Common mistakes in choosing a business name A simple person is unlikely to remember more than 5 brand names that work in the same field in...
Common mistakes in choosing a business name
A simple person is unlikely to remember more than 5 brand names that work in the same field in a second. But even the grocery store has dozens of them. Therefore, the main goal of any business owner is to name his product or brand in such a way that the name is imprinted in the mind.
There are quite a few rules by which a successful name is created. Someone does not really bother and calls his name, the name of his parents or someone close. Sometimes it turns out to be quite a successful option. In other cases, the name of the product group and the city of production are combined.
There are many catchy names on the market, but even more unsuccessful ones. All because there is no connection between naming and marketing strategy. Here is a list of the most common mistakes that we want to warn you against.
Wrong association
The names influence the first impression of the product. It will be associated with him for years. Therefore, when sorting through the options, it is better to constantly ask yourself the question: will the user understand what is offered to him by such a name. Let's move on to examples.
Let's say the name is "Avistar". What thoughts does it evoke in you? “Avia” is something about airplanes, and “star” is about space. But the company has nothing to do with this! It solves legal issues but has nothing to do with air travel. Of course, such a name did not appear by chance, some meaning was invested in it, maybe even deep. But a simple person is unlikely to guess about it. The association should be direct, understandable to everyone and point to a specific activity.
There is also a positive example from the legal sphere. This is the portal pravo.ru. Too easy? It's for the best! It is immediately clear what will be discussed, and what the company does. Thus, the non-target audience will not go to the site, all users will know exactly whether they should click on the link or not.
Lack of meaning
The brand must have meaning. It may seem that this is some minor detail that is not related to business. But it's not. The meaning of the brand is the basis of all activities. You must determine what is unique about the brand, what are its strengths, and what exclusive services it offers. All this can be reflected in the title.
For example, a peeling sign "4 kinds of cheese" is unlikely to make it clear that you are standing on the threshold of an Italian restaurant. And she implies this, only the food there is not at all 5-star, rather frozen semi-finished products. And the Prestige car service cannot be located in the industrial zone.
Separately, I want to say about pathos names. One can understand the desire to stand out due to something fancy, but not always are the goods under this brand as original and desirable. Yes, and in terms of creativity, it is very difficult not to overdo it, otherwise everything that happens will be perceived by the consumer as manifestations of insanity.
Negativity and complexity
Many of those who now manage big business found the USSR. Therefore, they know some things that now need to be forgotten. For example, different abbreviations, the length of which is striking and makes the letters confusing in places.
A resident of a large city sees so many advertisements that his brain now filters them and does not remember them. And those that are long and complex refuse to read at all.
Lack of registration
This is a complicated procedure and not the cheapest, so they try to avoid it. And for good reason, because advertising an unprotected brand, you risk getting into trouble. In particular, once your business grows, someone may want to create a company with a similar name and do it in accordance with all the legal niceties. As a result, the company will lose revenue because customers are unlikely to want to figure out if they need to deal with you or with someone else. And you will never win in court, because you do not have the right to the name, despite the fact that you have been working under it for decades.
Your reputation may suffer. Because competitors can use the name of your product, but its quality is unlikely. You can sue and try to win it, but it is unlikely that it will work out, and litigation can drag on for years. If you have a trademark registered, the chances increase many times over.
Create an aura of mystery
On the one hand, riddles and legends are popular with users. But if the name is difficult to spell or pronounce, it is unlikely that they will talk about you and recognize you through a sundress.
It is better not to be smart and not to use complex words in foreign languages, the names of Greek gods, etc. This option takes place only if the word is simple and short, and its meaning is intuitive. For example, the dating app "Teamo" translates as "I love you." Maybe not everyone knows this, but the word itself is concise and simple, so there are no problems with pronunciation or memorization.
Use high-flown metaphors
The too simple name does not cling. But high-sounding words are not suitable. It used to be popular to substitute “premium” or “ideal”, but now this is more infuriating than impressive. It is better to use synonyms or metaphors that correspond to the activities of the company and speak of its exclusivity.
Choose a name based on geography
Using a city or region in the title is not bad. True, if you are going to grow and spread your influence, then it will be very bad. Therefore, consider that a geographic name can get in your way. how? It's easy to confuse consumers. Nobody expects to see "Moscow Movers" in Yekaterinburg.
Cheap doubles
The jokes about "Abibas" have become legendary. But they are not funny to marketers. At first, of course, this approach will have some advantages, but such a business will not last long. Rather, it is the approach of one-day companies that are aimed at making a quick profit and closing soon. How does it work?
A batch of replicas consonant with the brand appears on the market. Inattentive users may not notice the substitution and buy. But after a while, the deception is revealed, and though there is no one to show for the deception, the company has already been closed. Unfortunately, this is not a rare situation.
If you do not plan to join the ranks of scammers and deceive users, we suggest that you do not copy other people's names. It may seem to you that such an approach will only slightly revive interest in the new product, but in fact, it will have a bad effect on the reputation. This will not lead to empire building, your business is unlikely to last more than six months.
Some copy others unconsciously. Because there are quite narrow areas in which it is difficult to come up with something different from competitors. Things are even worse in the field of naming individual products, there is a very thin line between a replica and a name, the meaning of which no one understands.
Refuse to change a bad name
Many businessmen ignore the problem and refuse to change the name even when they realize it. that the existing one is a failure. Some of them hope that the difficulties are temporary and that they will soon resolve themselves. But this is stupid. A problem cannot appear without a reason and also go away on its own, it will have to be solved. If the first attempt at coming up with a name on your own is not successful, it is likely that you should not do it again without a naming specialist. Yes, the owner knows the business better than anyone else, but sometimes it pays to enlist the help of a professional.
Conclusion
The ideal name reflects the features of the product and at the same time is remembered by consumers. But this rarely happens. Usually, the name of the owner or an ornate and little pronounced word in a foreign language serves as the name. You don't have to do that.
Advanced companies turn to a naming team to create a brand name, which will choose from a thousand words what will characterize a product or enterprise.
Of course, the founders of the organization can also come up with a big name. To do this, they will have to be creative. And the brainstorming should be based on the positioning of the product, the characteristics of the target audience and the associative image that you want to create in the mind of the user.
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