Do you want to know one absolute essential piece of your marketing plan that you absolutely must nail? Choosing a name for your freight brokerage business.
You thought you could just go with Joe Smith’s Brokerage and that would be fine? Or you haven’t really given your naming strategy much thought? That’s okay – and from the looks of things it’s not uncommon either.
However, we’re talking about building a business with excellence as a core principle and any business that takes themselves seriously is going to take marketing and branding seriously.
Take Your Marketing and Branding Seriously and You will Reap the Rewards
Taking your marketing seriously means that you take the time and effort to build a great name for your business – one that you can build in to a brand that represents the strength of your organization.
Choosing your business name ranks up there in importance to creating a viable freight broker business plan—the right business name can get your foot right into the door…and the wrong one can consign your freight brokerage to obscurity.
Naming your business can be plenty stressful, too. It’s about this time when many entrepreneurs start wringing their hands, confused and frustrated, and not sure how to proceed. That’s because a good business name must not only tell your target audience what your business is exactly but why they should choose your freight broker services above the rest.
But dont’ fret! There is a solution and working through a few simple steps will help clarify things for you and help you on your way to building a fantastic brand for your freight broker business.
The Qualities of a Good Freight Broker Business Name
Stressful as the process may be, there’s a way to take away the pain from the naming game…like keeping in mind the following aspects of a top-notch business name before you sit down and start brainstorming for an unforgettable one.
- It must have value. What will the name evoke when the customer hears the name of your freight broker business for the first time? What kind of image will it convey? Will it express a fun personality or a staid demeanor?
- It must be unique. Think branding and trademark. Certainly, you don’t want to sport a copycat name that echoes an industry leader’s branding rather than yours. Besides the iffy legalities of piggybacking on another freight broker’s brand, it tells your potential customers that you don’t have the creativity they need to handle their business, much less have the kind of distinction to your services that’ll make you stand out from your competition.
- It must be memorable. How will your business name appear in your logos, on the web, or anywhere you’re going to place your brand on? Is it simple enough to remember or is it too complicated that it’s much simpler to forget it? Take care though that it’s not too simple that it’s become generic…and forgettable.
- It must be internet ready. Although a website might be too early to think about while you’re still organizing your business, getting a business name that can also act as your domain name will make it easier for your customers to find you on the web.
- It must convey credibility. It’s easy to go for the business name that’ll make your freight brokerage stand out. But you don’t want to stick out too much among the rest that you’re sacrificing integrity and reliability—two of the important characteristics that customers look for in a trustworthy freight broker.
It’s important that you outline the characteristics and connotations that you want to associate with your business name. The process is vital because if you want to outsource the business name generation to a naming firm, it’ll be easier to communicate what you want—you’ll have a starting point they can work on.
Once you’ve got your preferences defined, it’s time to hunker down and work on coming up with a unique, valuable, memorable brand for your freight broker business.
How to Choose a Business Name for Freight Brokers
So now, you’re ready to pick a name for your business. What’s it going to be? Whatever name you come up with, it’s going to stick with you for a very long time so choose with care.
Here’s how to generate a business name:
- Walk in your customer’s shoes and brainstorm ideas. What do you want your market to think about when they hear the name of your freight brokerage? Staid and steady? Reliable with a fun side? Or creative and innovative? List down all the characteristics that you want them to associate with your business. See if there’s a common thread among particular words you’ve come up with and sort them into related groups.
- Branch out to related meanings. Consider each word group and continue adding nouns, words and phrases that are connected to your original word list. Bring out the dictionary, thesaurus, and if possible, a list of Latin and Greek roots, suffixes, prefixes and phrases—they could come in handy.
- Mix and match. Play around with word combinations. Create a new word if you must, merging roots, suffixes and prefixes, and even words and concepts from two different languages. Keep at it until you come up with a list of 10 possible business names for your freight brokerage. While you’re mixing and matching words, keep in mind your branding—what you want to convey to your market. And please, stick to short words that you can pronounce easily.
- Discuss with trusted associates. Your top 10 list isn’t the end of the name game yet. You need the fresh perspective of somebody else who can tell you what this list of names tells them at first blush—if they communicate value, are memorable or unique. Ask the opinion of one or more people whom you know have your best interests at heart so as to receive honest assessments. Afterwards, whittle down your list. Cross out the names that don’t suit the image and value that you’re trying to establish.
- Research for uniqueness. This one’s tedious work but you need to make sure that the business name you’re thinking of using isn’t being used by another outfit. Google the name, visit local business resources and authorities, and check against existing trademarks to make sure you’re not treading on someone else’s branding. By making sure that the business name you’ve chosen is one of a kind, you not only avoid legal trouble down the road, you’re also making a claim on a unique and potentially memorable business name for your freight brokerage.
So let’s say you’ve brainstormed, considered and researched thoroughly and you now have a business name to go with your freight broker business. The last thing to do is to file the appropriate papers—incorporation papers, trademarks or service marks—to make the name your own.
In the United States, once you associate your business name with your services, getting the trademark is automatic. The only reason why you’d want to make a state or federal filing is if you want your rights applicable across geographical boundaries. Should there be any legal problems down the line, your rights may only apply to the particular localities and not across the nation if you don’t secure your business name this way.
Like it or not though, a business name is one of your must-haves in creating an identity and a branding that distinguishes you from other freight brokers. By following this advice, you won’t have to rely on a hit-and-miss system when choosing a name for your freight brokerage. Plus, you get to avoid the pitfalls of a truly horrendous, downright bland name.
image by faroekat
