Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition

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What's in a Name?

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS THE PERFECT BRAND NAME? Nope. The perfect brand name doesn't exist. Sure, there are good brand names and there are bad brand names. Actually some are really bad. But the truth is that any name can be made to work.

Imagine for a second that a friend was launching a new business and wanted your opinion on the name. What would your response be if the person said Google or Virgin or Zappos? Most likely you wouldn't be blown away. Yet all of those brand names work extremely well. But they work because of what they do, not because of the name.

People don't do business with you because of your name or the name of your product or business. They do business with you because of what you do and the solution you provide to their problem.

A good brand name should be distinctive and memorable. It should be easy to pronounce and easy to read.

In terms of your personal brand, people sometimes struggle with branding their own name or the business name. You have to brand both. As your business grows, your personal brand will grow as well. They are one and the same. When Apple or Virgin has success, it only enhances the personal brands of Steve Jobs and Richard Branson.

Because everyone in the world is online these days, getting your name to stand out is a challenge. When I was born my parents decided to give me the most popular name in existence. In fact, I graduated high school with two other John Morgans. One of them even had the same middle name ...