We always say that a good name can’t save a bad business. A good business, on the other hand, will always benefit from a rock-solid brand name. To get the most out of your brand name, you need to integrate it with your overall communications strategy right from the start. This can be summed up in one witty catchphrase, also known as the tagline.
No matter what business you’re running, efficient and crystal-clear communication is the key to survival. Before you even present yourself to your target audiences, you need an organizational plan which states your core aims and vision. Your communications objectives should always be in sync with your organizational goals.
In a naming process, the first step is to analyze your company core values and your current and desired position. If you lack a strategy, you need to get one before you go any further. Many companies do the mistake of simply choosing a “good-sounding name” without giving it much thought, and such a decision will often cause problems in the long run.
When we work with naming for companies, no matter the size of the organization, every name we create reflects your different strategies and goals. The more detailed and descriptive the strategy, the easier it becomes to find a name that serves your purposes and sounds great.
Show, Don’t Tell
So, to become successful in business, you need people to understand what you do, right? True. However, you don’t necessarily need to communicate that through your name. Fact is, a name that’s too descriptive is the most common mistake you can make. The more descriptive your name is, the more limited your business becomes. As soon as you grow and want to venture into new business areas, you will probably need to change your name anyway.
These days, as we move from technical to emotional sounding names, it’s more about reflecting who you are than what you do. Of course, this too needs to be written down in your business strategy to begin with. We’re not saying that you should pick a random phantasy name. We want the name you pick to express the soul of your company.
But How Will People Get What We Do?
By backing up your name with great marketing that reflects your company values and objectives. One efficient marketing tool to complement an emotional name is a slogan or a tagline. Here, you get the chance to define your offer, provoke a reaction or communicate your core values in a more direct way. Although some claim that the tagline is a thing of the past, and world-leading companies such as Apple have decided to stop using theirs, a startup or a smaller company doesn’t really have that luxury. Unless you’re already super-established, you need every tool in the book to keep things interesting from a consumer point of view.
Of course, your brand name and tagline is just the tip of the iceberg in your marketing. But to quote a famous tagline: First impression lasts.
Here are some of the many benefits from complementing your name with a tagline:
- Transparency
You explain your brand personality in just 3-6 words.
- Efficiency
One single statement boils down your values.
- Longevity
A good tagline can become the most memorable part of your brand. A bad one, on the other hand, can damage your reputation if you can’t live up to the promise.
- Differentiation
People’s attention span in general is something like 5 seconds. Your tagline gives them a chance to remember you and what makes your brand unique.
Strategic naming and tagline creation go hand in hand. Whether you’re looking to showcase your company, services or products, influence purchasing decisions or challenge your audience, we can help you create both a solid name and a great tagline to go with it.