Make Your Brand Name Simple And Easy To Remember

Choosing a brand name is like putting a smile on the business. There is a simple but instructive Chinese proverb, which offers a helpful advice, ‘Don't open a shop unless you like to smile.'

A smile is no different from your company's name. Your name should convey something. For instance, your signage outside your business should bring out some positive feeling. Or the name on your letterheads must be able to communicate warmth and sincerity. The question now is, what do we consider in choosing a brand name to convey warmth, sincerity and openness?

The following are considerations when selecting a name:

Easy names sell. Think about ‘Yahoo!', ‘Google', or ‘Nike.' According to social scientists Adam Alter and Daniel Oppenheimer, people tend to favor words and names that are easy to pronounce. They argued that people feel more positively toward company names and stock symbols that are relatively easy to read and utter. So if you have very long and confusing brand name on your letterheads, think again.

Easy to remember. A brand name that is long and confusing especially on letterhead printing is not an effective business strategy. Sometimes business owners use their family names or some sort of acronym. Others would use a contraction of the names of the owners or the partners. It is not necessarily bad to put one's own personal signature on the business or on the letterheads particularly, but have you considered the business side of it? Recall that Calvin Klein used his name to promote his brand but his products are best known by two letters - ‘CK.' The full name is relatively easy to remember but those two letters are definitely much easier to recall.

Don't be ambiguous. What you want is to express what your company does or offers upon hearing your brand name. Additional research by Oppenheimer has shown that overly complex language can produce a less convincing message. Using the results of his research and applying it on how you choose brand names would lead you to select simpler words.

Before setting on a letterhead printing, be sure that you have the right name. It is costly to print thousands of your letterheads only to change them later because the name does not sit well with your customers. The rule of thumb is to always make sure your name or brand name is clear. It must be able to give the impression that your business is someone that can be trusted. In choosing a name go back to this age old advice - Try Simplicity.