A summary of things you should know about Hello My Name is Awesome according to Alexandra Watkins: Introduction In this episode Alexandra Watkins shares her book Hello My Name isRead More
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]]>In this episode Alexandra Watkins shares her book Hello My Name is Awesome where she teaches you how to create brand names that stick.
In her book, Watkins delivers the real insights into naming a business and clever ways to create a slogan so entrepreneurs can learn the proper techniques for branding business.
This book is perfect for the entrepreneur or small business owner who does not have the budget to hire the services of a branding agency, but has the will power to learn how to do it themselves.
There are no other books on naming. There are plenty of books on branding but these books were written in the 70’s and the rules have changed. The reason no one has ever written a book on naming is because namers are traditionally linguist and you cannot teach linguistics in a skinny little book. I don’t use linguistics in my naming, I just teach people how to name things using concepts and being clever.
Entrepreneurs will probably want to jump straight to chapter three on domain names but I would say to start from the beginning because the book is written in sequential order.
Anytime you have to explain how to spell or pronounce your name or what it means, you’re essentially apologizing for it and that devalues your brand.
Before you jump into creating names you really need to understand what makes a name good and what makes a name bad.
The book starts off with a chapter called Smile. Smile is an acronym for the five qualities that make a name great. S stands for suggestive and you want to have a name that suggests something about your product. The M in smile stands for meaningful. You want your name to be meaningful to your customers, not just to you. The L in Smile stands for imagery. People remember pictures and images much more easily than they remember words or letters. The E in Smile is very important. You want your name to make an emotional connection with people. 50% of purchasing decisions are based on emotion. Think of a time you purchased a bottle of wine that you’ve never tasted before but you liked the label, that’s an emotional purchase.
The next chapter is called Scratch – The Seven Deadly Sins and when to scratch it off the list. If your name looks like a typo scratch it off the list. If your name gets flagged as misspelled when you type it into a word document, it’s a problematic name and will drive people crazy. Make sure to be original and come up with your own new idea for a name.
After that we jump into the domain chapter. The #1 misconception in naming something is thinking you must own the domain name. Many big companies have started out not owning their domain name and it doesn’t matter. In the book I give you 30 different words you can put before or behind your name. As your company grows you can think about purchasing your domain name but until then don’t obsess over it because it really won’t matter.
In chapter four you are given a roadmap to follow and a lot of questions to answer about the goals for your name, everything from brand positioning to your target audience and your brand personality. In this chapter I give examples so you can see what I am talking about. The internet is your best source for brainstorming and I give you all kinds of website to go to.
Lastly, I give you some ideas on how to review names. It’s easy to come up with the name sometimes but it’s hard to get everybody to agree and this chapter will show you how to build consensus. I have 12 rules for building consensus and have developed these over the years by having to do it constantly with our clients and they really work. I also talk a little bit about focus groups and why you shouldn’t use them.
I am a self-taught person who didn’t go to college. When I was in eighth grade I knew I wanted to be in advertising and I was able to talk my way into an internship with an ad agency. I eventually landed at Ogilvy and Mather. I talked my way into becoming a namer at Lander while on a Match.com date. I am an interesting person and traveled to more than 45 countries including Libya, Zimbabwe and Cuba.
I did not want to write a book, my parents are authors and I know that writing a book is a lot of work for not always a lot of money. I got an e-mail from a publishing company asking if I had ever thought about writing a book. I didn’t jump on it right away. I struggled with if I wanted to take all that time writing a book. I deliberated about three weeks over it until I finally decided to do it and I am so glad I did! About 90% of people who contact my company can’t afford us and I thought the book would be something that they could get and help them on their own.
Give and Take by Adam Grant
Buy Hello My Name Is Awesome by Alexandra Watkins on Amazon today
Visit EatMyWords.com to learn more about Alexandra and download the first chapter
Follow Alexandra Watkins on Twitter and Facebook
Download the full transcript here
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher , and SoundCloud
Related books: Lean Branding by Laura Busche | A World Gone Social by Ted Coine and Mark Babbitt | Digital Bacon by Alex Rodriguez
Relevant advice and tips: 5 Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make With Marketing and Branding | 5 Reason Why Your Marketing Sucks
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]]>Latest Books for Entrepreneurs in September 2014 The Entrepreneurs Library presents the latest books for entrepreneurs in September 2014. These books are brand new to the market and the authorsRead More
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]]>Latest Books for Entrepreneurs in September 2014
The Entrepreneurs Library presents the latest books for entrepreneurs in September 2014. These books are brand new to the market and the authors are in line to share their insights with me. Stay tuned this month for the release of the interviews with these great books and the authors.
The Seven Levels of Communication by Michael J Maher
The Seven Levels of Communication tells the entertaining and educational story of Rick Masters, who is suffering from a down economy when he meets a mortgage professional who has built a successful business without advertising or personal promotion. Skeptical, he agrees to accompany her to a conference to learn more about her mysterious methods.
