Your product may be fully fledged and ready to go. But it won’t go far without a name. This can be a huge sticking point for product developers. Sometimes coming up with a name can take even longer than coming up with a product idea, with ideas going round in circles and never getting anywhere.
If you’re having trouble naming your product, here are a few tips to help you in reaching a decision:
Think About the Written Form
Whilst you may think it adds something unique to your offering, avoid unusual or deliberate misspellings in your product name. It makes it difficult for people to Google your product and they may be unsure about how to pronounce it.
Think About the Spoken Form
Even in a digital age, marketers still respect the power of word of mouth advertising. If your customers can’t pronounce your product name, it’s unlikely that word will travel far. Your product name needs to sounds as good as it looks on paper. Be careful when using acronyms and avoid nonsense words altogether.
Keep it Short and Sweet
Following on from the last two points, short and sweet product names are often the best. They’re more easily spelled and remembered. And they are much more flexible when it comes to branding materials too.
Check that it’s Unique
An internet search should help you to determine whether your chosen product name is already associated with another company or product. When it comes to marketing and to SEO, you need something that is unique to you.
Use A Name That Conveys a Meaning
Whilst unusual words like “Google” and “Yahoo” have served their businesses well, it takes a huge amount of marketing savvy (and budget) to promote names like this. If you choose a word that already carries a desired meaning, you’ve done half of the work already. You can rely a lot less of clever marketing techniques to convey exactly what you’re offering to your customers.
Be Aware of International Connotations
IKEA has a long list of rejected product names that they found had a negative or even offensive connotation in one of the many countries they sell to. What works in English may not work elsewhere in the world. If you’re selling your product internationally, it’s essential that your product name translates well in each and every language so conduct thorough research before making a decision.
Think to the Future
Keep in mind future product lines to avoid letting your product name box you in. These could be products that are already in development or products you hope to add years down the line. If your current product is to be the first of many in the same vein, your product name should allow for future variations. It certainly shouldn’t present your product as the definitive or only product of its type.
Do Some Market Research
When naming a product, it’s a good idea to draw up a shortlist of ideas. You can then run these potential names by a focus group of people who aren’t too closely associated with your business. They will then be able to tell you objectively and dispassionately which they prefer. Asked the right questions, they’ll also be able to relay the impression that each name gives. This will give you great reassurance when finally deciding on the right name for your new product.
Coming up with a product name is a challenging task that requires creativity, strategy and thorough market knowledge. Avoid the common pitfalls and pitch your ideas to a wider audience to find a product name that will drive sales and grow your company reputation.
