What's in a Name?

Possibly your entire image – take time to choose the right name. Think about the last time you named a child or a pet or perhaps that prize-winning racehorse! How many days and nights did you agonise over choosing just the right name? Think of all the baby name books, the names that jumped out at you while watching TV or listening to the radio. How they sounded when you said them out loud.

A lot of time and effort was spent in coming up with just the right name because you knew that you'd have to live with your decision for many years. Choosing a name for your company and products can be just as difficult.

A good name portrays personality, stands out in the crowd and is memorable. A great name is one that is easy to spell, pronounce or remember and tells the consumer what you do. A perfect example is Toys R Us. Everyone instantly knows what the company sells.

You need to think how the business name will translate to a domain name. What would LTD Enterprises do? Even LTD Plumbing or Graphic Design would be better – particularly if people use a search engine to find a plumber or graphic designer.

What about your own name? Many people would think that's too "small town" or, what if I want to sell my business? But think about it. Most business is done by referrals. People want to do business with people they like and trust. Would you remember to call Future Success or Luke Hayes Website Marketing?

Inventing or reinventing a brand can take many forms – new packaging design, advertising, sometimes a whole new personality along with the business name. The key is to make sure all of those elements work together and portray the same image. Find that one look or message that describes your business and stick with it. Use the same colour scheme, fonts and design on all your communication materials – business cards, letterheads, brochures, web site and e-newsletters.

However, you can't live on branding and image alone. Public Relations – relationships – are still the key to successful business practice. You need to continue to communicate consistently with your customers and clients. Branding is more than just a pretty cover – it's about the total customer experience. Your brand needs to have some impact to help you generate leads, make sales and develop new relationships with your clients.

You want your business to leave an impression – on your customers, your employees, your suppliers, the media and the public at large. But you still need to have accountability. You need to follow through with great customer service, quality of management and products and services.

Make sure customers are happy with the end product and the service you provide. Be vigilant with every contact you have with your clients and help build the overall company brand and image.

What about personal image? There is no doubt that personal presentation plays a big part in succeeding in your career and business operations. They say that 67% of first impressions are accurate. What sort of first impression are you making?

Take some time to do a bit of self-analysis and look at plus and minus personality traits. Things like sloppy dress and bad manners can be your worst enemy. We invest a lot of time, money and effort into our establishing our businesses or upgrading our skills for the job, why not invest a bit of effort into ourselves. We're worth it!

You need to think how you are going to present your business right from the start. What name will work? Are the business images saying what they need to? Is your brand communication clear?

Sue Currie, the director of Shine Communications Consultancy and author of Apprentice to Business Ace – your inside-out guide to personal branding, is a business educator and speaker on personal branding through image and media. Sign up for free monthly tips on personal and professional PR at http://www.shinecomms.com.au/contactmanager/default.cfm and learn more about how you can achieve recognition, enhance your image and shine.

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