Jeremy Miller's Blog, page 15

2020 Marketing Trends: 5 Trends that Will Shape Your Digital Marketing

I’ve always enjoyed looking at the next years upcoming marketing trends. With 2020 around the corner, it is time for all of us to start working on our marketing strategies for next year. How will the new innovations in digital media, platforms and technology shape marketing in 2020?

The past few years we’ve seen the massive impact that digital marketing has had. Facebook and Google continue to dominate the online media, will this change in 2020? I doubt it.

But before we decide on what we will tackle in 2020, let’s take a look at the marketing trends we need to consider in our upcoming planning.

Trend 1: Insights-Driven Marketing

At Sticky Branding, we are huge fans of using analytics and SEO to drive business performance. It’s how we strategize for what’s next.

The newest trend in search engine optimization — driven by ever-changing consumer habits — is voice search. While definitely a game-changer, voice search is still in its infancy. But this will change in 2020.

With our new friends like Siri and Google Home, the opportunity for brands to advertise through this medium is on the forefront. However, before you put all your cards on voice search advertising, you should first optimize the content on your website for voice search. To start, this means creating your content around longer and conversational phrases — and targeted questions — that people would actually say.

Trend 2: Content Marketing

Speaking of content, us content marketers are faced with quite a challenge. First, we need to create a piece of content that will stand out in the world of oversaturated online content. And second, we must keep our audience’s attention and spark engagement, daily.

We’ve tried contests, games, gifs, live stream videos… but now our audience’s want more: More personalization, more knowledge, more credit, and everything in under 10 seconds. If not, see you later! It’s a cold, cold world out there.

On the up side, the way we tell our stories is changing, for the better. Instead of delivering the story to your audience, make your audience the center of the story. Storytelling is becoming more conversational. We all need to share our experiences in our stories.

Trend 3: Influencer Marketing

The focus on influencers is going strong. Influencers build their personal brands and connect directly with their audiences. By doing this, influencers gain trust with large audiences, which in turn, can be used as a powerful endorser when partnered with the right brands.

The research shows that multinational brands are willing to invest 65% more in influencer marketing in 2020.

The key is choosing the right influencers to partner with. Work with influencers who are transparent; whose credibility, reputation, and quality of followers is credible; and who is the right fit for your brand.

Trend 4: Personalization versus Privacy

Privacy and security breaches have covered our news feeds over and over this year. It has been made crystal clear that our data isn’t as safe with online brands as we may have once thought.

From a marketing context, privacy and personalization are two sides of the same coin. You need user data to personalize your customer experiences.

It might sound strange that personalization — an effort to make your services, products, and marketing suitable for the needs of a particular individual — is not already part of everyone’s marketing strategy. In general, personalization gives more control when reaching a specific group of customers. You will be in a better position to reach your targeted audience and create campaigns that are more relevant and effective since they are based on the buying habits of your customers, their interests, and behaviors.

We all need to respect the rights of our users and protect their interests. If we don’t step up, we won’t have their trust and we won’t have them as our customers for long. And we definitely won’t have the opportunity to pitch them on new offerings and incentives.

The keyword here is respect. If you view the respect for the privacy of your users as an underlying value of all your marketing efforts, the rest will come organically. This respect will determine the way you collect and store customer data, and, ultimately, how you use their data in your business.

Trend 5: Conversational Marketing

I know I mentioned this before, but I believe that building more conversational marketing into your marketing strategies for 2020 will have a tremendous impact. By boosting your relevance and speaking with people, like people, will help you grow relationships.

For me, the most exciting trend in marketing today is bringing together rapid consumer adoption of voice search and innovation in search query processing.

As marketers, we have to adapt quickly to the ever-changing trends of digital marketing. As was the case with any other year before 2020, keep your eyes open to emerging trends. We will be voice searching more than we care to admit, and influencers will become our go-to brand spokespeople. But the most important thing for marketers to remember is to keep it personal and conversational (at least until 2021).

What trends will you be watching for in 2020? Let us know!

You're reading 2020 Marketing Trends: 5 Trends that Will Shape Your Digital Marketing by Sarah Young, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

Digital Marketing Is Oversaturated and Under Performing

We are at a crazy turning point in marketing. Consumers are experiencing digital marketing fatigue, and they’re tuning out!

It’s incredibly frustrating. I compared similar marketing campaigns over a five year period. In 2019, compared to 2014, it is taking 10x the budget to generate 30% of the result.

