Picking A Name

What Makes For A Good Name

What makes for a good software company name? Should it be something abstract people won't understand what it means until they're told as a way to create curiosity, or will it deter people from wanting to do business because it's confusing?

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Standing Out But Making Sense

When you are thinking about what you want your organization to be called, it can become pretty complicated.

There are some really original names like Google, SalesForce, Zendesk, Pendo, WebStacks, ClearBit, Mutiny, Gong, Maze, HubSpot, ReachDesk, ChiliPiper, and many others, these are just a few from the marketing and sales space.

An original name will be the first thing people associate and connect with when it comes to your brand.

Because we are visual beings, we tend to recognize a brand by the sight before we hear or read anything about it. With social media, this has only become more impactful as, most times, you only have a square to present yourself on those platforms.

What Matters The Most

When you look at the number of software companies these days, the one pattern you do notice is that most of them are a single word. This makes remembering your brand easier and allows the brand name to be more versatile when presenting it digitally and physically.

If you decide to do trade shows, conferences, roundtables, billboards, or simply put your logo on a business card, the layout alone of your name can make a dramatic difference in how you appear to the market.

You also need to think about how people will say your name. I used to work at International Business Machines. Where? You know IBM. If people are going to abbreviate your name, it may have worked with IBM, but these days it's not going to float.

Legally, you want a name that you can trademark and ensure other people can't steal or use without explicit permission, but you don't want a name that people don't understand.

How Far Is Too Far

Finally, when it comes to a software name, how far is too far? If you're not an engineer, most people aren't going to know that Google came from a mathematics word called googol, which refers to the number represented by a 1 followed by one-hundred zeros. Code thing.

I don't think there is anything wrong with coming up with an abstract name as long as you're willing to explain it a million times to prospects. Make it easy to say after they hear it for the first time, and you'll be fine.

Coming Up With The Name Contineofy

For instance, our own branding with the name Contineofy.

Outside looking in, you're first going to ask, how do I even say that? Ironically most people say it right just by looking at it. But, then you're going to ask, what does it even mean? And we're okay answering that question for as long as it takes to understand it.

Contineofy is a Latin translation with fy added to the end. Everyone seemed to be adding fy at our inception, such as Shopify and Spotify.

At Contineofy, our mission is to create a brand that helps businesses connect with people from all around the world.

The word contineo in Latin means con- ("together") + tene? ("I hold").

As a SaaS marketer, the hope is to bring people onto your platform and to keep them there, so the name is fitting.

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What Is Your Vision Statement

A vision statement is aspirational that expresses your brand's plan for the future and potential impact on the world. It often serves as a guide for a brand's future goals and explains why customers and employees should stick around.

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