If you want to stand out from your competitors and attract new customers, your business name is the most important asset of your marketing efforts. It should be memorable, easy to spell, and convey what your business does. Many successful business names are based on the owner’s name. While these names may seem smart at first, they may turn out to be silly or redundant in the future. To avoid this fate, you should make a list of several dozen business names.
Besides thinking of a creative name for your business, you must also research the availability of the name on the internet. You can do this by using tools like Namechk, which checks multiple platforms with one search. If you’ve already chosen a dot com name, make sure to register it with your state to protect it against infringement. Otherwise, you may find your new business name has already been taken by someone else. You can also register your business name with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
While it’s a good idea to register your business name using the DBA system, you need to use the trade name if you’re going to advertise your business under an alternative name. However, this will give you limited legal protection. Besides, your trade name will be a short-cut version of your company name. In some cases, a trade name can be a better and more memorable option than the legal one. If your business is a book store, you can go with the trade name “Best Books” since it’s shorter than Jameel’s.
After you’ve registered your legal business name, you can use it for any official correspondence with your customers. Your legal business name is the name that will appear on your business’s documents and on other signs. It will appear on employee ID paperwork, tax returns, and other official documents. You’ll also need to register your legal name with your state filing office. The legal name is important for conducting business officially and for acquiring materials. Once you’ve got it right, your customers will start to remember your business.
While you can register a business name, you should also protect it against copyright laws. Some states have strict guidelines on what types of business names are allowed and which aren’t. While many states allow the use of similar business names, they prohibit deceptive or misleading ones. This is aimed at preventing unfair competition between businesses and consumers. You can still register a unique name if your name is similar to another business that offers the same products or services.
When naming a business, you can use descriptive words to convey the benefit that your firm offers. For instance, “Instant” or “rapid” convey the meaning of fast or efficient service, while words like “easily” or ‘cheap’ communicate a low-priced service. If you are looking for a business name that embodies your company’s value proposition, try searching for synonyms of those words in Google.