How to Register Your Business Name, and Why!

You just decided on your new business name, and you’re ready to shout it from the rooftop! I bet you are. Congratulations!

Finding a business name is a fundamental first step to starting your own business. But now what?! What’s the next step?

Why Is Your Business Name Is So Important?

Your business name will be on everything you push out into the universe. So you better be prepared in all areas of your business!

Your brand package (business cards, stationery, and office forms) will carry your business name. Don’t forget that all advertising and marketing materials will feature your business name too.
Your business name is on all business documents. Make sure to update all formal legal documents. (Don’t forget about updating your name on your business loans.)
Your business name will likely be in the domain name for your company’s website.

So, What Does Business Name Registration Mean?

The specific meaning of business name registration is to submit your business name to your province or state to get it on their registry of legal business names.

It’s a good idea to register your business name in two specific cases:

If you are thinking about starting a business, but you are not yet sure what legal form you want, and you have a business name, register it. You can always change your mind later, but the registration process will save your name so others don’t use it.
If you’re forming a sole proprietorship, you should definitely register your business name with the province or state.

Business Name Registration Is NOT…

Registering a business name is not the same as trademarking the name. You don’t have to have a trademark registered, unless you want to be sure others aren’t using your name.

What If I Don’t Register My Business Name?

If you do not register your business name you could run into a few issues.

Let’s say you want to use the name “Charlotte’s Pastry Castle,” and there is already a business in your state named Charlotte’s Pastry Chateau.

The similar names can cause confusion with customers, vendors, and the public. For example, if there is a lawsuit against Charlotte’s Pastry Chateau, the public might think it’s your business!
If Charlotte’s Pastry Castle has trademarked its business name, they could sue your business for trademark violation.

How Can I Be Sure I Can Use My New Business Name?

Before you start using a name, you’ll need to be sure no one else is using it by doing research on your business name.

It’s important to check the province or state business registrations, trademark databases. Once you have a sense you can use the name, it’s time to register it.

The term “registering a business name” may be confusing. There are really two different processes involved, and you will have to do both, in most cases:

registration with your province or state, and
registration with your local registry.

So, I’ll Need to Trademark My Business Name Too?

You may also decide that your name is so great that you want to make absolutely sure no one else takes it.

The way to do this is to trademark your business name. A word / name and logo are two separate trademarks. When filing a trademark with a logo you would file to separate trademark applications.

Woah! Feeling overwhelmed with your to-do list?

Here’s a few commonly asked Q + A’s to get you started:

Register your name

Most businesses need to register their business name with the government. Before registering your business name, it is important to decide what structure to use for your business (sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation).

When do you need to register a business name?

If you are a sole proprietor operating a business under your legal name, you generally do not need to register your business name. In all other scenarios, you will need to register your name either as your legal corporate name or a trade name. You may also wish to register a trademark.

What about corporate names?

If you incorporate federally, you will have exclusive use of your corporate name across the country. See naming your federal corporation or start the incorporation process online.

But I’m registering a trade name other than my legal name, now what?

If you want to use a name other than your legal business name, you will need to register it as a trade name. Failing to register a name that you are using can result in significant fines and other legal consequences.

Naming can become a big project, but once you’ve got your foundation laid it’s pretty straight forward. If you’re just getting started make sure to follow our step-by-step naming process in the book,

Got a question? We’re here, we’re happy to chat. Ask me anything!

You're reading by Sarah Young, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

Strategic Clarity and Why You Can’t Grow Without It

Without an effective strategy, you can feel lost. You have this sense of thrashing around — trying things, running in multiple directions, and just not gaining traction.

And if you’re feeling this way, just imagine how disconcerting it is for the rest of your organization.

Top to bottom, the symptoms of a lack of strategy are acute. People tend to runoff on their own. They put their needs and interests first, and that breeds a host of problems:

Poor communication
Poor delegation
Lack of direction
Acceptance of poor performance and missed targets
Politicking, bureaucracy and fiefdoms
Disengagement (people working for the weekend)

Left unchecked, these symptoms can become systemic business problems:

Declining sales
Slowing or plateauing growth
Low profitability

It’s not pretty, and it is avoidable.

Strategic Clarity Drives Results

When everyone on your team clearly knows where they are going and how they’ll get there, you’ve got a strategy.

But how you create a strategy isn’t so straightforward. If achieving clarity was easy, no one would ever feel lost.

