A blog post

The Problems of Finding a New Brand Name

Posted on the 03 August, 2008 at 12:12 pm Written by in Marketing, Social Media

One of the difficult things about transitioning to a new brand is the name. I’ve come up with several great names only to find that the domain is taken or the name is trademarked.

I can’t do anything else until I have the name figured out. The name I’d like to use has to reflect taking action, being active and being full of energy. I’m like a lost sheep without the name figured out.

So, I’ve tried the following to help me finalize my new name:

  • Nameboy.com – I put in a combination of words and this site spits out a list of results and shows me which domain names with my combination is already taken.
  • Thesaurus.com – I plug in my desired word and I get a list of synonyms. Each are hyperlinked so I can see the synonyms of the synonyms I’m already looking at.
  • Babelfish – I love languages and use this site to find the French, Spanish or Italian equivalent of the English word I’d like to use. I only look at one word translations because when I use a phrase, the translation gets mucked up. But, it’s a handy tool to use.

Are there any other tools I should be looking at to help me in my quest to finalize my brand name?

  • http://blog.natashavincent.com Natasha Vincent

    Oh how I love this Google Feed Reader thing! With e-mail on the fritz, it’s still possible to keep up to date and in the loop.

    But shucks, it’s to hear that you’re going loopy over domain names (wink).

    How about the Flickr Related Tag Browser?

    http://www.airtightinteractive.com/projects/related_tag_browser/app/

    As you may know, Flickr members are encouraged to “tag” their photos to make them easier to search. The words they
    come up with for people, places and things will give you some new ideas…especially if your transition continues to be in the social media realm. A social media tool can fit the bill!

    Just plug in a word and click the “Go >” button. Move your mouse just to the right of the square picture box that
    results and you’ll see a circle of keyword ideas for your domain name.

  • http://www.leesabarnes.com Leesa Barnes

    Love that link, Natasha. Thanks for sharing. It’s so cool.

  • Tracy Douglas

    Hi Leesa!

    I’ve got a couple of suggestions, but perhaps they’re a little more less tech-savvy than what you were looking for…

    1. Why not have a name party? Get a whole group of your friends together and just spend the whole time brainstorming. I’ve actually done this with friends and come up with some great material. And it’s a whole lot of fun, to boot!

    2. Perhaps put it out to your community here. I remember Peter Bowerman doing this for one of his info products. He got an enthusiastic response from what I remember AND the title for his book! Maybe the winner could get to avail themselves of the fruits of your new venture? I LOVE naming things, so I know I’d participate! : )

    Wishing you success on this.

    Tracy

  • http://www.indiebusinessblog.com Donna Maria
  • http://butyoureagirl.com Adria Richards, But You’re A Girl.com

    I like using http://www.bustaname.com/ to find unique domain name combinations. It will add on popular prefix and suffix choices like my or ly, drop the last vowel and you can group words so they don’t combine with each other ie fun/silly, dog/cat, tricks, games, training.