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Naming your products

laptop30349514.jpgWhen it comes to getting your business up and running, an important thing you shouldn't overlook is naming your products. The names you choose for your products are important because they serve to do several things, including:

  • Set your product apart from the products of your competitors

  • Can involve the benefit or appeal of the product (for example, "No-Skid" or "Silky Smooth" can be parts of your product name)

  • Motivate customers to purchase the product

These are just a few of the things a successful product name will do.

If you are unsure of how to name your products, the following are a few tips to help. As a general rule, there are four main categories for naming products. The one you choose will depend on your goals as a company and the image you would like to portray.

Suggestive names
One type of name you can use for your products is a Suggestive name. Names that fall in this category will generally suggest or allude to a product's features or benefits. This type of naming convention is often seen in household products and foods and serve to set the product apart from the competitors by building the benefits right into the name. Clean and Clear facial cleansing and acne products or Light and Fit yogurt are good examples of suggestive naming techniques.

When using a suggestive name for your product, make sure you know what exactly your customers are looking for, so you can better tailor the name of your products to your customers' needs.

Descriptive names
Descriptive names are just that-they describe the name of a product's key features, ingredients, or features. For example, Jello Pudding Pops would be descriptive because it features one of the key ingredients-pudding.

Descriptive names are a good choice for naming your product if you want to get down to business. With a descriptive name, your customers already have a good idea what they are purchasing without having to read product descriptions.

Arbitrary names
Arbitrary names generally have nothing to do with the product and don't describe features, benefits or key ingredients. More often than not, this type of name has personal meaning to the owner of the product. For example, Apple computer or Dell computers. (The Apple creator loved apples and Dell is named after the creator; neither name has anything to do with features or benefits.)

Arbitrary names are a good choice if you are looking for a unique name that will stick in your customers' heads.

Neologism names
This type of name, also referred to as coined or whimsical names, are typically considered to be made up or come out of nowhere, similar to arbitrary names. However, neologisms usually will combine words or modify them based on the features or benefits of the product. This is a very popular type of naming convention. Kleenex, Jello, and Coca-Cola are all examples of this type of name. These names are often so successful that people will substitute the brand name for the product; for example, asking for a Kleenex instead of a facial tissue or referring to a completely different brand of gelatin as Jello.

This is typically the most successful type of name and is a good way to promote brand recognition. It requires a good amount of creativity on your part!

Naming your products will have a big influence on your overall product success. These are a few things to keep in mind when naming your products.

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