| BIG BRAND TECHNIQUES
The Game of the Name
Your business name can work for you or against you
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Heidi sent me a couple of questions about naming her business:
 "What are the pros and cons of branding a personal name? Are there certain forms of names that suit particular fields? (Such as single words, acronyms, or the three-name series engineering convention, etc.)"
Heidi, a personal name can work for a business name, but you have to be careful. If your business is built on your work, or your personality, your personal name might work. However, if your name isn't directly associated with the services or products you offer, you might have an uphill battle ahead. Your marketing will have to do the work of associating your personal name with the product or service you offer before it can start selling.
I know it's common to use the partners' names when naming engineering firms, for example. It's fine to go in that direction, but if you really want to stand out (and you want to make your marketing job easier), find a name that reflects what your business offers and the benefit of doing business with you.
 Here's an example of a marketing person who had her work cut out for her. Julie Westbrooks is the Business Development Director for Efficiency Engineers. Cool name, right?
Except when Julie started with the company earlier this year, it was called PMC, Inc. Huh?
They are a group of industrial engineers who assess, recommend and implement process and technology improvements. So naturally, they were calling themselves PMC: Productivity Management Consultants.
Poor Julie. Every time she was out networking for her new employer, she had to spend the first few minutes of her introduction explaining what her company did!
 Now, with the new name supported by other marketing and sales activities, they have seen double digit demand for their services. That's right, in 2009, in the middle of a terrible recession here in the US, they've had explosive growth. They're hiring engineers so they can handle all their new projects!
My recommendation, Heidi, is to make your marketing job easier and come right out and say what your company does in its name. You won't have to spend your marketing budget explaining what you do: you can focus on selling the benefits of your offerings.
I'll be back again in two weeks! In the meantime, I have a special holiday gift for all of you. It's a report I wrote called "10 Design Mistakes that Make Your Business Look Dumb." See below to download!
 PAMELA WILSONBig Brand System
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DESIGN SCHOOL
A Special Gift for You
 A few of you were curious enough to follow my call to action links in the last issue. Your curiosity was rewarded with a sneak peek at this report, called 10 Design Mistakes That Make Your Business Look Dumb.
Avoid the graphic design landmines that make your business look amateur and unprofessional: find out ten things you can do to keep your business looking polished and professional. It's my gift to you this holiday season!
You can download it here, or by clicking on the image to the left.
PS: Feel free to share it with your friends and colleagues. It's a quick and enjoyable read.
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 Four Design Tips TeleclassMy December 10 teleclass with Karyn Greenstreet of Passion for Business, called Four Design Tips to Grow Your Brand, was a big hit. I'll send you a link to download the recording in the next issue of this newsletter, so stay tuned!
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Next TimeIn the next issue, we'll talk about tag lines. This is a great follow up topic to our discussion of naming your business. A strong tag line adds nuance to your company name. If you're stuck with a company name that doesn't tell the whole story, a tag line can fill the gap.
Read back issues of the Big Brand System newsletter in the archive.
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 What's Bugging You?What's most confusing to you about design and marketing? Send me your question, and I'll cover it in a future issue of the Big Brand System newsletter. Send your question. |
