Choosing A Successful Name For Your App: Octodev Guide

The name of the application is probably the first thing to make an impression for a user who is browsing through the app store or his Facebook feed. You’ll never have a second chance. Along with the icon it catches the attention of a prospective user and determines if this person is interested to give your project a try. It will be the spearhead of your marketing campaign.

It is really important to find a unique title that will help you stand out among competitors. In this article, we take a look at some general guidelines as to how to pick a proper name for your application.

Where to look for in a search for an appropriate name

At first, it may seem like every single name is already taken by your rivals. It is partially true – most likely the most obvious and beautiful options have been reserved a really long time ago. But don’t lose hope yet! There are numerous ways to overcome this challenge. Constrains boost creativity – use them to your advantage! In this part of the article, we take a look at the methods that the naming experts use to come up with a creative idea.

Basically, every concept boils down to one of the following solutions:

• Describe what your app will do, what kind of benefit it will provide;
• Describe a certain experience your users can count on;
• Take a word out of context and imbue it with special meaning;
• Invent a new word.

We would not recommend using the surname of the product owner as a part of the app name – it may be a good idea for company branding, but not considered good practice when it comes to a single project if it’s not tightly connected with a certain person (a celebrity, for instance).

Don’t be afraid to experiment and try something new! One thing that you would definitely want to avoid is being a copycat. While it’s okay to look up the solution that the other competitors in the market used, you don’t want your brand to bear a strong resemblance. The name should show that you put a value on the unique idea behind your product.

Let us give you some examples as to which methods you can use to come up with a really creative idea.

Working with a phonetic basis

It is not an uncommon strategy to take a word that is widely used and replace a letter in it to make it stand out. One of the popular choices is the letter ‘Z’ – it has a nice flashy feeling to it with a vocal sound and sharp exterior. You can also make your own researches as to which letters are mostly used in your area of interest.

This way has a huge advantage – there is no need to memorize a complex concept. It’s a word a person knows and uses that is only slightly altered. In fact, a range of successful companies have used this very approach and came up with fantastic solutions!

Animal mascot

People love animals! Why not use this to your advantage? Pick a mascot, put it on the icon and into the name – a nice combination that will definitely attract attention and win the users’ hearts. However, you need to ensure that this particular species invokes only the positive emotions (or at least is mostly associated with positive traits).

It’s extremely important to do research if you aim for the international market. You don’t want to lose a part of your audience simply because your name doesn’t appeal to the users from a certain country, do you?

The power of sounds

While this is probably not the simplest solution, you may try to find a sound that is directly connected to what your application works with and put its written transcription into the name. If you manage to do this, you will most certainly create a really strong association between this particular field and the app for a user.

Keep it simple!

The name doesn’t necessarily have to make a lot of sense – but it should definitely be easy to remember. You want your app to go viral, you want people to discuss it with their friends and share their experience, don’t you?

Here’s a checklist that will help you determine if you coped with this task:

• Is the name easy to comprehend? Can you easily pronounce it? If you say tell about your project in a noisy place, will people get your point the very first time you pronounce it?
• Can your friends spell it? If they have difficulties understanding how your app name is written, most likely so will other users.
• Imagine a situation where you see the name on a big board advertisement. Will it attract your attention?

If you can answer ‘yes’ to every one of these questions, you can be sure that you’ve found a great solution and the name will serve to promote the product and to attract new users.

Strong associations are the key to success

The core of every memorable brand is the intricate connection to a certain area that is important for every person. Sometimes this connection may lack logic but it is rather based on emotions. The best way to have your users come back, again and again, is to give them positive emotions – and the name should serve this purpose as well.

What do you want the app name to be associated with? Responsible accounting and financial security? Or maybe it’s fun and romance for a social project? Once you know exactly what you want to deliver, you should focus on the priorities of the target audience.

Please keep in mind that the perception of your app’s name may differ from one audience to another. For instance, a financial application will be viewed differently by teens and seniors – and it’s perfectly normal. They still have something in common – the ability and desire to use monetary tools. However most likely the younger generation will be more interested in keeping track of their expenses and hunting for discount coupons, while the older users will probably look for ways to invest the accumulated wealth.

You need to understand these aspects in your field and make the name reflect the solution that the application provides. What is the problem that the project resolves? This is exactly what app name should display.

Streamlining the creative process

The search for the right title definitely takes a while – it’s not a decision you make overnight. Take every option into consideration; let your colleagues contribute to the solution as well. If someone has a raw idea, it may still become a basis for something big. Brainstorms are considered a good practice for this task. If you can’t gather the creative team in one place, you can also use online tools for this purpose.

It’s also a good idea to do some testing as well. When you have a few viable options, you can make landing pages and launch Facebook advertising campaigns to see how well these names convert. Other social media will do as well. Please keep in mind that you will probably need at least a sketch of the logo to work with – a graphics component usually boosts conversion.

With analytics up and running you can gather the valuable information that will give you some exact numbers to work with and prove certain theories. On top of that, you can also test the minor adjustments before you actually invest a lot of resources into the branding and launch full-scale PR campaign.

Legal aspects

One of the main concerns when naming an application is if you’ll have the legal capacity to use it – and to protect it against possible infringement. We’re talking about copyright here. You’ll need to conduct thorough research and determine if the name has been already registered as someone’s intellectual property. Failure to do so may result in lengthy legal battle, so remember to do your homework and check the risks.

After you’ve found a solution, you will probably want to protect yourself against possible malicious intent from your rivals. In order to do so, you should check if the title you invented can be trademarked and if it meets the legal requirements. If no one has claimed the name and it’s eligible for registration, then you should take it as soon as possible!

Successful naming examples

In this part of the article we take a look at some application titles that might give you an idea as to where to start with:

• Hotels.com – in this case, we see a very specific search phrase as a part of the name. While this is becoming increasingly hard to pull off, you can still find a solution.
• letgo – this app is basically a mobile marketplace for second-hand goods. It uses a common verb to describe the mission of the project: to let people easily get rid of stuff they don’t need.
• Maps4Me – an application that helps people navigate through the city and on interstate highways, it appeals to the personal benefit that a user receives: user-friendly interactive maps that take the hustle out of the traveling.
• EasyUp helps people upload their photos for use in messengers quickly and painlessly. It describes its function very accurately and explains how it can be helpful.

• Snapchat – an iconic name for people who would like to share moments in their lives by showing photos, to make a snapshot and post it on chat.
• Evernote – another title that is made up of two parts, it basically promises that your notes will forever be with you. A clever way to make a statement and attract potential users.
• PicDish – while this project is not a real rival for Instagram, it describes extremely clearly what it does: it is used to take pictures of food and upload. However, you don’t learn anything about the social aspect of the application from its name.

There is also a number of application that relies more on brand marketing to be recognized – Spotify, Tidal, and Pandora are just a few examples.

It’s also worth noting that the length of these titles rarely exceeds 11 letters and this is a ‘golden standard’ you might want to stick with.

Conclusion

Finding the right title for your application is a challenging task, but the result is well worth the investment. A name that attracts attention and conveys a message in itself can boost the conversion rates and attract new users. A clever choice can help promote your project – a poor decision may significantly slow down the growth.

If you are looking for reliable developers to make your dream project come true, look no further! The Octodev team will help you build a robust and reliable application. Contact us today for more information!

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