Achieving Strategic Clarity — being able to clearly articulate your brand strategy and positioning so everyone gets it, inside and out — is a process. You’ve got to work at it to gain clarity.

I guide my clients constantly to answer three questions:

What do you want?
Where will you play?
How will you win?

This is the starting point of Strategic Clarity, and it becomes the lens to position your brand.

When you define the rules of the game (your game), you gain clarity. That’s powerful. Every department becomes empowered to advance the organization:

Sales can focus on acquiring the right customers.
Marketing can focus on creating content and campaigns that amplify the right messages.
Operations can focus on building the right products and services at the right price at the right time.
Leadership can focus on making the right investments in people, systems, and growth.

It frees the organization. Strategic Clarity shows people where to focus their time and resources, and that’s liberating.

Your job becomes so much more fun and rewarding when you know how you can make an impact — especially when you’re operating in a rapidly changing marketplace.

See the Forest for the Trees

The process of achieving Strategic Clarity can be elusive for many organizations. You know your business. You know your customers, competitors, and the opportunities. And that is the problem. You know too much!

When you’re working on the problem for too long, it’s hard to see what’s really going on. You can’t see the strategy because you’re too close to it. It’s like the metaphor, you can’t see the forest for the trees. And often, you need external eyes and guidance to create a strategy.

Strategic Clarity is the most important and effective way I help my clients advance their brands. When you gain clarity, you can move forward rapidly.

Are you struggling with Strategic Clarity? I can help you. The process takes 6 to 8 weeks. Each week you will work through a set of strategic exercises that help to challenge assumptions and gain clarity. At the end of the process you will achieve Strategic Clarity, and be able to define your brand strategy and positioning on a page or two.

Want to learn more? Here’s a link to my calendar. If you don’t see any times that work, send me a note and I will be happy to work around your schedule.

You're reading Strategic Clarity and Why You Can’t Grow Without It by Jeremy Miller, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

How to Name a Product

Finding the perfect product name can feel impossible. You need to name or rename a product or service, and it can be extremely overwhelming.

Naming a new product is one of the trickiest things you’ll need to do when you’re building your company. It involves thinking about how you’re going to compete in your current market, how you’ll win the attention of your target customer, and how you’ll continue to stand out as a brand.

But it’s so important! When you give your product a name, you bring it to life in the minds of your customers.

Fortunately, we’ve got the naming process down to a tee. All you need is our book, , and you’ll have the naming process to build your naming strategy for the future.

Let’s get started.

Product Names Need To…

Not to be confused with company names, product names represent the services and goods your company sells. For instance, Ford sells products like the F-150, Ranger, and Edge.

Product naming — especially the difficulty of it — is often overlooked. Many people assume it will be a simple step in their brand strategy. Unfortunately, your product names carry a lot more value than many realize.

A product name needs to have:

Brand potential: Your product name should align with your brand image and strategy.
Resonate with customers: The more a name resonates with your customers, the better your products will be perceived.
Scalability: Is your product going to go global or stay local? Is it part of a product line or a stand-alone item?
Visibility: Make sure your product is easy to find and search for online.
Uniqueness: You don’t want your offering to compete with dozens of other items. Make it stand out.

Your product name should:

Help your customers choose the product that’s right for them: When you’re looking for a low-fat meal for your lunch, do you select the low-fat cobb salad or the delicious steamy penne pasta? Names give people the information people need to make a more confident decision.
Build confidence in your brand: The right product names help to establish consistency in your brand identity and image. The more consistently you present your products (your brand), the more likely your customers will feel as though they can trust your company.
Build brand buzz: With a great name, generic items become specific, which means that people can start to talk about them.

Let’s Get Naming!

The biggest problem that companies face when it comes to naming a product line is they don’t have the right plan in place.

Countless companies simply grab a piece of paper, start brainstorming and expect to have their product names magically appear by the end of the day. (It never works out that way!)

If you want to find the right names for your products and services, then you need to get your product naming process right! Here are some tips to get you started.

1. Ask the right questions

First, you need to make sure you’re approaching your product naming strategy from the right perspective.

Start by asking yourself some basic questions like:

What makes this product different from anything else on the market?
How does this product connect with other items in your portfolio?
Who’s the target market and what will they be looking for in your product?

2. Consider the different kinds of product names

When you start exploring how to name a product, you’ll discover that there are many different types of name out there, each distinguished by what they offer to customers.

