I want to start a small service that does Facebook marketing and advertising for small local businesses, i.e., local pizza places, electricians, yoga studios, gyms, etc.
I prefer to offer only 1 service (Facebook) and not consult on numerous different social platforms.
I have NO idea what to name my service and I keep going into circles.
I thought of calling my service something like "Local ______" so that clients would know I specialize in finding local customers to visit their business. I think it may tell the benefit of using me.
But then I think I'd be better off doing something easier like just using my last name and "Marketing", like Smith Marketing or or Smith Agency.
Does one approach have an advantage over the other?
There are 3 schools of thought about what to call a marketing agency. The first says be practical and call it something that relates to the product that you are selling. Good examples of this include "Ideo" and "Whatif!?" in the innovation space and "mindshare" in the media space. The second is call it something more iconoclastic, abstract and creative like "Elephants can't jump" or "Lucky Generals". the third days call it after a name, whether yours or someone else's. This leads to "Ogilvy & Mather" or "Saatchi and Saatchi". There is no right or wrong way. You need to choose a name that you and your partners can get behind and that will work over a long period of time and as your agency evolves and morphs what it does. The only key point to remember is that a) you should be able to tell a story off it - after all this is what creative people are supposed to do - and b) it is memorable
Part of your naming will relate to your marketing.
If you're targeting local services, then include the name of your city + maybe the word local + something about services offered.
Pick a name you can say in conversation, a person can remember... for example...
https://AustinStorefrontMarketing.com
SEO targeted naming + mindshare naming (where names are memorable + easily found) make up a few considerations.
"Don't Call It That!" - Great book about naming dos + don'ts.
Naming your service based on your surname has some disadvantages. For example:
- Surnames aren't memorable. Personally I'm terrible at remembering people's names after meeting them.
- Surnames are sometimes hard to spell, which can lead to misdirected online traffic
- Difficult to separate yourself from the business. Your own name is your own reputation. Best to have a way to separate the 2 in case the business gets negative reviews. Or in case you later choose to to be known for something else.
- What if you want to sell the company? Do you want your personal name attached to somebody else's business practices? Meanwhile, if the buyer is thinking about rebranding, then they'll plan on deducting that cost from what they'd have otherwise paid you.
If you'd like more advice on naming and/or domain selection, let's set up a call. These topics have been my full time job for years.
There are many things to consider when choosing a name for your business, especially when it will be primarily online. You should always be building a long term brand so including a specific geolocation or marketing in the name will limit you to that area and industry. So you must consider if you will be offering services anywhere and if later you want to add web development or SEO. You're name should be ideally available in .com and available on any social networks you want to use. www.knowem.com is a good place to check. Make sure there are no trademarks currently on the name you choose. Make sure it's easy to say, spell, and remember. Ideally keep it less than two words and less than 18 characters. 10 more things to avoid when choose a name: https://nameniche.com/avoid-choosing-domain-name/. For a detailed and specific advice for your company feel free to schedule a call: https://clarity.fm/joshuardavis/free-consultation
If your first or last given name has recognition in your field, then you may want to build on that equity by using your own name followed by a descriptor. For example, a lot of salons are named after the owner/stylist because people are specifically looking for that person. Unless your name is somewhat unique and you have that recognition, I would avoid this approach.
Have you done the research to see what other similar offerings call themselves? That's step number 1.
Also, remember, businesses are bombarded with similar offerings so you'll need to stand out. So, instead of saying 'local marketing,' you may want to allude to the emotional/human benefit by stepping a bit further out. For example, there's a great data marketing firm called Streetbees - this tells a bigger story about their street-level insight, collaboration, and busy-ness.
I'm happy to help further if you'd like to connect!
Best of luck!
Local - I would include the names of the local city, town or region you are in so business know you are familiar with the area from the outset. For instance, I'm in the Pacific Northwest and would look for companies called "Northwest Market Luminary"
