Ashworth Creative – Branding [Naming/Tagline]

naming/taglines

The Naming Process
When choosing and creating a name for your corporate identity or even a product, the new name should support your branding strategy, identify your product or company service, set your brand apart from your competition and position your company for success and future growth. Also, ensure that you perform a legal search on the name. You want to make sure the new name you have selected is not used by another company. You may find that each time you come up with a name idea someone else already has thought of it and is using it. This is why it may take more than one idea and time to create a name that is right for your company. Therefore, persistence is key in the naming process. Also, we have created a few more suggestions to help you during the naming process.

Emotional Triggers. A name taps into an individual’s emotions especially if a company’s name has been around a long time. Employees and even customers have come to know your company based on the name and may associate strong feelings about their past and current relationship with your business.
Vision. When engaging in the naming process, you should make sure that your new company’s name reflects your future goals and growth. How do you see your business years down the road?
Employee Input. You employees are the front line people and interact daily with your customers. They know the business and how it works. It is important to get their input during the naming process.
Target Market. You want a name that will focus on your target market, the people who are buying your products and services.
Legal Check. Do not expect that the first name you create is available and useable. Always perform a legal search to make sure that name is not used by another company. In fact, it may take up to three or more name ideas before you find one that is available.
A Suitable Name. The new company name should coincide with the company’s business or what the company does. And don’t forget products have names to. If you are naming a product, make sure the product’s name reflects the product or what the product is designed to do.

Taglines
Once you have completed the naming process, you should develop a tagline. A tagline is a short phrase that tells about who you are, communicates your vision, how you are different from your competition, why customers should choose you over another company and distinguishes your brand. Here are a few suggestions for developing a tagline.

Make it Memorable. A tagline is a memorable, succinct phrase or slogan that condenses and enhances a company’s brand. A tagline is about seven words or less and is found under or next to your logo.
Make it a Unique Identifier. An organization can have more than one tagline that clearly sets your company apart from the competition.
Do your Research. A tagline is your company’s unique phrase. However, you must conduct extensive customer, market and legal research to make sure that the tagline is unique and does not belong to another organization. And through research, you can assure customers that no one else beside your company has the authority to use the tagline you have created.