What’s In a Name? Customers and Referrals.

The world is full of bad advice. The worst I’ve heard recently (and I’ve heard it from more than one internet business guru) is that it doesn’t matter much what you call your new business or product; it’s more important that you just get on with it.

I beg to differ.

This week I planned lunch with my first true mentor – the woman who introduced me to the disciplines of marketing and strategy more than 25 years ago. We decided to meet at a restaurant we both love. For each of us, it would be the third time eating there. Neither of us could remember the name of the restaurant.

Her last message in our string of texts read, “Let’s remember not to name our next business something no one can remember.”

The name of this distinctive restaurant that serves delightful, creative meals is True Food Kitchen. Each time we fumble through possible names (and we do this with every lunch planned) we guess, “Whole Food? Good Food? Healthy Kitchen…?” Never once have we landed on the correct combo of words.

The concept of fresh, local, healthy food is ubiquitous these days. The words commonly used to describe the concept have become interchangeable and utterly forgettable. In this particular case, that’s an absolute shame, because the experience at this restaurant is impressive enough to remember. And I couldn’t tell a friend if I tried.

If you’re opening a business or creating a new product, the gurus are correct about one thing. It’s important to get on with it. You must keep moving forward. But forsaking a memorable name for speed to launch is not a trade-off that will serve you long-term. The most meaningful and worthwhile step in the branding process is identifying your single point of differentiation. It’s figuring out what makes you absolutely uncommon. Taking pains to be something different and then naming yourself something similar is like getting a wonderful new hairdo, and then putting on a hat before you leave the salon.

Take the time to make your business name unforgettable. And if all you’re left with is your own name, find a way to make that unforgettable, too. Take it from Juju Hook. If you want people to talk about you, they need to remember what you’re called.