, fostering stronger brand-consumer relationships. From dynamic content customization to predictive marketing algorithms, the era of hyper-personalization will redefine how businesses engage with their target audiences on a one-to-one level. Advanced Device Communication The proliferation of voice-enabled devices and virtual assistants heralds a new era in consumer engagement, requiring marketers to adapt their strategies to communicate effectively through these mediums. As voice technology continues to gain traction, companies must anticipate the rise of voice commerce and tailor their approaches to accommodate this emerging trend. By leveraging conversational AI and natural language processing, brands can deliver seamless, personalized experiences that resonate with consumers, whether shopping, seeking information, or interacting with digital assistants. Wider Use of Virtual Reality Virtual reality (VR) is poised to become a ubiquitous tool in the marketer's arsenal, offering immersive experiences that transcend traditional advertising methods. With VR, brands can transport consumers into captivating virtual environments where they can interact with products and services unprecedentedly, fostering deeper engagement and brand loyalty. As VR technology becomes more accessible and sophisticated, expect to see a proliferation of immersive marketing campaigns that leverage the power of virtual experiences to captivate audiences and drive conversions.

The Power of Storytelling

12 Mar, 2024
Marketing tends to focus on analytics and systems, but we sometimes forget about one powerful tool that has existed since the beginning: storytelling. From our ancestors telling ancient myths to be passed down for the generations to come to modern-day brand narratives, stories have held the power to inspire and connect in all different ways. Today, consumers face a constant bombardment of advertisements and catered content; using the power of storytelling in marketing campaigns has become critical for businesses, especially smaller firms aiming to create meaningful connections with their target clients. Why Storytelling is an Effective Strategy When a brand uses storytelling to convey its message, it connects with the audience emotionally. By telling a compelling story, marketers can create a memorable experience for consumers, making them more likely to remember and engage with the brand. Additionally, storytelling allows marketers to communicate the brand's values and personality more authentically. Instead of bombarding consumers with sales pitches, storytelling enables brands to share their stories and build trust with their audience, increasing brand loyalty and customer engagement. The Emotional Resonance of Stories At the heart of storytelling lies its ability to bring out emotions and create profound connections on a human level. Unlike traditional marketing messages focusing solely on product features or sales pitches, stories can engage the audience's imagination, stir empathy, and spark genuine interest. By weaving narratives that resonate with their target audience's hopes, dreams, and challenges, small marketing firms can create a powerful emotional bond that transcends transactional relationships. Building Brand Identity and Authenticity Storytelling is a potent tool for small businesses to authentically define and express their brand identity. Through compelling narratives that reflect their values, mission, and vision, small firms can differentiate themselves from competitors and carve out a distinct identity in the minds of consumers. Whether recounting the founder's journey, highlighting customer success stories, or showcasing the company's commitment to social responsibility, storytelling allows small businesses to humanize their brand and foster customer trust and loyalty.

A Guide to Employee-Generated Content

13 Feb, 2024
In a world of "influencer marketing" and brand deals, companies can easily overspend their marketing budgets and get caught up in the frenzy. An influencer may feature your product or brand only for their videos to perform poorly. At best, you lose out on the money spent sending the product to the influencer and whatever you spent on hiring them. At worst, your business gets a bad reputation online, and customers don't take your brand seriously. Consider that influencer marketing is just the "shiny new toy" in marketing. In that case, companies should continue to produce consistent, cost-effective outcome. One source for this? Your Employees. Employee-generated content refers to any videos, pictures, or copy that employees publicly post about their position and the company. Find out the benefits of employee-generated content (EGC), what this content can look like, and how to implement EGC into your overall strategy. What Does Employee-Generated Content Look Like? The beauty of employee-generated content is that it can take many forms. Any content your employees make that involves details about their role, the company itself, or the relationships they've developed with coworkers or customers/clients can be EGC. A simple, straightforward EGC piece can be an employee spotlight for new hires or veteran employees. You can choose to craft employee spotlights as infographics with a picture of the employee along with some fun facts about them, write a long-form piece from an interview with the employee speaking about their time at the company, or even long or short-form videos with the employee speaking on their experiences. While these methods may require the help of a graphic designer, copywriter, or videographer, the idea is that the employees generate the content by speaking about their experiences and introducing themselves. Other ideas for EGC pieces might be "day in the life" videos following a specific employee throughout their day, reflections employees have from conferences or professional development opportunities, employment milestones or recognitions, or even just pictures employees take with each other or showing what happened that day. There are limitless options and iterations for employee-generated content, and the key is to find out what works well for your business and why.
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