Entrepreneurs have always struggled with the branding of new companies. The finality associated with picking a name stifles a lot of people, and the difficult trademark issues that can pop up often send the whole thing back to the starting gate. It’s no wonder entrepreneurs cringe when thinking about picking names.

Lately, though, the priorities in this critical early stage decision have changed dramatically, which should lead to easier branding strategies for entrepreneurs.

In the past, picking a name was largely a creative exercise. My background is in intellectual property, and I’ve watched newco entrepreneurs struggle to settle on a name that succinctly and accurately identifies the company and its goals. Envision brainstorming sessions, creative consultants, and graphic designers all working with the entrepreneur to settle on a name, logo and an overall branding strategy.

Painful? Very much so. Especially when this process yields a “good” name that can’t be cleared based on trademark concerns. Ouch.

Importantly, this old strategy put branding before the naming decision, which often lead to incredible angst and pressure on the newco principals.

The scarcity of good domains has changed all of that, though. Here’s an anecdote to illustrate the point:

Last year I was involved with helping an entrepreneur get a new venture off the ground. His approach to branding was incredibly simple:

“get me a list of domains that relate to this industry…I’ll pick one, and we’ll name the company accordingly. Branding can follow that.”

While we did have a brainstorming session on relevant keywords, we didn’t consider the branding side of things until later. The critical lesson is the shift in priorities: branding is placed after the naming decision, and the naming decision is guided by the domain decision.

This has to be the branding strategy for new companies starting out in today’s world of limited domain availability. Not only should you start with the domain issue…but you should consider yourself limited by it as well. The domain race is, simply put, one you can’t afford to lose.

Find a good domain, buy it, and name the company accordingly. All branding efforts should follow, not precede, this critical early step.

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