In (the book), we segment brand names into three categories:

Descriptive Names: Descriptive names simply explain what the item is or does. If you want your product to be easy to understand, or you’re selling something that doesn’t reveal its benefits at a single glance, then you might need a more descriptive name. For instance, the “Nest Learning Thermostat” is a name that tells you exactly what the product does.
Suggestive Names: Suggestive names suggest what the product might do, without telling you exactly what it is. These names are interesting because they show your creativity as a brand. For instance, Microsoft Office doesn’t give you an office building, but it provides the tools you might need to run an office.
Abstract Names: Finally, abstract names are empty vessels. They can be made-up words or unrelated words, but they have nothing (at least not initially) to do with your product. For example, Instagram didn’t exist in the dictionary, but it’s something we can all associate with “beautiful images.”

3. Research the Marketplace

Remember, any good brand strategy relies on research. The more homework you do, the more information you’ll have to both inspire and direct your decisions. Block out some time in your schedule to:

Conduct a competitor analysis to see what kind of product naming strategies other brands in your area are using.
Think about your audience and the kind of language(s) that works best with them.
Check for trademarks and make sure you know what kinds of words and phrases you can’t use for legal reasons.

For the most part, the best way to make sure that you’re not going to have a headache with your product naming process is to use our book, , or our brand naming services.

Three Product Naming Best Practices

1. Make It Memorable

When you’re figuring out how to name a product, you need to choose something that’s going to make sense to your customers, and something that they’re going to remember when they visit the store or go online.

While you’re working on making your product names memorable, make sure they’re easy to spell and easy to say.

2. Give It Meaning

Names need to have meaning, or they lose their spark. You don’t want your customer to hear the name of your new product and wonder “Why did they choose that?” You can be as playful with the meaning as you like, as long as it’s something that your customer can understand.

3. Make It Stand Out

Perfecting the product naming process is difficult. You need to find something that your customers can understand, while also giving your titles a unique twist. Differentiation is crucial in any market.

Key Takeaways to Naming Your Products

The key is to look at product naming not as just another item on your to-do list, but as an essential part of your brand building strategy.

Here are some quick finishing tips you can take with you into your product naming process:

1. Don’t expect to instantly fall in love

The ideal product name is likely to be something very unexpected. Some of your colleagues might hate the name you choose, while others love it. The only thing you need to be sure of is that it’s going to have the right impact on your audience.

2. Choose something that people can use

The biggest dream for any product name is to become a part of the everyday language. Think about how we say that we’ll “grab a Kleenex” or “get the Hoover.”

3. Expect the story to evolve

Finally, remember not to get too attached to the product names you choose. A product naming strategy is often something that evolves naturally over time as you begin to learn more about your user personas and the company you’re trying to create.

At the end of the day, names are a lot more important than most of us realize.

The good news is that if you want to find the perfect name, the process in . It is crystal clear and you will end up with a set of names that stand the test of time with your company!

What do you think? We’re here and happy to chat. Let us know if you have any questions or comments.

You're reading by Sarah Young, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

Canadian Companies Are Dropping “Canada” from their Names, and They Should!

In the oil patch, “Canada” is becoming a dirty word. Companies are dropping references to “Canada” from their brand names.

Last week, Encana announced it was changing its name to Ovintiv, and moving its headquarters to the United States. It was a deliberate move to separate the brand from its Canadian baggage.

Encana isn’t alone. Earlier this year, TransCanada changed its name to TC Energy.

These companies have long, storied histories with deep Canadian roots. Encana, for instance, was formed as part of the Canadian Pacific Railway. CP started drilling for oil in Alberta in 1883, and spun off the division to form Canadian Pacific Oil and Gas in 1958. Through a series of mergers in the early 2000’s, Encana was born.

TransCanada pulled a KFC. In 1991, Kentucky Fried Chicken changed its name to the acronym, KFC. Kyle Craig, then CEO of KFC said, “The key is to reduce dependence on the word ‘fried.’”

If you’re old enough to remember, “fat” was a bad word in the nineties. It was equivalent to gluten today. People did everything they could to avoid eating fat.

To avoid the negative connotations of its name, Kentucky Fried Chicken hid the word “fried” by using the acronym.

TC Energy is doing something very similar. “Canada,” as a word, doesn’t have the same credibility and prestige it once did — at least not in the oil sector.

In a recent article in Bloomberg, Mac Van Wielingen said, “Canada is no longer viewed as a world-class destination for capital, both generally and specifically for oil and gas.”

