Are business names overrated or underappreciated?
I always say as a business owner, it’s my job to make it as easy to understand and execute my desired business actions. I want to serve my business up to them on a silver platter and “sell the sizzle.” I want to make the transaction itself a promise for your fulfillment.
Researching “Your Competition”
Google “best car wash” to note the choices made by the most successful car wash businesses in the area. Start a spreadsheet to note the results (details) of how all the top car wash businesses created their business name and how they modify the brand name for online channels and other collateral materials:
- Name
- Logo
- URL
- YouTube
- Google+
- Pinterest / Instagram / Vine
- Hashtags
- Email extension
Note how they deal with oddities (like an ampersand), if they have clear and simple names, or trendy names. Apps and SaaS often choose a phonetic name or drop a vowel in spelling. Or if they are an established brand and business with years of advertising investments behind them, most of these suggestions can go out the window.
Choosing Your Website Domain / URL
When choosing your business name, of course it’s a good idea to know what domains are available, but domain name availability is not always necessary for appropriate name selection.
In my case, Social Sparkle & Shine is the perfect name for my business, but it’s quite long for a URL and I didn’t want to confuse the ampersand in my name and logo in my URL.
Also, when I searched Google for other businesses called “sparkle & shine”, I wanted to be aware of how that name is perceived online, in the mix of all the businesses using the name, versus how it’s perceived in my professional category & marketplace.
Your Business Name on Social Media
Many social media platforms only allow for simple or short profile/page custom URLs, so to deal with both the length and ampersand, I developed my business “nickname” & social media personality – The Sparkle Agency. Everywhere on social channels the business name is officially Social Sparkle & Shine but the personality is some version of “The Sparkle Agency” which is even shorter and easy to remember.
Online, “The Sparkle Agency” works better, as long as I’m consistent with my logo for the business name Social Sparkle & Shine.
Don’t forget to optimize your Google+ profile for Google maps, so you can be found in vehicle driver’s GPS systems.
Get the Feedback of A Focus Group
Ask your friends and peers, business advisors, customers, most active community members on your list or social media communities, and most importantly observe their immediate physical reaction and response to the name you’ve chosen.
About the author: Debbie Horovitch is a 20-year advertising media veteran and SEO content producer currently working on her 1st book and training program for marketers using YouTube and Google+ Hangouts on Air, Celebrity Hangouts on Air. Debbie has been working with automotive and aftermarket marketing professionals and media, since 1996.