What’s in a name? Well, everything! How do you find the perfect product name? Follow these tips.
What are Product Names
Product names represent the services and goods your company sells. They are separate from the brand name. For instance, Apple is the brand name, iPad, iPhone, and iPod are the product names. Your business name is a whole different can of worms.
Why Are Product Names Important?
Your product naming strategy isn’t an island. Your product titles should be consistent with your brand image so they can lead to improved brand recognition.
A product name that appeals to your target audience has greater sales potential.
The right name can help your product stand out from the crowd.
If your product is part of a product line, the name should reflect that.
Before you start brainstorming names, think about the purpose of your product. This will help you define what you want its name to convey. Write down the answers to these questions:
When it comes to choosing a great name, the standards of your industry matter. If you get too far off track, potential customers might not be able to tell what it is. Your research notes should include:
Here are a few naming conventions that some companies use and examples. Do your competitors use them or something else?
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Abstract Names |
Starbucks, Google |
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Suggestive Names |
Grubhub, Netflix |
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Descriptive Names |
Whole Foods, Chapstick, Post-Its, Band Aid |
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Real Word Names |
Amazon, Air Jordan, Magic Eraser |
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Compound Names |
JetBlue, Microsoft, Pinterest, Nyquil |
|
Coined Names |
Kleenex, Doritos, Sharpie |
Now it’s time to brainstorm! In this stage of the process, try to come up with as many different names as possible and don’t worry about how good they are. You can always eliminate them or improve upon them later. And don’t be afraid to get weird. A weird name might be the one that sticks the best. If you’re stuck, get inspiration from a name generator.
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, now’s the time to narrow it down. On the first pass, choose which ones to keep based on the minimum viable name framework:
Then, sort them by the following factors:
Have you come up with some great names that are fitting for our brand and seem safe to use? Then it’s time to test them out.
The first internal check is to ask employees in your company what they think of the product name. What associations does it bring up? Do they think it fits the brand identity?
Next, run it by the sales, marketing, and design employees. After all, they’re the ones who will have to make the name work and promote the product.
Once the name gets the go-ahead from your colleagues, run some market research to see how your target market reacts to it. Ask them these questions:
It will be hard to bring potential customers through the buyer’s journey if they can’t remember the name of your product. While you’re working on making your product names memorable, make sure they’re easy to pronounce and easy to spell so they will stick in customer’s minds.
Even names that come from made-up words should have a backstory and significance. Not only does this make it easy for your customers to remember, but it makes the product part of your brand story.
A unique name is a branding asset. Here are a few suggestions for putting a spin on your product name.
If you have international customers, be sure to think about how a name will resonate in different languages and cultures.
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