What options are there for finding the right company name? What are the pitfalls? What turns people on and what turns them off? We'll tell you how to proceed step by step so that you have the company name on your office door that you and your customers love.
You may have already noticed that finding the right company name is a real challenge. Whether you want to find a new name for your business or rename your company, the road to your goal is longer than just a trip to the shower.
Names are smoke and mirrors? Not at all! Close your eyes. What company names can you think of off the top of your head? Apple? Audi? Ritter Sport? I'm sure there are hundreds more. Many generate emotions and images in your head. Their names are etched deep into your memory. Because they have been around for many years and are so successful? That too. But above all, their company names are memorable - whether you like them or not. Would Apple be as successful if it was called Electronic Future Unlimited, for example? Certainly not. The name determines the success or failure of an entrepreneurial future. And of course that also applies to yours.
What is the name of what you do? How to make a company name
You've made plans, you've become an expert in your field and you know what you want to be successful with in the future. What you still need is a name for your company. It should be sonorous, convey emotions and strike like lightning itself. But first you need a flash of inspiration yourself. Before it comes, a complex and sometimes even lengthy process awaits you. But the good news is that there is a plan.
Be clear from the start: your new company name will accompany you throughout your entire entrepreneurial life . It will become your trademark and the code word for your customers. And perhaps it will be as memorable to them as Apple, Audi or Ritter Sport. The top priority: you must speak the language of your target group. You can do this in a variety of ways. Like this, for example:
You name your company after yourself
Your own company name creates a particularly personal bond between brand and customer. You are your company. This option makes sense if you have an unusual, positive-sounding name. Just think of Liebherr, Langenscheidt or Siemens. Even if you have a run-of-the-mill name like Müller, you can - with the right combination of marketing measures - be successful.
Of course, your company name should match the character of your brand and not mislead your customers. For example, if your name is Baker, but you don't have bread or cakes in your portfolio, it might not be a good name idea - unless you add an explanatory addition to clear up the misconception, such as Baker Construction Machinery.
You say what you do - but creatively
Do you put the finishing touches to your craft? Do you provide refreshing moments with delicious ice cream? Or do you have a creative knack for marketing? You can express it with your company name. Bear in mind that you also want to evoke emotions in your customers. That's why a dose of creativity pays off. Sometimes it's just a little imagery that takes a brand to a sympathetic level.
- Just says what you do: Tischlerei Musterstadt GmbH
- Says it with pictures: Hammes & Hobel GmbH
- Classically cool: Zur Eisdiele
- Serves up emotions with a dash of provocation: Herz aus Eis
You give your imagination wings
Simply create an artificial word from two or three words. Like Fedex, which stands for Federal Express. You can already feel the speed of the logistics company in the name. You can also trigger specific associations. For example, with certain vowels. Lots of "A's" sound positive and inviting, "E's" can "speed up" a name, lots of "I's" make things rather cute and "O's" make things rather cozy.
A fantasy name gives you the chance to be individual and unique. Important: It must be easy to remember. You can achieve this, for example, if your company name sounds similar to what you offer.
- Your offer: Cocktails
- Your company name: Clock Tales
What is our favorite thing to do when we enjoy a cocktail together? We tell each other stories. And since this usually happens at a certain time of day - namely in the evening - you call your store Clock Tales. And because you've only changed a few letters, it sounds like cocktails and is therefore easier to remember.
However, a fantasy name can also have disadvantages: For example, because the spelling isn't entirely clear. It may be unique, but it is also new and unprecedented. And that's why not only your customers but also the search engines have to learn it first.
You become one with your region
Regardless of whether you operate in Saxony, Bavaria or on the coast - your region can give your company name something special . Use the dialect of your region, play with geographical highlights or use the name of your town to give your business a specific location. Are you a specialist nursery on the Kiel Fjord? Then simply call yourself Blumenmeer Kiel. This will show where you're from and who you support. However, if you have international plans, this idea is only suitable to a limited extent.
You seek help from the gods
How about traveling back in time to Greek or Roman mythology? As we know, there are many gods there. Perhaps one is still free and will bless your company name with success.
You simply combine
Don't want to commit yourself? Then combine the possibilities and add an extension. For example, if you own a joinery, you could call yourself this:
- Hammes & Hobel Meier - Tischlermeisterleistungen München GmbH
Position your business even better - with the tips from these tutorials:
Finding your own company name - in seven steps
Do you offer your customers something special? Then your company name should be special too. Take your time to create it. Things that are meant to last often take time to become good. Okay, now you know there's a lot to do. But what exactly? Here you go, this is your path to a hit name:
Step 1: Decide what you want your company name to stand for
The values of your company are an important building block for your future name: Is authenticity important to you? Do you want to convey your professional passion to the outside world? Can you allow yourself a dose of humor - or maybe even a bit of cheekiness?
Think about what qualities your company embodies: Do you see it as more analytical and thoughtful? Or rather cheerful and life-affirming? Does it embody strength and energy? Or more coolness and serenity?
Determine the tonality in which you want to address your customers - whether funny or warm-hearted, chilled or with an emphasis on cheap. It's best to find two or three features that characterize your company particularly well.
Do you have a unique selling point, a so-called USP? Of course, this can also be an important building block for finding a name. Also take a look at the company names of your competitors. They will provide you with input and perhaps show you how it can be done - or not.
Step 2: Speak like your customers
Whether it's farmers in the fields or power women in the gym - talk like your customers . The more specific your target group, the more precisely you can address them.
- For farmers in the field: Field master
- For power women in the gym: Femme vital
You can win over a farmer with simplicity and a dash of dry humor. For female fitness fans, you can add energy and crispness to your name.
