If you are an entrepreneur, you surely have many occasions to name something. A new project, a business, or a brand. It’s a step in the journey of every entrepreneur. And for some, a step that comes back very often. Sometimes we nail it with a name inspired by the gods of branding, but our guts often lead us astray.
Naming shouldn’t be an activity that complicated. That’s what Alexandra Watkins tries to explain in this wonderful book. She lays down a simple framework to give your next businesses and brands, a memorable name. A name that will stick in the minds of your future customers. Like she says, a name should make you smile instead of scratch your head. Hence the SMILE-SCRATCH framework.
SMILE: The 5 qualities of a super-sticky name
- Suggestive: evokes something about your brand
- Memorable: makes an association with the familiar
- Imagery: aids memory through evocative visuals
- Legs: lends itself to a theme for extended mileage
- Emotional: moves people
SCRATCH: The 7 deal breakers
- Spelling challenged: looks like a typo
- Copycat: resembles competitor’s names
- Restrictive: limits future growth
- Annoying: seems forced, frustrates customers
- Tame: feels flat, descriptive, uninspired
- Curse of knowledge: speaks only to insiders
- Hard to pronounce: confuses and distances customers
Choosing a good name is only the beginning. You also have to check if you have the right to use it. Then there’s the domain name for your online presence. The author gives us tips and secrets on the matter. For instance, 5 domain name secrets, 5 strategies to get a good domain name for under $10, and 5 silly ideas to steer clear of when choosing a domain name. Remember to work on creating a memorable brand name before starting to look for a domain name.
The author has crafted an exercise to help guide anyone tasked with naming or renaming a brand, The Creative Brief. It is very detailed. If followed thoroughly, it will help you nail the naming of your brand like a pro. Coupled with the Creative Brief, there’s her particular brainstorming technique that will turn you into an idea machine.
This book is a true guide to brand naming. A book every entrepreneur should have in his library. And get back to it every time they have something to name.
Douala 🇨🇲