Choosing a Name
It's a real Name Game.
How important is the name you choose for your travel business? I would venture to say it is probably one of the most important decisions you will make and one that will live with you for many years to come. I guess it could be likened to naming a child. There are books, websites and more resource information available for those choosing a baby name that imaginable. It is not just about the baby anymore but there are sites and books about naming pets, as well. It is a very important decision to choose a name as we live with it after it has been given as does the recipient or for the purposes of this article…. the business.
In the travel industry we have so many “sexy” options in choosing a name. Let’s face it; travel is sexy. Travel is exciting, educational, intriguing, fun, exploratory, thrilling, adventuresome, luxurious, relaxing and the list goes on and on. One would think choosing a name would be a pretty simple thing to do but perhaps so many choices makes it an even harder decision to make. I have been doing some research lately on choosing business names, so let me share some tips I have discovered. Some of these questions might help you with your decision or perhaps will help you as you develop a new division of your travel business (or look to expand your brand).
1. Does it say what your business does and is it authentic?
Let’s imagine I call my agency Joanie’s Cruises. Maybe I do sell
cruises, but perhaps I also specialize in selling packages, groups and maybe
I am very proficient at selling tours to Ireland. I would have to ask myself
if just my name and the word cruises is really telling the prospective client
what I do. What do you think?
2. Is the name short so that it is easily remembered?
Joanie’s Cruises, Packages, Group Travel and Tours to Ireland. Well,
I for one, cannot even remember that one, so how would a client ever be able
to do so? I need to shorten this name to be more memorable.
3. Is it easy to pronounce?
Travel Experiences Extraordinaire by Joanie. Now this is a tongue twister
and even I do not want to have to repeat it too often. I guess this is not
the right name.
4. Is it simple to spell or will it require explanation to do so?
Let’s go back up to Travel Experiences Extraordinaire by Joanie. I had
to use spell-check just to spell extraordinaire and then even even my family
members misspell Joanie so perhaps it is not a good choice for a name based
on the idea that it is difficult to spell..
5. Does it shout why your travel business is distinctive?
If we go back up to the Joanie’s Cruises (or even any of the other’s
noted above) they all miss on this bet. Nothing shouts out at me why anyone
would think my business was distinctive. It sounds to me like I do everything
everyone else might do and how good could I possibly be at doing everything
effectively?
6. Can you say the name and be proud of the name?
Well, I can be proud of my name as my father chose it for me. However, it
does not say what I do well and why a prospect would sense the pride in my
travel businesses distinctive qualities.
7.Is it unique enough that it does not sound like a typical travel cliché?
I am not even going to go there with any of the above names I have selected.
None are really unique and they all sound like same old – same old.
8.Would it offend any prospects?
I guess I can honestly say that the above choices would probably not offend
anyone unless they hated to cruise, or perhaps thought group travel was not
for them. It might discourage them from choosing to contact me though. Perhaps
someone who really did not enjoy travel in Ireland might think they would
not like me as an agent because I focus on that. It is pretty hard to get
around these things, as you cannot please everyone. Being cautious not to
use any controversial or other offensive parts of a business name is a very
important thing to consider.
9.Does it have growth potential?
Let’s think about this one. With the Joanie’s Cruises, I rather
sound like a one-lady show don’t I? It might seem strange if I had agents
working with me for them to use the name Joanie’s Cruises, if in fact
they were not Joanie. Am I limiting my business growth with the use of a first
name?
10.Do you like it?
Now here is a very important question to ask yourself when choosing that travel
business name. You have to not only like it, you need to love it. You have
to enjoy saying it to people and you have to be proud of it. It is the essence
of the beginning of your brand identity. If you are not sure about a name,
talk to others whom you respect in the business world and get their honest
opinion. Hit them up with a few choices, so they are not inclined to say “sure,
it is great” only because you have offered a single name and not other
optional ideas.
Would I have chosen the name NACTA for a travel industry association of home-based travel professionals? No, I would not have. However, sometimes we buy a business and the name carries a legacy and a branding so important that changing the name can do much more damage than good. That was the case with NACTA. Twenty-one years ago when NACTA was founded, a name for an association representing travel agents who received commissions from vendors for selling product to consumers made sense. The National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents represented that the association’s members were in the United States thus the national. When we took over NACTA in 1996 from its founder we believed changing the name at that point would be detrimental to its recognition, as it was an established entity. The point being that you may buy a business that has credibility by the name recognition and while the name may not have been your choice, it may be best to hold on to it for just such reasons.
You may have been in business for some time now and changing your business name might be detrimental. If you are branching out and want to have some fun choosing a name, why not give these hints a try. If you want to run your name by me for an opinion, I would love to help!