Successive blows have eroded Canada’s reputation as an energy innovator: the cancellation of the Northern Gateway crude oil pipeline in 2016; new laws that make it harder to build new energy infrastructure projects; and banning some shipments of crude from Canada’s Pacific Coast.

If you’re an energy company, this is all bad for business! And the results are clear. In the past three years alone, foreign companies have ditched more than $30 billion of assets.

As a Canadian, this story stings! I have pride in my country. I like to see my country’s name referenced in major global brands. But from a brand strategy perspective, I fully support the decision to drop the C word.

If you’re the CEO of a company and your name is hurting your business, you change it. It doesn’t matter if you are selling petroleum or chicken. If a brand name is a liability, it has to go.

As I write in my new book, , name changes happen far more frequently than we realize. Sometimes a name is bland and boring, and it needs a refresh. Sometimes a name is no longer relevant. Names like A1 made sense for marketing in the Yellow Pages, but they are cliché today.

Sometimes names get poisoned. Following the rise of the Islamist terrorist group, ISIS, several companies were stuck with a branding problem. In 2015, Isis Pharmaceuticals changed its name to Ionis Pharmaceuticals.

The company was named after the Egyptian Goddess of life and magic. Isis protected women and children, and healed the sick. It was a beautiful origin story and name for a pharma company. But when Isis became known as ISIS, the name became a liability. It had to be changed.

The oil patch is reeling from a changing economy and political environment. What made them successful won’t make them successful, and strategically these brands need to evolve. This is good business.

Now the question I am sure you’re asking, “Are these names good?”

I definitely don’t think either name is an upgrade. TC Energy isn’t too bad. The acronym is boring, but it’s easy to say and easy to share. Ovintiv, Encana’s new name, will be a much harder marketing challenge.

Ovintiv is an invented word, but it has some clear challenges that may haunt this brand for a while:

The spelling is not intuitive. If you hear it, would you know how to spell it?
The phonetic qualities make it less memorable.

It’s going to take a lot of marketing and advertising for a long period of time to create name recognition for this brand, and it’s quite possible it will never achieve the name recognition of Encana. Structurally, Encana is a far more memorable name.

But it doesn’t really matter. Both companies have a strategy, and they’re playing it out. If that helps them grow their businesses and achieve their financial objectives, I support it.

The same is true for you. If your brand name becomes a liability, change it.

What do you think?

You're reading by Jeremy Miller, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

How to Name Your Business

I’ll always cherish the time when I adopted my pup, Opie. I spent countless hours scavenging through lists of baby names and blog articles. (I know you may be rolling your eyes, but I’m not joking! Her name needed to be perfect, because she is!)

Eventually, after many many lists of names I decided on Ophelia, or Opie for short. To this day, when I tell people her name they always ask where I got it from: The Lumineers song? Shakespeare fan?

Your name is your legacy, it should spark conversation — or at least have a story behind it.

If you’re like me, your business is your baby. I’m sure you will put similar effort into naming it. A great name will make your business stand out. It helps potential customers connect with your company faster, and it forms relationships faster. Your business name creates an image for your consumers, and it will establish your identity for the long haul.

Here are my suggestions for getting started naming your business.

1. What Do You Want Your Business Name to Embody?

Naming your business is one of the most important steps you’ll take to launch your brand. And it’s not easy. Sometimes it’s actually not fun at all. It’s hard to come up with a word or phrase that defines your business and what it does — a name that will stick in customers’ minds and stand out from the competition. A name that no one else has declared as their own.

To start the journey, look internally. What are your business’s core values? Trustworthiness? Reliability? Quality work? Customer loyalty? When you know what your business stands for, you can identify what your name must embody.

2. Start the Fun of Brainstorming Names!

Epic names — like Amazon, Apple, Nike and Coca-Cola — often use stunning visuals to trigger your gut instincts and to develop feelings of nostalgia.

Virgin is one of the most recognizable brand names in the world. Founder Richard Branson explained, “One night some friends and I were chatting over a few drinks and decided to call our group Virgin, as we were all new to business. The name stuck and had a certain ring to it.”

Does that mean your business name will be thought up one of the nights you’re lying awake, head spinning after a few too many glasses of chardonnay? Not a chance! Brainstorming is going to take hours — more commonly days. Especially if you don’t have an effective naming process.

If you want to take the pain away from naming your business, pick up a copy of . It is a proven, step-by-step process to create an unforgettable brand name:

Plan: Define how you will create a brilliant name.
Sprint: Generate lots of potential names.
Select: Test and select the right name.

