How to Name a Company: 5 Quick Tips

These 5 tips will get you started in the right direction towards a distinctive company name.

Image by Francesco Marino

1. Write down your companies core values.  For example, are you traditional, groundbreaking, modern, cool, or sophisticated?  This will set the tone for your name.

2. Write down the problems your company will solve. For example, are you producing sturdier office furniture, making a better laundry detergent, or creating pet friendly cleaning products?  This will allow you to choose related words for your name.

3. Write down who would most likely buy your products.  For example, are you selling to moms, dads, hobbyists, foreigners or teens?  This will help you target the vernacular that is appropriate.

4. Write down what differentiates your products from competitors.  For example, are you eco-friendly, cost-saving, niche-serving, or totally new?  This will help you with your tagline, as well as your name.

5. Finally, write down any places that have influenced your product line.  For example, did you find the ingredients in Boreo, learn to make it in Japan, or have the idea while laying in a cornfield?  This will aid you with your tagline and give you additional vernacular you may want to include in your name.

So, now that you have a sheet covered with ideas, here are some examples of how you might put them together:

-Sample Answers-
1. Chic, smart, simple.
2. Stylish, un-obtrusive diaper-changing supplies.
3. Moms, nannies, stay at home dads (to be used on babies).
4. Odor-blocking, pet and child safe, cost-effective.
5. Idea came from a nursery in England.

-Sample Results-
1. Nanny Surplus- UK vernacular, product user.
2. Easy Baby- Company values, product user.
3. Thrifty Tot- Product feature, product user, UK vernacular.
4. Baby Posh- Product user, UK vernacular.
5. Chic Nursery- Company values, product user.

There are a few other things you may want to include in your brainstorming process like related animals, colors and jargon.  These tips are only intended to get the creative juices flowing.

Happy naming!

Things I Adore: Part 4

Color!

Why You Need It In Advertising and Marketing.

Made you look.

Color has a way of catching the eye.  It's undeniable.  I could link hundreds of resources that point to that fact, but you know it's true.  That's why color costs extra. It's special.  It makes your message special.  It shows that you love your product enough to be bold.

Recently I created a quick flyer for one of my clients.  I asked if there was a specific color palate that suited the current scheme and I was told to use whatever colors I felt suited the project.  So I did.  Three hours later, the client was graced with a beautiful deep purple and silver flyer that spoke to his target audience.  The next morning I had a message saying that it wasn't printing right, so I called my client... They're printing it in the office in black and white!  I told them I'd grayscale it and slammed the phone down in a huff.

It isn't smart business.  My clients' target audience consists of image-conscious middle to upper-class African-American men between the ages of 25 and 40.,  Which flyer says I'm your target and "I care about how I'm seen by others" so "I can afford to treat myself," the black or color? (Name of business, logo and address cropped out to protect my client.)

It's worth the extra money to send the right message.  Saving on the color now, won't save you money in the long run. Prove my point or argue against my intuition: Which ad has the most impact?

As a side note, I have really enjoyed having an excuse to toss cutesy color into my blog posts.

Experiment: Webcam vs. Personal Brand

Will streaming every moment of my online day negatively impact my personal brand?
My experiment into the effects of live footage on personal branding.

This all started as a joke.  Then the joke got serious. Folks on Brazen Careerist were talking about 'showing the best possible' personal brand on social media. I postulated that too much deviation from ones' real self would have negative effects somewhere down the line.

The questions is: How real is too real?  Since a personal brand is about your professional self, I can automatically assume that a look into personal parts of my life is too much.  What I cooked for dinner and what movie I'm watching are not professional activities...so, what is?

Since I do a lot of consulting work online from my home office, that would be the best place to be transparent about my professional self.  The most transparent medium I can think of is live video. So, with the help of Twitcam, I will be broadcasting every moment of my professional day. Note: My feed is video only. Some of the conversations I have while working are privileged information, and I don't want to violate any NDA's.

Every time I start the feed, my Twitter followers will be notified. My Twitcam feed can also be viewed through my blog homepage. I'll be putting up a poll to see what viewers think about the feeds' effect on my personal brand.

So, leave me a comment. What do you think? Does my live-stream detract or add to my personal brand? Would you be more or less likely to hire me after viewing my feed?

Big Shot Blogger

Top-Shelf Personal Blogging Tips
A guest post by John Moore

Amanda, I wanted to start off by thanking you for the invitation to write a post for Strategic Fox.  I enjoy having the opportunity to engage people anywhere, anytime, and it was a pleasure writing this piece.

 

When it comes to the blogging process, I must remind you that there is no right approach.  However, if your goal is to engage in a dialog to share opinions and discussions, here is what I recommend:

 

• Determine what you are excited about.  Your passions; what you are interested in discussing with other users.  I have chatted with a lot of people who recommend a laser-like focus on one or two topics, if this is your passion, follow it.   I enjoy engaging on a fairly wide-range of topics and it has been successful, thus far.
• Define goals for your blog. Personal blogs, like corporate blogs, are often a means to an end.  My goals for social media usage are defined here.  A similar outline may help you measure the results of  your own social media efforts.
  
