What’s in a Name?
Last week, Mindfly celebrated its 10th anniversary. The mission statement, the location, and the faces have changed much over the years, but our company's dedication to helping local businesses launch functional and well-polished websites is as strong as ever.
We’ve also recently started offering additional services in addition to website design and development, such as search engine optimization and online marketing. For a successful marketing strategy for any client, we need to have a thorough understanding of their business and desired customers. In my estimation, one of the most useful tools at your disposal in promoting your business is your company name.
So if you’re looking to market a new business or revamp your company image in these tumultuous economic times, here is some unsolicited advice from a completely unqualified marketer (but a very confident consumer) when it comes to choosing a company name or branding products.
Use Traditional Spelling and Grammar
It might seem like a good idea to make your business stand out with punny spelling, excessive punctuation, or unconventional use of capital- or lowercase letters, but it will probably make your life harder in the long run. When seeing your name in print, potential customers might view your creativity as unprofessional typos. Also, your business might not turn up readily in search engine results if you choose a unique spelling as part of your company name (e.g., “klothes” instead of “clothes”). When consistency is so important in image branding, you want to make sure that people can simply remember your business name without fumbling over the pronunciation or unusual spelling.
Know the Difference Between a Logo and a Company Name
Take a look at the header at the top of this page to find our Mindfly logo. Although the logo is all in lowercase letters, the company name itself is still Mindfly. So if you want to be creative with your logo, go for it. Throw an exclamation point at the end of it. Change the “i” to a 1. Get all fancy. But make an effort keep your company name distinct from the logo. You can wow potential customers will your creative designs and (hopefully) even more so with your products and service, but I say to keep it simple when it comes to your actual name.
Brevity is Next to Godliness
In branding, you have to think about how the name will look on a page (be it paper or web) and also how it will sound in the mouths of your customers. Along the same lines of “keep it simple,” pick a company name that has a restricted number of words or syllables. Two or three is probably the magic number; more than five is going to push the limits. Remember that you don’t have to say everything about your company in the name, just enough to snag their interest and get them to your website or inside your office doors. If you have a longer name, try using an acronym or a conversational term (such as “Mindfly” in lieu of “Mindfly Website Design and Development”) in printed text. If you can get potential clients to remember your name, you’re that much closer to actually gaining their business.