In the Sprint, you will get a series of exercises that guide you to brainstorm and come up with lots of potential names. But you can get started today.

Get out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Use a timer on your phone or find a song that’s about five minutes long. Set the timer, press play, and write down every naming idea you have for the next five minutes.

Your goal? Fill up that sheet of paper.

Let the ideas flow when you are brainstorming. No idea is a bad idea!

3. Is Your Name Memorable? It Better Be!

When I started my blog I had such a hard time deciding on a name. I spent countless hours brainstorming and still had a list of over twenty names. I called my best friend one afternoon and gave her my top five. Every single one was nixed because it was too cutesy or too abstract.

My friend eventually said, “Why don’t you name your blog after what you preach?”

All of a sudden the fog lifted, I scribbled on my sheet of paper and snapped a picture of it: “BeBelle Be You!!!” It was so obvious!

The companies you admire typically have names that are short, simple, easy to write and easy to remember — like Adidas, and Lexus.

This is a problem for most small businesses, because word-of-mouth advertising is one of the best forms of marketing. If your customers can’t remember your name, can’t spell it, or can’t properly pronounce it for others, it will make it difficult for them to promote your business.

Two questions you can ask to qualify if your name fits:

Is it memorable? Will it carry you through the next ten to thirty years?
Is it easy to spell? People really don’t like to feel stupid.

I can only imagine how much business companies lose because their consumers can’t find the website or remember how to spell the business name.

4. Can You Own the Name?

What makes naming your business so hard isn’t coming up with interesting names, but finding available ones. We are experiencing a !

As you get started with naming your project, here are a few more things to consider:

Can you get the trademark? You can’t use a name if someone else already owns the trademark. Protecting your name is important, and being forced to rebrand a name can be a huge burden.
Is the domain available?
Do you need a .com domain or is there another domain extension that is a better fit?

5. Can Your Name Grow with Your Business?

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, is a genius when it comes to naming. When Amazon first hit the market, its purpose was to sell books online. So, why use the name “Amazon?” When you think of the Amazon, what comes to mind? The largest river in the world? What on earth does that have to do with books?

What if Bezos had used a generic name, like “Books on Books on Books?” Would it have been as successful? Probably not.

Do your products or services need to be included in your business name?

Johnson’s Landfill
Greg’s Fitness

These straightforward business names immediately alert potential customers to the type of products or services you offer, but do they leave room for growth?

Think about where you see your business in five or ten years. Will the name you have in mind still work if you expand your product line or service area?

6. Can You Describe Your Business Without Losing the Interest of Potential Clients?

Generic words make it very difficult to differentiate your company from your competitors. For example, my media studies professor from college started her personal shopping business in the early 2000’s. Back then there was only one other competitor in her area, so she didn’t think her business name mattered.

Her favorite brand was Chanel, so she named the business, “Chanel’s Closet.” Super creative? Questionable. Limiting? 100%!

Now “Chanel’s Closet” has grown into one of the top companies in the state. She even buys inventory from local stores and sells it at a reduced price in her stores instead of always shopping unique retail pieces. This is challenging, because she has outgrown her business name.

As a result, she has two websites geared towards her different business models: services and product sales. In this case, her generic name doesn’t help define what her company is all about and hasn’t grown with her.

There are exceptions to this rule, but it’s something to keep in mind.

7. Can a Seven Year Old pronounce Your Name and Find Your business online?

Branding and naming expert, Jeremy Miller says that the best business names are simple! He writes in , “Simple names are more successful… If a name is easier to remember and easier to say, we’re more likely to use the brand.”

A good business name is easy for customers to find and type online.

Think of the car brand Acura. Although the word is an invented word, it expresses that their engineering is accurate and therefore trustworthy. It gives you an indication of what the cars are like.

Having a creative or outside-of-the-box name seems fun — in theory — but if your audience can’t recall, say or spell it, you’re in trouble. So it might be smarter to take a more straightforward approach if you’re working with a smaller budget.

8. Work with Others to Test Your Names, but Make Sure the Final Decision Is Yours

Involve friends, family, employees, and customers when selecting a name for your business. Co-creation makes the process fun, but you need a leader.

To involve others in the selection process of naming a business, pick a small group of people who understand you and your business. (And pick a mix of right-brain types and left-brain types for variety). Bonus points if the group includes your potential customer base, because they will be your real-life audience.