• Give yourself a target number of posts per week. I strongly urge you not to write a daily blog update, as you will burn out.  On the other hand, don't write a post once every two weeks.  Readers will not come back.  If feasible, try to write 2 or 3 times a week for your first couple of months.  As you enter the flow of blogging and begin to find your social voice, you will be able to determine a frequency that suits your life.
• Please, please, please....  Do not write a one-way blog. Comments are critical for engagement and engagement, in my opinion, is the only reason to develop a blog.  Unless you are an all-knowing being, keep comments open. Actively review and respond to your readers.  As you do this, people will return to your blog, both to agree and disagree with your opinions.  This is one of the most critical components for a new blogger, do not forget this please.
• Decide what PR channels you will utilize.  I recommend starting off with Twitter, LinkedIn Groups, Facebook, and Technorati.  You will get big bang for buck with LinkedIn Groups and Twitter in the short-term, while Technorati will provide longer term payback.

If your goal is to create a platform for social engagement, these tips will get you going in the right direction.  Do not get too discouraged when your posts get few views and do not get too excited when you write a post that produces a lot of discussion.  I have had a day with fewer than 50 views and a day with over 4600 views.  Remain calm with the Tao of blogging and follow the advice above.  Maybe one day you and I will be at the head of the virtual blogging classroom.

 

John Moore

http://johnfmoore.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/JohnFMoore

Things I Adore: Part 3

Blogs of Note:
Great blogs and how you can have one.

As the owner of a freshly-launched personal blog, I am vastly interested in top web publishers and their methods.  According to Technorati, the following is an accurate list of the five most popular blogs to date:


1. Boing Boing : A brain-child of Mark Frauenfelder and his wife Carla, Boing Boing started off as a magazine before it became a group blog in January 2000.  Together with four co-editors, Boing Boing promises to be a "directory of wonderful things" and delivers 'weird' to a Technorati fan-base of over 4,300 people.  Boing Boing works because it highlights strange and unique content on a consistent basis via staff and guest posts.

2. Problogger:  Darren Rowse launched his personal blog about life, faith and his hobby long before he ever thought he'd make money doing so.  Today, Problogger boasts a #2 ranking on Technorati with over 3, 800 fans.  Darren has lots to say about his journey, but  his most important lesson is 'slow and steady wins the race.'  Since 2002, Darren has brought his hobby from fun to profit through niche subject matter and genius marketing.

3. TechCrunch: This commercial blog is new in comparison to the top two, but it boasts over 3,600 fans on Technorati and profiles all things technology and business.  Started by Michael Arrington in 2005, TechCrunch has a dozen staff members working to keep the content fresh.  Their success stems from loyalty to their niche and expanded content offerings through The Crunch Network; several sub-blogs that target different tech genres.

4.  Lifehacker:  With just over 3,080 Technorati fans, Lifehacker has provided a steady stream of 'life-simplification tips' via web since 2005.  With over 18 updates per weekday, visitors can always find ways to streamline their routine.  Lifehacker is one of many blogs owned by Gawker Media founded by Nick Denton.  The corporate blogs' popularity is attributed to a steady stream of updates about new products and services that improve quality-of-life.


5. Engadget:  Just barely behind Lifehacker is Engadget, a corporate blog dedicated to consumer electronics that has over 3,040 fans on Technorati.  Engadget sets itself apart by offering geek-speak in seven different languages through sub-sites.  Peter Rojas created Engadget in 2004, which was recently acquired by AOL.  The blog is successful because it makes a general topic personalized through translation and news leads posted from readers.


Now, most of these blogs are owned by companies, but they didn't all start that way.  The top two blogs began as personal platforms dedicated to the writers 'niche of choice.'  Since personal blogs are the most common variety, the next post will feature a 'guide to personal blogging' from John Moore, VP of Engineering of Swimfish, Inc.  John's blog was created on February 3rd, 2009, it averages six comments per post and over 180 unique visitors a day.  You can follow him on Twitter at JohnFMoore.

I'll be posting his article as soon as I get it, so watch my twitter feed at @foxystrategy for update status.

Things I Loathe: Part 5

*Cue the dramatic music* This is the last segment of "Things I Loathe." Peek in later this week for the first of my "Things I Adore" series.

Tonight I will be blogging about Agency Slogans. You see them at almost every advertising agency, and some of them are just plain horrible. In this post I will review a few and tell you why I think they are missing the mark.

Blueliner- "Acting outside the box"
Oh I get it!! There's a box that contains all the other agencies, and you're on the outside! Sharp. Cliches can backfire, and I feel this one doesn't do Blueliner any favors. They are smart, savvy Internet ad men who are at the top of their game, yet they use an arcane expression? That doesn't make any sense. I would go with something more progressive and tech-based. Something like "Experts in Cyberspace Navigation" or "ROI- Redefining Online Integration." Something clever.

Young & Rubicam- "Resist the Usual"
What!? Oh, you're creative. Why didn't you say so? I thought you only created advertising for companies run by aliens or the mentally challenged. Yes, I know Y&R is a top-shelf agency... but their tag line still stinks. It doesn't say "We're creative" it says "We're strange...or you're strange..either way, someone better be weird or we won't work." Isn't advertising supposed to reach 'normal' people? It sounds like you're limiting viewership from the start. How about "Big Apple-sized Ideas" or "We are aliens" (the second one would definitely set you apart). Y&R's tag line sounds contrived...trying too hard. Nobody likes that.

AD Lubow Advertising- "Advertising that moves people"
What are you saying? Really. I should run your site through the BS checker program from the last post. Your slogan means nothing. Not a thing. It makes you feel all warm and fuzzy for about five seconds and then you realize that it said nothing. Empty words designed to make you feel good about AD Lubow. But it fades. Fast. Go for genuine impact, people. Try "Advertising that stuns" or "Water-cooler Worthy Creative." At least those statements have meaning.

I could go on for hours, but let me finish with this:
Slogans should be as creative, real and persuasive as you are. If your slogan is weak, then you look weak.