If you own a company with a name that blends in with all the other Tom, Dick, or Harry companies, it may be time to rethink your branding strategy. In ranchers’ cattle, a hot marking iron leaves a permanent mark by burning hair and skin. If the branding iron is not hot enough, it will only leave a temporary mark that will eventually fade.
Let’s face it, when many of us small business owners start our businesses, we don’t really consider the power of a great brand. With all the other “stuff” that happens as companies are born, we often don’t take the time or invest the resources to create a fashion brand that sticks.
Some of us go for the simpler brands, like Bill’s Tour Guides or K&S Hair Salon. Some go for mysterious names, like Industrial Solutions or Southern Sales, which tell potential customers very little about the business or products.
If you’re starting a business or want to warm up your brand, think red hot. You need a name that burns in the minds of your potential customers. Your brand should define who you are and what your company does and do it in a memorable way. The brand also needs to evoke the right feelings and emotions about its business.
There are many different strategies to develop the perfect brand for your company or product line. Here are some examples.
Address customer concerns – lets them know in advance that you won’t let them down
- Heating and air conditioning for one hour
- Fast printing
- FedEx
Build trust or stability – make your customer trust you and your product
- Duracell Batteries
- Under armor
Be visual – put a picture in your customer’s mind
- Blue Dot Technologies
- Two fat bbq
Be creative – this generally requires a larger marketing budget, but can be powerful
- iPod
- Turn on
- Starbucks
Steps to build a brand that burns
- Brainstorm: Delete all the words that describe you. Discard all the words that describe your product or business. Then discard all the words that describe the emotions, thoughts, or feelings you want your client to have. Write them down or enter them on your computer for later reference
- Thesaurus: Get the thesaurus and look up catchy synonyms for any of the words generated during your brainstorming.
- Test Word Combinations – Combine some of the above words as direct sum combinations, just like in Blue Fin Salon. Also combine some of the words as combined word combinations, as in Invisalign
- Get information from friends, family, potential clients, business owners, or advisers. Something that sounds very good to you may sound very bad to others.
- Domain verification – This is one of the most important parts of the process. You need to secure a domain name (http://www.mybrand.com) that uses most of your brand, if not all of your brand. Potential names should be verified as you think about them, so you know what is available. If your brand is not available, keep thinking. You can find a great web tool for searching domain names on the go at ddwhois.com. Plus, visit makewords.com to find word and domain name combinations with one tool.
- Trademark Search: You should perform a trademark search to see if someone else has a trademark under your brand name. Visit the US Patent and Trademark Office search site at http://tess2.uspto.gov/ If you wish to register your name, consult a qualified trademark attorney
- Search the Internet: Even if your name is not registered, someone may already be using it. Do a Google search for the name in “quotes.” This will show any exact combination of other people’s words that may be using the name. If someone is already using the name in a similar industry, it’s probably best to steer clear. When in doubt, consult an attorney
Think hard when developing your brand. If the mark really burns, it won’t fade.