If you aren’t able to approach potential customers, ask your group to pretend they fit the mold of your customers. Paint a picture for them, so they can empathize and envision themselves as prospective buyers of your products and services.

Share the names with them, and ask them questions like:

What feeling does the name evoke?
Is it easily recognizable or easy to remember and type?
Does it create an instant impression?

Tip: If you’re looking for a guide, can guide you and your team to the finish the line with the 5-Day Naming Sprint.

Here are some of my bonus tips for naming your business:

Don’t pick your name based on current trends. Be unique and choose something with longevity.
Check for domain availability. Once you’ve figured out how to name a business, head on over to your favorite domain registrar and snag your domain name.
Be sure to have a few backup names. It’s possible, and even likely, someone else might have already had the same idea.
Research your business name and confirm its availability. A poorly researched business name could cost you in more ways than one. Be mindful of trademark infringement and copyright laws.

Your business is your baby, and you want to set it up for success.

Have a question? We’re here and happy to chat!

You're reading by Sarah Young, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

How Effective Organizations Manage a Disruption

Disruption is one of those buzzwords that consumes a lot of our attention. And inevitably, whenever the conversation transitions to disruption it gets very big and complicated, very quickly. We talk about macro trends like blockchain, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and globalization — intellectual conversations on what will change our businesses and lives next.

These are interesting topics, but they miss the point. Disruptions aren’t macro; they’re practical!

Here’s how I define it: A disruption is when a person or company finds a better way to do something, and then everyone follows suit.

Uber, for instance, created a better way to hail a cab, and it set new expectations. According to the Taxi & Limousine Commission (TLC), in 2014 ridesharing accounted for 8% of the business travel ground transportation in New York City. By 2018 that was up to 75%!

Uber’s disruption to the taxi industry wasn’t technological, it was behavioral. It provided an easier and more logical way to connect passengers and drivers. (After trying the app, who wants to hang out on the side of the street to hail a cab?)

When a person or company finds a better way to do something it can reshape industry norms and conventions. That’s a disruption, and it is nothing new.

Disruptions have been a constant since the dawn of time. It started with the invention of the wheel, and humans have continued to evolve and invent ever since. What is new today is the pace of disruptions are increasing in volume and frequency. That’s our reality! We’re experiencing more shifts in industry conventions than ever before, and you and your team have to deal with it. Because if you don’t, your brand can quickly become irrelevant.

David Aaker writes in Brand Relevance, “Brands with high recognition and low recall are termed graveyard brands. These are brands that people have heard of but are so low on the relevance scale that they do not come to mind when considering a product.”

Look through the pages of history and you will see dozens of examples of popular brands knocked into the graveyard by a sudden shift: automobiles displaced buggy whips; smartphones displaced landlines; Amazon displaced independent book sellers. Sure there are stragglers and exemplars left in each category, but those industries have fractured and changed dramatically due to disruptions.

That’s the scary part: When an industry shifts, and your brand is on the wrong side, you can get pushed towards the graveyard. That can seem a little dramatic, but these are the stakes we are up against with our brands.

The sad part, at least for me, is how companies are coping with disruption. You’d think the pace of change would bring forward a golden era of innovation inside organizations. Now’s the time to be creative and look for bold new ideas. But it’s not happening.

More and more, companies are looking externally for ideas, especially in branding and marketing. Companies engage advertising agencies and consultants, because they believe someone else is “more creative.” I disagree!

Inside every organization is a vast source of untapped creative potential. I demonstrate this in my new book, . You are creative. Your team is creative. But most of that talent remains untapped because we’re too busy doing our jobs.

But a shift in mindset can transform an organization: Nobody knows your business and industry better than you, and you have the raw talent that you need to innovate.

All great brands are built by people — smart, ambitious, creative people. The operative word here is “creative.” In a world of rapid change, the best way to deal with change and uncertainty is to harness your ability to create and act on new ideas. This is why we are in a golden era of innovation. The companies that can harness the creative talents of their employees have a clear opportunity to outperform their peers. You don’t buy ideas; you create them.

Disruption is a constant, and it’s better to assume your business will face one sooner or later. When you notice it happening, pause and look within. Ask yourself, “How can I unlock the creative genius of my team to grow our brand?”

You're reading How Effective Organizations Manage a Disruption by Jeremy Miller, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

Everyone Has to Name Something, At Least Once

Every entrepreneur, business owner, and marketer has to name something — at least once.

