Marketing Communication Ink
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How to Create a Great Business Name
What’s in a Name?
Did you ever wonder how successful businesses came up with their company name, or how to pick a great name for your own new business? You’d be surprised at how some of today’s Fortune 100s picked theirs.
As reported in American Express’ Open Forum article by Kate Kudish, sometimes it’s as simple as a birthdate or an inside joke. For a fascinating insight, check out, “How 7 Great Tech Companies Picked Their Unique Names.”
How to Choose A Name for Your Business
If you are thinking about how to pick a name for your business, there are hundreds of free resources available online to help get you started. Here are just two:
- Inc. magazine had an interesting posting on June 23, 2010 that covered multiple aspects… from picking a defensible trademark to selecting a workable domain name. (Too bad I hadn’t read this before I picked mine.) Do read Josh Spiro’s “How To Choose the Best Name For Your Business.”
- The U.S. Small Business Association (www.sba.gov), a branch of the federal government, offers an article on their website about choosing a business name, with links to all kinds of useful information… from how to register to do business in your state, to what to do if you intend to incorporate, how to check for trademarks, as well as how to obtain government loans and grants. Bonus… you can even register for their free E-newsletters.
The Saga of Marketing Communications Ink
When I began my job hunt, blog and part-time consulting business as a foot in the door to a “real” job, I came up with the name, “Marketing Communications Ink”. Pretty clever, I thought.
After all, it got the “Marketing Communications” into the title – good for SEO. And, since I’m a writer at heart, I liked the “Ink” concept.
It never occurred to me that it was too long for a domain name, or that the URL would appear in all lower case, making it read as if the name were “Marketing Communication Sink”.
But, with a batch of freshly-printed business cards, and the rationale that the stupidity of “Marketing Communication Sink” makes a good story, and is therefore memorable, I kept it. If I were to do it all over again, I’d at least pick a better URL. Hopefully this advice will get to you before you select your company name and website domain.
So, why don’t you share your story with us. What’s your company name and URL, and how did you come up with it? We’d love to hear from you!
Photo Credit: Flickr: Wikipedia
2 comments on “How to Create a Great Business Name”
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Marketing Communication Ink 
My blog and title Writings of a Mrs when mushed together can be misunderstood to be writing sofa mrs lol
Definitely worth the time and thought before embarking on a solid name for your business and url
Hi Jennifer – Writing Sofa Mrs — That’s too funny! You have a nice blog, even if the URL is not the greatest. I created a new URL for my business website – it shares the same title as the blog, but the URL is much shorter, so less typing and hopefully less confusion. Both are titled Marketing Communications Ink, but the biz URL is: http://www.mcomink.com. What do you think? BTW, how’d you find my blog? Regards, suzyk