Why Audience Testing is a Vital Step in the Business Naming Process

Why Audience Testing is a Vital Step in the Business Naming Process.

After hours or maybe even days of brainstorming and crossing off every name possibility you can think of, you have finally discovered the perfect business name. Or, at least you think it’s perfect. But how can you be sure that it’s “the one”?

Photo Courtesy to Pixabay

Why Audience Testing is a Vital Step in the Business Naming Process

When picking a name for your business, you need to consider what your audience will think of it and not just what you as the business owner think of the name.  It’s great if you like the name, and it’s a good sign if your team likes it, but in the end, it is crucial that your target customer is interested in your business name.

If your business name does not generate enough talk and interest with your target audience, all of the effort you put into developing your business name would have been for nothing. Our proven approach will help you get the most out of the time you dedicate to choosing a name for your business.

Come up with a bunch of great names

This is the most fun part of the naming process because you get to be creative. Start by writing down every business name suggestion you can think of, even if you think the names are bad, still write them down.

A good name needs to be simple to say, spell, and easy to remember. You should also conduct a quick Google search to see if there is an available URL available for the names that you come up with. This will help you later down the line so you don’t fall in love with a name and then discover that it is already taken or the domain is way too pricey.

Create a shortlist

After you have collected a good number of names, you should start crossing names you don’t think are a good fit for your brand. Here, You may love to know the meaning of the brand and its designation. Your objective here is to narrow down your options so you only have a list of five or six possible names left.

Be sure to consider not only what names you think are a good fit, but also what audience you are trying to appeal to. A great example of this is that millennials may not prefer a classic name, while the older generations would prefer it. Why Audience Testing is a Vital Step in the Business Naming Process.

Get feedback from your target demographic

Once you have made a good shortlist, it is time to begin the audience testing. First, you should target your audience based on their gender, age, and location. You can set the stage for your questions by telling them to consider the names in the context of your brand.

The biggest mistake you could make in this process is to ask your friends and family, “Which one of these names do you like the most?” That question is too vague because your business name might mean nothing without some context. In order to be successful with your audience testing, your questions must extend beyond the simple, subjective territory of “liking” a name.

You can also ask questions that are based around value or benefit propositions.

For example:-

• Which one of these names would be the best fit for a revolutionary movie pass company focused on individuals and global usage? (MoviePass)

• Which of these clothing brand names do you feel most embodies prestige and trust?

  Advertisement

It’s important to offer your test group a few dissimilar name options. Otherwise, offering two similar names like “Betor” and “Beto” will skew your results–if only one of these options had been available instead, your audience who voted for “Betor” may have liked “Beto” best out of the list. Why Audience Testing is a Vital Step in the Business Naming Process.

Make sure that when your audience tests your name you shouldn’t have established brand names on the list. You cannot expect a single word on a page to be more appealing than a brand that people have had hundreds of encounters with throughout their lifetime. Instead, try to make your own name ideas convincing and realistic so you don’t skew your results.

Analyze your results

Finally, look at your results from the audience testing and conclude which name will be the most successful. Maybe the results from the testing will surprise you, and maybe they won’t.

There is not a singular perfect audience testing method that will provide you with a clear-cut answer as to whether or not your brand name will be successful with your target audience. However, audience testing can add an additional level of validation to your naming process. It can be a great tool to help you avoid a cringe or embarrassing business name. With feedback from your target audience, you can see which name is a solid option to move forward with.

However, as previously mentioned, audience testing is not a fail-safe, But audience testing is a great way to take a step back and see how your audience responds to your ideas. Collecting feedback can grant you peace of mind and help you decide on a business name with confidence that your audience will respond to it.

Why Audience Testing is a Vital Step in the Business Naming Process