One of the first things you have to do when starting a new business is to choose a business name. Your business name will be your brand, so there are some tips to know because once you have a business name, it will be difficult to change down the road. It can be just as difficult to choose product names as well. Therefore, this slideshow from Attention Getting Marketing will help walk you through the process of selecting the perfect name for your business and help you avoid certain mistakes.

1. HOW TO
CHOOSE A
BUSINESS NAME
ATTENTION GETTING MARKETING

2. WELCOME!
I'm Gail Oliver, a small business marketing consultant,
writer of the blog, Attention-Getting.com and the owner of
Attention Getting Marketing.

3. CHOOSING A BUSINESS NAME
Let's talk about how to choose a name for your business or
brand, with these key points to consider.

4. REPRESENTS WHAT YOU SELL
While not necessary, it is impressive when a business name has
a connection to what you sell.
For example, the business Scentered® is a mindfulness
lifestyle brand that uses the power of sense of smell as a tool
to direct thoughts, emotions & actions to live happier lives. So
the name is brilliant as it combines "Scent" with "Centered".

5. IS MEMORABLE
You want a business name that is memorable the first time
someone hears it.
The wine brand, Fat Bastard, definitely is a memorable name in
a market where names are often difficult to recall. But there
are drawbacks to a funny name. Does it make you think wine?
Would you feel comfortable asking for it in a store? Would you
gift it to the boss? So memorable but remember the goals of
your brand.

6. EASY TO SPELL
If you make up a name or use an acronym, you are making it
challenging for your customers to find you, such as typing
your name into a search engine or recommending you to a
friend.
For example, the brand WKND Apparel. It does represent
what they sell, but by shorting to the acronym, people
might not type it in correctly when searching for it.

7. EASY TO SAY
Same issue as spelling. If the name is not easy to pronounce,
you are challenging customers who speak their searches, or
again, want to refer you to friends.
For example, the popular high end appliance company Miele,
is actually pronounced mee-luh, but most people pronounce
it mee-lee. Same with Nutella, which is pronounced New-
tell-a, but in the beginning was likely pronounced Nut-ella.

8. NOT TOO LONG
Short names have the benefit that they can appear larger
and more readable on signage, business cards, labels, etc.,
plus they tend to be more memorable and easier to say.
For example, nail polish has a small label, so short names like
OPI and Essie make sense.

9. USING A SINGLE WORD
Maybe you just want to take one word and make it your
business name.
For example, business names like Target and Chewy are short,
everyday words. The downside is that they can be very difficult
to trademark as a result.

10. USING YOUR OWN NAME
Maybe your name is John Smith and you want to call your
business the John Smith Company. There can be issues with
this.
For example, you are now the brand, as opposed to what
you sell. Also, if you want to sell the business one day, it will
be difficult. And, if someone with the same name was to do
something controversial, like become a serial killer, it
wouldn't bode well for your business.

11. USING YOUR LOCALE
Some businesses want to appeal to the lure of supporting
a local or national business.
For example, the Harlem Candle Company pretty much
tells me where this company has its roots, and if I am from
New York, I may want to support them just for this reason.

12. INSPIRING NAMES
Madewell – quality clothing brand
Bauble Bar – trendy jewelry
Edoughble – edible cookie dough
Butcher Box – meat delivery
Headspace – meditation apps
Lord of the Wings – chicken wing restaurant

13. LET'S WORK TOGETHER!
I've been a small business consultant and blogger since 2012.
From my How to Start a Small Business Planner to my
extremely affordable one-on-one phone consultations, I can
help you find the right business idea and quickly and easily
get it off the ground!
EMAIL: attentiongetting@gmail.com
WEBSITE: www.attention-getting.com