The target group is often not as easy to define as above. Then it's worth digging deeper and identifying exemplary people who represent the majority of your customers. In marketing, these fictional characters are called personas. They give your target group a face and help you find out what they want to hear from you.
Free template: Brand mission statement & values
A little tip on the side: If you need help developing your brand mission statement and defining your corporate values, click over to our blog post on the topic of the Golden Circle. There you can download a free template that summarizes the what, how and why of your company on two pages. It's also sure to help you find your company name!
Step 3: Create word clouds
It's easier if you have your thoughts in black and white. Write down all the words that are related to your company and your offer. Synonyms for everything you do and what you want are also important. Act freely. 20 to 30 different words make a good collection that you can now juggle in your head. As you have the words permanently in view, it will be much easier for you to try out unusual combinations, cross-references, acronyms and much more.
Step 4: Get going with an intensive brainstorming session
Brainstorming naturally works best in a team. Get your creative minds together and get started. It is important to think and speak freely. Come up with everything you can think of. Criticism is forbidden. In addition to brainstorming, there are other creative techniques that make finding a name easier - for example, the Disney method, mind mapping or the pinboard method. Either way, the results are as weird as they are exciting - which you now have to filter.
Step 5: Fire away for fine-tuning your company name
The selection and refinement of ideas is where the most mental work lies. Now spontaneous thoughts need to mature into concrete ideas. First, sort through all your results. Where are there regional references? Which ones are suitable as abbreviations? Are there any puns? A sure instinct is required for these in particular, as puns can quickly come across as cheap and worn out. Just think of fish and mee(h)r . It could hardly be worse. If you want to play with words, you need a fine balance between tongue-in-cheek and seriousness.
- Oh no: fish and mee(h)r
- Okay: Fischers Schuppen
Word games with the sea are as flat as the water. It's worth getting more out of them. In this example, the fish restaurant becomes a shed - a word that is of course also an affectionate reminiscence of the small bony plates of the sea creatures. But be careful: a shed can also suggest a cozy, unclean restaurant. However, when combined with clever marketing that emphasizes the classy, tasteful ambience, the shed becomes a likeable, low-key and tongue-in-cheek address that can afford to be called that.
Hairdressing salons offer an inflationary amount of wordplay. If you are a master of the art of haircutting, you would stand out in the name creation alone if you dispensed with a play on words and confidently wrote your own business name on the window and business card.
Abbreviations also call for attention. You've probably stood in front of a sanitary company's service vehicle at the traffic lights and read: H.S.W. - heating, plumbing and water. Now this branch of service does not trigger the greatest emotions. But it can be a little nicer.
Simply writing an abbreviation for your offer has nothing to do with creativity. But you can achieve more with a harmony of letters. For example, you can create harmony by choosing letters that sound similar. Like BMW. So Be Em We. The three "E's" smooth the flow of speech and increase memorization. Say your abbreviation out loud and feel for yourself how it sounds.
Caution, trap: abbreviations sometimes mean something completely different from what you intend. Maybe AAK suits your taste. But for the police, it's the breath alcohol concentration. And it's also obvious that a double "S" as an abbreviation for sun & sail is unfavorable. What's more, abbreviations are not so good friends with search engines.
Speaking of abbreviations: Couldn't you just save yourself the process of finding a name and trust the name generators online ? Perhaps you've already come across these digital helpers. Our advice: Try it out and use the results as further input. You shouldn't expect anything more. Creativity is one of the most powerful human qualities. Hoping that machines will spit it out is (still) science fiction. So let your own head smoke.
Quick reading break: these training courses and templates will help you with your word acrobatics
Step 6: Put your favorites through their paces
Now comes the crucial part: Has anyone had the same glorious name idea before you? Are you even allowed to use yours? Is the domain still available? And if you've chosen a made-up word: What do you think it means in Chinese or Spanish?
Do you know the Mitsubishi faux pas? They famously named one of their vehicles Pajero. Sounds good. Just not in Spain - where the word colloquially means "wanker".
The most important thing is the legal side. If your desired name is already registered as a trademark and therefore protected, you are not allowed to use it. You can easily find out whether it is free or registered at the German Trademark and Patent Office DPMA.
Is your company name still available? Congratulations! Then head straight over to DENIC and check its availability as a domain with the abbreviation .de.
Now you probably have a small, fine list of options in front of you and have to decide on your favorite. If you want to make sure that not only you but also your target group will like it, test it together with your other name options . You can do this with friends. However, you run the risk that no one will come clean out of consideration for your feelings. A better way is to ask your target group directly. You can start a short interview on the street. Or you can use social media for your own purposes - and ask your future customers directly which name they like best. Why not combine your call for choice with an attractive competition?
Step 7: No more 3 crosses - let your company name soar
There it is, your good new company name that your customers should write behind their ears. Now fasten the seatbelt - and register it. Who knows who else will love your new company name - and use it for their own purposes? The protective shield that the German Patent and Trademark Office puts over your company name costs around 300 euros. A sum that pays off - and gives you peace of mind.
Are you ready for your company name day?
With a company name that your customers love, you lay the foundation for your success. It's the starting point for your entire storytelling . In combination with a coherent logo, a claim and a consistent corporate design, you are optimally equipped to initiate all marketing measures and convince your target group.
It really is worth investing time in developing a company name. Quick fixes fizzle out just as quickly as they come to mind. If the company name is good and convincing, it is the foundation of your work. It takes on character, becomes imaginable and ultimately unmistakable.
In the name of creativity - when do you get started?