It’s part of the job. You need a name to start a business, create a product, launch a campaign, or share an idea. Everything, literally everything, has a name.

Naming is one of the building blocks of branding, but the topic flies under the radar. Naming isn’t an everyday thing. You name a company or a product once (hopefully). Afterwards, the job of marketing is to breathe life into the name.

You may not name things often, but getting it right is essential.

Choosing a brand name is one of the most important business decisions you will make. A brilliant name defines your brand, and it can shape the future of your business.

The Demand for New Names Is Shocking!

A large organization can generate over 1,000 new names per year: Every product, every system, every campaign, in every market gets a name. Some consumer companies can name over 5,000 products per year!

Every small business needs a name. In the United States alone, there are over 543,000 new businesses started every single month. That’s equivalent to 2% of the population becoming entrepreneurs daily. That trend is happening in every developing country, and we can see it in search data.

Here’s a graphic from Google Trends looking at search traffic for “brand naming” (blue), “company naming” (red), and “product naming” (yellow) over the past 5 years.



The demand (and interest) for names is constant and it’s high. People are struggling to name their brands.

We Are Running Out of Names

The demand for new names is high, but it is creating a problem. For the first time in human history, we’re experiencing a naming drought.

We can see this in the scarcity of available domain names. In December 2013, the last available four-letter .com domain name was registered. From AAAA.com to ZZZZ.com, all 456,976 combinations had been consumed. It won’t be long until all the five-character names have been registered too.

The demand for domain names is only increasing year over year, and the same thing is happening with trademarks.

To Overcome the Naming Drought You Need Process

There’s a classic meme on the internet called, “How to Draw An Owl.” It’s positioned as a fun and creative guide for beginners.



Step 1: Draw 2 circles. One for the head and one for the body.

Step 2: Draw the rest of the damn owl!

Aghhh! This sums up the experience many of us have with naming. We don’t do it very often, and it is getting progressively harder and harder to find available names for your brands. But all the guides and how-to manuals simply give us the “why” and the “what.”

They tell us why we need great names, and what it means to have a great name. But they don’t show us how! They just say, “Draw the rest of the damn owl.” It drives me nuts!

(my new book) is working to solve the “how” and the “do.” The book includes a proven, step-by-step process to create an unforgettable brand name in two to four weeks.

At some point, you are going to name something. Chances are, it’s sooner than you think: Every product, service, system, campaign and process in your company needs a name. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, get it on Amazon.

You're reading by Jeremy Miller, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.

Brand New Name Is Here!

Two years ago (almost to the day) I sent out my first book proposal for . I had a bold idea: to write a graphically designed branding book that shows you how to name or rename anything.

Today, that vision has been realized. Brand New Name is now available!

What Readers Are Saying

The feedback to Brand New Name is amazing. Here are what a few readers have said:

“Brand New Name is INDISPENSABLE for naming!”

“Chock full of great exercises, insights, and inspirations.”

“Don’t try to name, or re-name, anything without Brand New Name!”

“A fascinating, beautiful, and creative book to name your brand.”

What’s even more remarkable: 6 names created so far! I shared the book with 150 advanced readers. From that group they created names for 3 companies, a church, and 2 products. And that’s just the start!

Brand New Name is more than a book, it’s a tool. It’s a proven, step-by-step process to create an unforgettable brand name in two to four weeks. My measure of success isn’t how many books I can sell, it’s how many names Brand New Name helps to create!

Designed For Readers

Reading doesn’t have to be boring, and your books don’t have to be bland! It’s time we demand more from our reading experiences.

One of the most distinguishing factors of the book is its design. Brand New Name is fun, interesting, and easy to read. It’s loaded with graphics, models, stories, and inspiration to help you on your naming journey.

See Me Live on Oct 15th

The best way to experience the book is to come see me live!

October 15 @ 5-6pm

Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Register Now!

There are a few tickets remaining to the Brand New Name Launch Event. If you haven’t secured your spot, act now.

What you can expect: A fun, interactive talk on how to unlock your creative genius and make your brand unforgettable. Plus, you’ll get a copy of the book! The cost of the event is $24.95. Which is the price of the book. It’s a bargain!

Post a Review on Amazon

It’s been a very long road to bring you Brand New Name, and it’s finally here. I cannot wait to hear what you think. Even better, please post a review on Amazon!

You're reading by Jeremy Miller, originally posted on Sticky Branding. Did you enjoy this article? If so, sign-up for more of Jeremy's articles at Sticky Branding.