The one thing that everyone has in common is that we are all consumers; we all buy. Every day, from daily small purchases, like your morning coffee and newspaper, to big monthly or yearly purchases, like a television or a car. But what influences your decision on what and where to buy. Surely, you have tastes and preferences but with all the competition for your purchasing power it is often small differences in the product that ultimately influence your decision.

Let's say you walk into a grocery store to buy a soda. Although there may be dozens of sodas to choose from you'll most likely reach for a familiar brand such as Coca-Cola or Pepsi. The reason? You are familiar with these brands and trust them. You recognize the company name and logo and you choose these products based on your familiarity.

With that in mind, here are some suggestions for a new company trying to build a brand, a company name, and a logo:

1. Choose a company name that is easily remembered, short, and pronouncable. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to remeber you. A long name such as "Industrial Widget Manufacturing and Distribution Company" isn't as memorable as memorable as a short and snappy company name such as "Widget Enterprises." When people remember you they become familiar with you and will likely choose you over a competitor.

2. Be different with your logo. Don't use the same unimaginative symbols that almost everybody else uses. For example, if your logo is a globe be assured that you won't be remembered. There are thousands, if not millions, of companies that use an image of a globe in their logo. Try something different. Try using animals, such as monkeys. If you look at my business website, www.trade-pals.com, you'll see that my logo is two monkeys in business suits. This image stands out and is memorable. And I'm not competing with other businesses for a memorable logo because there are no other business websites that use images of monkeys in their logos.

3. Don't use a hard to spell name. This is the easiest way for people searching for your business not to be able to find you. For example, "Wojtiecz & Boerschevsky Insurance" would be an example of a North American insurance brokerage with two principals using their European last names in their company name. North American won't be able to look up your company because they won't be able to spell it. Instead, how about something like, "Insurance Hub of Chicago"? This won't be misspelled and anybody searching for you will find you.

Be creative, be memorable, and be recognizable and you will be on your way to creating a great brand for your business.

Tino Buntic is the creator of the TradePals business networking site. His unique love of monkeys drove him to create a logo with two monkeys in business suits in his company logo.

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