Business Naming Basics

The other day in the blog about Business Naming: the Poet’s Role I recommended alliteration as an effective business naming technique.

In fact my own company name, Signature Strategies, is based on alliteration. So was my first company’s name, Marketing Matters.

But notice anything else about both those names?

Well, they both rely on double meaning as well.

“Signature” is not only appropriate for a branding agency because I help clients develop a “signature”, it also means “premium” as in Signature Soups.

And “Matters” means, according to my American Heritage Dictionary, “a business affair or thing” as well as “to be of importance”.

So why is this a good thing?

People like the “aha” feeling they get when discovering a name has a double meaning. They “get it”. It’s like discovering an “Easter Egg” in a piece of software. They also like to pass it on so they’ll look smart.

So both those company names use two techniques, alliteration and double-meaning, to enhance memory and introduce a pleasant feeling that can develop into a branding success.

Tags: Naming Ideas by MartinJ
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Company names that rhyme are memorable and pleasurable.

So are corporate names built upon alliteration.

Not only will rhyming or alliteration help make your name more memorable, these techniques add a cadence, a lilt, that makes these names pleasurable to say.

So use alliteration (Signature Strategies, Peak Paths) or rhyming (Compliance Alliance, Rare Care) when you are naming a business that relies on referrals. If people like to “say” a name, they’ll remember it and feel good about passing it on. That’s the rhyme and reason these techniques work so well.

You don’t have to be a Shakespeare to use either of these devises. And usually one or two will just pop up as you play with words appropriate to the business.

Then just look for more

Tags: Naming Ideas by MartinJ
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You can either find or invent good company names.

Business naming can be arduous and frustrating, but there’s a way to generate literally hundreds of name candidates in a short while.

Get a good Atlas. There are thousands of place names listed in the index of your atlas. Just scan the lists. The are Anglo-Saxon, American Indian, nostalgic, patriotic and quirky candidates galore.

You’ll likely find a slew of corporate names that might set just the right mood and convey the appropriate image for your business.

I’ll sometimes use an Atlas just to get the creative juices flowing. I might find a dozen or so candidates from, say Vermont which can be used “as is” or combined with other word roots, prefixes or suffixes (i.e. combining Alpha with the last syllable of Piedmont = Alphamont).

The founder of Haverhills mail-order business confessed that he adapted his business name just this way. He knew nothing of Haverhill, MA. He just liked the sound of it. It’s been a successful catalog company since the mid-1960′s.

When you use a world Atlas, or an historic Atlas, the candidates just multiply.

As an added incentive, you might find a great place to visit once your company starts generating cash flow.

Tags: Naming Ideas by MartinJ
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