Rick soon learns that the rewards for implementing these strategies are far greater than he had ever imagined. In seeking success, he finds significance. This heartwarming tale of Rick’s trials and triumphs describes the exact strategies that helped him evolve from the Ego Era to the Generosity Generation.
This book is about so much more than referrals. This is about building a business that not only feeds your family, but also feeds your soul.
Learn more about Michael J Maher | Buy The Seven Levels of Communication on Amazon
Invent, Reinvent, Thrive by Lloyd Shefsky
Invent Reinvent Thrive offers all the answers you need to get your business where you want it to be. You’ll learn exactly where new and multi-generational business owners fall short and miss incredible opportunities, why they fail to take the plunge or innovate–and how you can rework, revitalize, and reinvent your business not just to avoid the most common perils but to lead your business to the apex of your industry.
In Invent Reinvent Thrive Kellogg School of Management Professor Lloyd Shefsky provides the inspiration and insight any entrepreneur or family business needs for long-term success–and he backs it all up with proven models of what works and what doesn’t.
Shefsky reveals the common thread of all business success stories: reinvention. He explains not just how to reinvent concepts and ideas from the start, but ways to continuously innovate and reinvent your business to meet today’s constantly changing marketplace conditions. In addition to his own expert insight, Shefsky provides firsthand advice through case studies derived from dozens of original interviews with entrepreneurs and family business giants, consisting of the leaders of some of today’s most successful companies, including:
“If you think business books are boring, this is your chance to prove yourself wrong. Storytelling is an art, and Shefsky brings that art to business. Invent Reinvent Thrive is a treasure trove of valuable lessons.” – Stan Kasten, President and CEO, Los Angeles Dodgers
Learn more about Lloyd Shefsky | Buy Invent, Reinvent, Thrive on Amazon
Overfished Ocean Strategy by Nadya Zhexembayeva
Overfished Ocean Strategy offers five essential principles for innovating in this new reality. Zhexembayeva shows how businesses can find new opportunities in what were once considered useless by-products, discover resource-conserving efficiencies up and down their value chain, transfer their expertise from physical products to services, and develop ways to rapidly try out and refine these new business models.
She fills the book with examples of companies that are already successfully navigating the overfished ocean, from established corporations such as BMW, Microsoft, and Puma to newcomers such as Lush, FLOOW2, and Sourcemap.
The linear, throwaway economy of today—in which we extract resources at one end, create products, and throw them away at the other—is rapidly coming to an end. In every industry, creative minds are learning how to make money by taking this line and turning it into a circle. Nadya Zhexembayeva shows how you can join them and avoid being left high and dry.
Learn more about Nadya Zhexembayeva | Buy Overfished Ocean Strategy on Amazon
Sell Your Business for an Outrageous Price by Kevin M Short
In Sell Your Business for an Outrageous Price, investment banker Kevin M. Short — who for over twenty years has advised parties on both sides of the closing table — presents a structured playbook for sellers to win big. You’ll find out why some businesses sell for “outrageous” amounts — at least twice the EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) multiple of an average company in their industry — as well as how to minimize your risk going to market.
The book introduces you to the author’s Proactive Sale Strategy, a rigorous process for positioning your company to sell to a well-financed buyer at the best possible price. You’ll find out how to prepare yourself and your company for sale, understand your asset and how it benefits prospective buyers, and identify and remediate any issues that could prevent a sale or drive down sale price.
The book then helps you go to market. It guides you step-by-step through the Outrageous Price Process, designed to:
Learn more about Kevin Short | Buy Sell Your Business for an Outrageous Price on Amazon
Hello, My Name Is Awesome by Alexandra Watkins
Every year, 6 million companies and more than 100,000 products are launched. They all need an awesome name, but many (such as Xobni, Svbtle, and Doostang) look like the results of a drunken Scrabble game.
In this entertaining and engaging book, ace naming consultant Alexandra Watkins explains how anyone—even non-creative types—can create memorable and buzz-worthy brand names. No degree in linguistics required. The heart of the book is Watkins’s proven SMILE and SCRATCH Test—two acronyms for what makes or breaks a name.
She also provides up-to-date advice, like how to make sure that Siri spells your name correctly and how to nab an available domain name. And you’ll see dozens of examples—the good, the bad, and the “so bad she gave them an award.” Alexandra Watkins is not afraid to name names.
Naming a business or product has always been challenging—and sometimes costly— for entrepreneurs and inventors, but it’s one of the most important decisions they have to make. Alexandra Watkins presents a foolproof model that anyone can use to create and evaluate brand names like a pro.
“Zappos.com originally started out as ShoeSite.com, but that limited our potential future growth. A company’s name can be vital to its success. Reading the tips in this book can help anyone avoid the pitfalls.” —Tony Hsieh, New York Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness and CEO, Zappos.com, Inc.
Learn more about Alexandra Watkins | Buy Hello, My Name Is Awesome on Amazon
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