“What's in a name?” William Shakespeare uses this line in his play Romeo and Juliet to convey that the naming of things is irrelevant. No offense to the Bard, but that couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to naming your business. Your company name is often the first element of your brand that customers will encounter, so it’s imperative that the name is distinctive, authentic, memorable, and enduring so it resonates with your target audience. Let’s look at the importance of a company name and how to get started creating good self storage company names.
Importance of a Good Company Name
A company name carries your brand reputation, so there is a lot riding on it. Along with your logo, no other branding component means so much to so many people as your company name. From your own life, you can probably think of company names that automatically turn you off due to negative experiences and others that automatically excite you due to positive experiences. And, because your company name will be featured on your facility, website, employee shirts, business cards, advertising materials, and more, you want to be sure that when people see it, they correlate your name with quality.
In addition to wanting your name to appeal to the public, you want it to appeal to you and your employees. Your company name should be a source of pride since you will be putting a large amount of your time, money, and effort into making your company successful. So, you’ll want to create a name that you can get behind, and that represents the passion and energy you have dedicated to building a profitable business. After all, if you and your employees can’t rally around your company name, why should consumers?
Tip 1: Think About What Your Name Should Convey
Your company name is going to be your brand identity for the foreseeable future. So, what do you want your name to convey about your business? What will help people identify your company and what will help you stand out in a crowded marketplace? Many companies focus on their most important trait, value, or goal when thinking about what their name will convey (Cruelty Free Cosmetics or ThinkThin Protein Bars, for example). You might also want to think about some catchy storage phrases that can then be turned into a name.
Tip 2: Brainstorm Potential Names
Now that you know what you hope to achieve with your company name, it’s time to brainstorm. Get your team together and think about words that describe your industry and services. Look at the names of your competitors, and consider things that may set you apart from them that you can build upon. Are you focused on the best security? The highest levels of automation? The best customer service? Do you offer storage and packing supplies? Are your units climate controlled? These are all things to consider when choosing a name.
Tip 3: Think Literally
Apple. Nike. Uber. These names are short, sweet, and memorable. However, for most self storage businesses, it’s more important to be literal with your name, as you’re selling a pretty straightforward service/product that you want passerbyers to understand from a street-level view. Calling your business “Ruumi” might have a great ring to it, but only those who speak Estonian would know it means you’re a storage facility. Now, call your business “Ruumi Self Storage” and you may be on to something!
Tip 4: Don’t Be Too Narrow
You want to be literal with your self storage name, but not too narrow. Think you may eventually begin offering packing and shipping products? Calling your company Self Storage Only will limit that. Also, getting geographic can cause trouble if you plan to expand outside your area. If you name your company Florida’s Best Storage but then expand into Georgia, that can cause confusion. So, always try to pick a name that can grow with your company.
Tip 5: Think About Your Acronym
When creating your storage name, remember to consider acronyms as over time, many people begin to refer to companies in this manner (think America Online becoming AOL). In the Ruumi Self Storage example we made up, there’s nothing wrong with RSS. However, if you called your company Andy’s Self Storage, the acronym won’t be as favorable!
Tip 6: Avoid Being Too Trendy
Self storage isn’t really a “trendy” business, so why follow them? While trends are fun at first, they can quickly feel dated making jumping on the bandwagon a bad idea. Remember when companies would simply spell a normal word oddly to differentiate themselves? (But, do you really want to be known as “Storidge” forever?). Or when every other startup simply attached the suffix “ly” to their name? (Again, “Storagely” won’t age well).
Tip 7: Remember Your Website
Your self-storage company name will likely be a vital part of your online presence, from your website to your social media accounts. So, you’ll want a name that can be translated into an online entity easily (this means short, easy to remember, and easy to spell… however, you don’t want your domain name to vary much, if at all, from your business name). Since people will also be seeking your self storage businesses via Google, you’ll also want a name that’s easily searchable (another reason not to use a funky spelling). Be sure to look at what your competitors’ domains are; if you get too close to their name, it may cause confusion or appear that you’re attempting to steal their traffic by creating a similar domain, which can result in a cease-and-desist letter or even a lawsuit.
Tip 8: Get Feedback
Once you’ve come up with a list of potential self storage names, consider gathering the opinions of friends, family, and potential employees and customers, or sending out a branding survey. Of course, if you don’t want them to sway your opinion too much, or allow the name to be decided by committee, or you could wind up with a very dull name that appeals to no one.
Branding with Storelocal
Not coming up with any self storage ideas of your own, or still unsure on how to brand your self storage business? Storelocal®, the nation’s only membership organization created by independent self storage operators, also has another solution: The Storelocal Brand Program. This unique, voluntary program allows self storage owners and operators to use our branding, but stay completely independent! Providing economies of scale and online visibility, Storelocal allows owners to retain their assets, increase their profit, and maintain their independence. The Storelocal Brand gives owners the online visibility and buying power of a REIT while remaining independent. For more on branding, check the Storelocal Brand Program now!
