How to Name Your Business, Product, or Service
Choosing the right name for your brand and its products or services is a big deal for small business owners. A business name is the first impression your customers or clients will have of your brand, and, assuming you’re planning to be in business for quite a while, it’s something you’ll need to commit to for the long haul.
Whether you’re working on naming your brand or something you plan to offer—a podcast, a course, a product line, etc.—don’t skimp on this process. A name is a key part of your brand strategy, and it’s worth your time and effort to do it right.
5 Tips for Naming Your Brand/Product/Service
Every business and every situation is different, but here are five basic tips to consider while naming your brand, product, or service:
Choose a name that’s unique but not too hard to spell or say.
Choose a name that reflects you, your business, and/or your line of work. And make sure it’s something you actually like!
Don’t choose a name that’s too generic. Generic names are hard to trademark, but we’ll get there in a sec.
Don’t choose a name that’s so specific that it will limit you in the future.
Don’t choose a name that’s taken by another business or that’s too similar to a name that’s taken by another business.
Feel free to take most of these tips with a grain of salt. After all, some businesses have found a lot of success with names that are specific, generic, or hard to say. But the tip on our list that matters most is the last one: Don’t choose a name that’s taken or that’s too similar to a name that’s taken. The easiest way to check this box during your naming process is to do a trademark search.
Make It Trademarkable
When naming your business or something your business will offer, you should consider whether a potential name is trademarkable. A trademark can be “any word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that identifies your goods or services”, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. (Read up on why your brand needs a trademark here.)
There are rules, of course. For instance, you CAN trademark a scent, but you CAN’T trademark the name of a living person (at least not without his or her consent). And there are actually different types of trademarks—generic, descriptive, suggestive, arbitrary, and fanciful. Let’s briefly discuss.
Generic: The USPTO won’t agree to a generic trademark because it’d cause a lot of confusion if businesses were constantly trademarking common phrases. For example, a coffee shop named “Coffee Shop.” Anyone has the right to use such a generic term, so ownership over it with a trademark is not allowable.
Descriptive: If your business name uses regular words with a clear secondary meaning that jives with your product or service offering, you might get a descriptive trademark. You may have difficulty getting the trademark office to accept this kind of mark unless you’re clearly able to show that your mark has that secondary meaning. Trademarks should be distinctive, which is why marks that clearly describe an aspect of your goods or services are more difficult to trademark and therefore, not as strong. Examples of descriptive marks are “Bank of America” and “American Airlines.”
Suggestive: These are go-to names that require a bit of thought or imagination to make a connection between the name and the goods or services being offered. This is usually the sweet spot when it comes to choosing a name because it is still somewhat related to what you are doing, but not so related where it is descriptive or generic. Some suggestive marks are “Netflix” and “Chicken of the sea” and “wite-out".”
Arbitrary: The USPTO defines arbitrary marks as “a known word used in an unexpected or uncommon way.” For example, "“Apple” is an arbitrary mark because the company is named after a real word, but they of course are not selling products or services related to apples or even fruit, it is completely unrelated.
Fanciful: These marks are words that are made up, and therefore, are the strongest type of trademark. Examples of fanciful marks are “Xerox” “Kodak” “Verizon” “Pepsi” and “Clorox.”
So now that you know about the different types of trademarks, you know WHY it’s best to avoid names that are too generic or even too descriptive (unless you’ve got a solid double entendre going for you). A business name that qualifies for a suggestive, arbitrary, or fanciful mark is probably your best bet for ensuring your brand, product, or service name is both memorable and distinct.
Need some help choosing a trademarkable name? Or are you ready to own your brand with a trademark? Schedule a trademark consultation here.