Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Choosing a business name that will help your customers to find you later.

  1. Make it easy to remember and spell. Making the company name easy to remember and spell will help customers to find your business in the phone book or on the internet.
  2. It should have a strong visual element. People should be able to SEE what they READ. Include a visual element like a logo and it will help customers to remember and identify your business. This can become a very valuable marketing tool for your business.
  3. Choose the correct connotation. Many words have literal and emotional connotations. They also have a positive or neutral connotation. I like to use the example of "Home" which is a positive connotation vs. "House" that has a neutral connotation. Bob's Home Repairs gives off a different emotion than Bob's House Repairs.
  4. It should include information about what your business does. If the customer reads your name, then they should be able to figure out what products or services your company will offer. This will also help your customers to remember your company name! An example would be "Pittsburgh Candle Company". Most people reading this name can figure out that this company manufactures candles in Pittsburgh, PA.
  5. Try to keep it short. Having a long name may cause problems when you are trying to put the company name on marketing or promotional items. It can also create a long web address if you choose to use your long company name.
Article written by Susan Miller
Owner and Founder of the Women's Small Business Association (WSBA), LLC.

1 comment:

  1. Great advice....there's nothing more frustrating than trying to find a business when the name is difficult to remember (or hard to spell).

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