When a novice entrepreneur applies to the tax inspectorate for the registration of an LLC, he is necessarily faced with the need to name his company. A common situation is when a businessman does not think about the importance of this task, and as a result, dozens of Stroy-Services and Aphrodite appear in the city.
Why is it important to name the company correctly?
To answer this question, it is not necessary to recall the hackneyed phrase from the cartoon about the captain of "Trouble". Many underestimate the importance of the name of the company, although this is one of the main components of a competent marketing approach. The name of the organization is part of the brand, the future element of the logo, the face of the company.
It is necessary to think about the name at the stage of forming a business project. Indeed, in the future, when mentioning this word, clients should have the right associations associated with a particular company.
How to name a company so that it is successful
Choosing the right name should focus not only on uniqueness. Important criteria are also brevity, ease of pronunciation, unambiguity and other features necessary to turn a simple word into a trademark. Marketers identify many rules that help you select the right options and discard the inappropriate ones. First things first.
How to call a company
There are rules for the name of LLC established at the legislative level. Before embarking on a brainstorming session, it’s best to familiarize yourself with these rules in order to immediately dismiss the hopeless options. So, what to call LLC and not break the law?
1. The legal name of the organization shall not repeat an already registered trademark. Unknowingly or intentionally, an entrepreneur may violate the law. And then you will have to answer in all severity.
2. The name should not only differ by 100% from the patented trademark, but in no way remind it. If the creators of a well-known brand suspect an infringement of copyright, they, as in the previous case, have the right to claim. This will become especially unpleasant at the moment when the entrepreneur has already managed to develop his business, will invest a lot of money in an advertising campaign and logo, spend money on souvenir products and more. You will have to get rid of all this, but you should not talk about a damaged reputation.
3. The name of the organization shall not contain the names of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, state bodies and international companies. In addition, words such as the minister or the legislator, which supposedly hint at the approval of the product by the state, should not be mentioned. In tax, such a brand is not approved.
4. It is forbidden to use foul language, curses, insults. If an entrepreneur plans to enter the international level, then you should take care of the harmonious name in all languages.
5. The name should not create a misconception about the scope of the company.
What is naming?
In order for the name to remain not just a beautiful word or sign, a lot of work needs to be done. A good name should become part of the brand and generate revenue.
The process of inventing a brand in marketing is called naming. What it is? Naming consists of several stages, which later lead to the desired word - the name itself.
Naming Stages
1. Analysis of the organization. Close attention at this stage is focused on the concept of a business idea, field of activity, manufactured products or offered services. What is the peculiarity of the organization, what is the estimated price category of the company's products?
2. The study of the target audience. The name should be designed for a certain circle of consumers, who are united by gender, age, social status, income level, marital status and so on. Depending on the chosen audience, it can be assumed what values this category of consumers has and what vocabulary they can use.
3. Attention to competitors. You need to study the brands of similar companies, find out what marketing moves they use to promote the business, how consumers react to them.
4. Based on the previous three stages, requirements for the future name are formed. You can decide in advance how many letters the name should include, which words are preferable and which should not be used.
5. Brainstorming. At this stage, options are proposed based on the requirements drawn up. The most successful ones are selected from them - harmonious, conveniently pronounced and unique.
6. Testing for the target audience. The survey should show what impressions the selected options leave, which one increases the credibility of the company, which name is easier to pronounce and remember.
7. Legal due diligence. Does the selected option comply with legal requirements?
Examples of successful naming
Professional naming distinguishes the following types of names of organizations:
- Acronyms, acronyms. The most successful are the names consisting of the first letters of surnames or parts of words. One such example is Kodak. It is important that the name is short and harmonious.
- Neologisms. These are names that do not exist in nature. There is nothing more interesting than to independently invent the name of the organization. Examples: Pepsi, Nestle. One of the minuses of neologism will be precisely the fact that it is not associated with anything, which means that it will be difficult to remember at first.
- Transcription, transliteration. Some foreign words sound interesting in the Russian manner. So at one time the Wimm-Bill-Dan brand appeared, the creator of which liked the word Wimbledon.
- Using the proper names or the names of the founders is a great way to create a unique name for the organization. Examples: Nemiroff, Ford, Hilton. This method is only good if the entrepreneur has an unusual name. You can use any surname if it is interesting to beat it in the name. Disneyland is a great example.
There are several dozen techniques for creating a unique name for the company. From the point of view of marketers and companies professionally involved in naming, it is much easier for future parents to choose a name for the child.
How to check the name for uniqueness
Before a mistake is indicated in the tax office, you can not waste time and get acquainted with the full list of restrictions in the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
There are also lists of patented names and registered trademarks on the website of the tax service, in the Rospatent database and on some services. These include Znakoved.
How to protect yourself from competitors
A good name can be attacked by competitors. What will it be expressed in? Lovers of profit at the expense of someone else’s fame will begin to create companies with related names. For example, by creating a site called Fasebook, you could count on at least a thousand visits per day.
Then how to name LLC and to avoid attacks on a good name? Simple enough. So, for example, the creators of the well-known social network from the above example have already worried about possible spelling errors of users and have patented several trademarks with similar names at once. In addition, rights to the words book, like, wall and others were immediately declared. Prudently, right?
An entrepreneur who is not indifferent to the image of his company can turn to specialists to create a unique, catchy name. But with a competent approach and the availability of free time, you can come up with a name yourself. You can draw interesting thoughts and ideas alone or in the company of co-founders or colleagues. The most important condition is not to neglect the rules of naming. Good luck!