5 Steps to Brand Your Company

“I’m a entrepreneur not Brand Development expert.” This is one of the most common statements that we hear from our clients. And we get it. While you’re an expert in your field, we’re the experts in braning businesses and startups. Keeping that in mind, the Brand Development experts at Killer Panda, wants to help. So, we’ve gathered our team and compiled the Top 5 Steps to Brand Your Company or Startup.

First, we want everyone to know that for most of your customers, your company name is the first experience or “touch point” with your company. In fact, your startup name says a lot about you.

Furthermore, your prospective customers will form an impression about your business or startup in a flash of a second. That’s how fast it happens.

A great name will need to capture everything you stand for in that split second.

At Killer Panda we create names for companies that what to be at the head of the pack. Companies that aren’t afraid to take a chance. Companies that want to really stand apart from others in the marketplace.

Your Brand Distinguishes You From the Pack

Your brand name and image must tell a story in a flash of a moment.  You need to communicate the essence of your firm in the mind of your prospect and target consumer in a blink of an eye.

You’ll want to think very carefully about how you want to be perceived in the marketplace. You will need to determine what your core strategic assets are and how you wish to convey this to world.

Killer Panda has identified key steps in developing a winning brand for your new business. We’ve broken the process down into five essential steps.

Step 1: Put Together a Brand Development Team.

You will want to begin the process by putting together a team of key stakeholders that have a vested interest in your organization and whose judgment you value.

You want your team to be as manageable as possible. If the team is too large with too many divergent opinions the decision-making will likely be made more complex.

Solicit input from your committee, but recognize that you will be the final decision-maker.

Step 2: Clearly Articulate the Strategic Mission and Goals of Your Enterprise.

Your unique brand is rooted in the very essence, corporate assets, values and work product of your organization.

The most effective names are those that are anchored in the strategic values and objectives of the organization. So if you are technology company that prides itself on being on the cusp of the latest innovation, you’ll want to consider a name that reflects that strategic vision.

If you’re a healthcare company where patient care and the quality of service is at the forefront of everything that you do, you’ll want to consider a name or keyword that captures the key values of caring quality and compassion.

So think very clearly about your strategic direction. Look at your business plan. Include the input from your decision team and other stakeholders to help refine those key values that make your start-up shine.

Step 3: Develop a Keyword List and Initial Set of Naming Options.

You want to develop a set of core words based on the results of Step 2. You’ll want a set of core words or partial words that capture the soul and spirit of your company. This is a great time to include input from your brand development team.

Each member of your decision team has a unique perspective and can offer insight on core word choices for your branding process.

Consider core words that define the market or industry that your firm is engaged in. Thank about words that invoke a feeling or sensation. For example, if your retailer selling luxury products, consider words that evoke a sense of luxury and quality.

Killer Panda makes it easy to find the perfect name. You can search by keyword or by category.

To search by keyword, enter a short word or partial word into the keyword bar at the top of this page. You’ll be presented with a list of all of the brand names that contain that core word or partial word. Try to keep your entry as short as possible. For example, you may want a brand name that contains the word “blue”. Simply enter the word “blue” into the search field at the top of this page to get a list of brand names that contain the word “blue.”

You can also search by category. For example, if you are starting a technology and or e-commerce business, simply click on the “technology and e-commerce” category tab in the column to the left. You’ll have a listing of all the technology and e-commerce company names that are available and applicable to your business.

You’ll also want to consider names that conjure up a feeling or sensation. For example, if you’re looking for a cool name, simply click on the “cool brand names” category in the category list. If you’re looking for a name with application in multiple industries, simply click on the “multi-industry” tab in the column to the left.

Keep a list of all of the names that meet your strategic objectives. We recommend an initial list or 5 and 20 names.

Examples of Brand Names for a Business:

Step 4: Evaluate Each Brand Name & Check Availability.

You will want to assess each name on your initial list.  Killer  Panda has made the evaluation of the name easy.  Click the link to download the Killer Panda Brand Evaluation for your business.  This form that will assist in quantitatively measuring the quality and fit of each name.

This is a great opportunity to include input from your decision team. Provide a ballot with each name choice along with the Killer Panda evaluation sheet to each member of your decision team. You may consider adding additional questions to the evaluation sheet that fit your particular strategic vision goals and objectives.  Tabulate the results and rank your name choices.

A great name is of very little use unless it’s available. So you want to check to ascertain if the dot-com domain name is available and if you can legally use the company name.

Killer Panda has made this step very easy. We’ve gone to great lengths to acquire the matching dot-com domain name for each of the names in our online inventory.

You simply can’t start your operation unless you have a company name that exactly matches your domain name. If you are assessing names from any source or other sources outside of the Killer Panda inventory, you’ll want to check to see if the domain name is available through whois.net registry or other online tools.

You may also want to check with the United States Patent and Trademark office to see if your name choice has been registered with the federal government.

Step 5: Corporate Brand Image & Logo Design.

Your company brand has many elements. Your name is an important part of that identity.  The graphic, image, font, color and overall look of your logo is another key part of your brand identity.

Just like your name, your logo is rooted in your company’s strategic objectives. You want an image and logo that communicates the core values of your enterprise. You want an image that reflects your firm specific personality and communicates your core attributes.

Each name in the Killer Panda inventory comes with an initial logo design. Our graphic design team has developed a concept for the brand as a starting point. This logo design is fully editable and changeable.

Our graphics team will be glad to change the design to create a unique brand experience for your company. So if you don’t like the image that you see online, don’t worry – we’ll alter the design to fit your firm.

You’re not alone in this process. The brand team at Killer Panda is here to help. If you have any questions on name selection or picking a brand that captures the coolness or uniqueness of your venture, just let give us a call at 1-888-757-8555 or shoot us an e-mail [email protected]. Find out why it’s great to have a Killer Panda working for you.