So, you came up with the perfect name for your beauty brand, huh? First off, here’s a huge congrats for you! It’s no secret that picking a name that fits you, your vision, and your mission is tough! But once you finally settle on the right fit, it’s hugely rewarding, right?

We sure think so. As Elite Beauty Society, we think our brand name is on point and super aligned with what we aim to do for our customers.

But picking the perfect name isn’t the end of the branding process–in fact, just deciding on the right name in your head doesn’t even necessarily mean the naming game is over! Just because a name sounds perfect doesn’t mean it’s necessarily available–it’s totally possible someone has thought of that name before!

This blog is all about taking the necessary steps to locking down your brand’s perfect-for-you name before anyone else snags it first! Read more for a few basic (but crucial!) places to check for your brand’s name.

4 Steps to Ensure Your Beauty Brand is Secure Everywhere

Run the Necessary Checks

First things first, you’ll want to take that genius beauty brand name and check it against the licensed business names in your state. Depending on where you live, it’s likely there’s a state site where you can run a quick search of business names. For example, in Florida, you can check out Sunbiz.org and run a quick check of your own business name. Does it exist anywhere else in your state? If you clear this step, you’re ready to move on.  

Next, go ahead and google it! Yep, run a google search and just see what comes up. Are there any other business by that name? If so, do they work in the same industry as you? Will there be any issues with you trying to snag this name? The last thing you want is to file your business name if there’s another competing company with the same brand name. Not only is this super confusing, it could also get you into serious legal trouble!

Cover Your Website Bases

Remember how you ran a google search? If no other brands pop up with the same name you have, it’s time to run a domain name check. Go ahead–type in your ideal domain name for your business and see what pops up!

If we had the idea to call ourselves Elite Beauty Society, we’d have googled a quick “www.elitebeautysociety.com” before we made the final call to finalize our brand name. If it had been unavailable, well, we’d have to come up with something else.

If yours is free, our next recommendation is to snag your domain! Seriously, before you do anything else, purchase your domain on a hosting site like WordPress or SquareSpace and get that brand name claimed.  

Do a Social Media Search

OK–you cleared the state search, the google search, and now the domain name search. Next step is, naturally, social media. Is this step as crucial as the others? Probably not in legal terms–but it is super important for your branding. If your brand name, website domain, and social media handles can’t all match in a way that makes sense, that brand continuity is going to be a challenge.

You’ll want to run a serious check for the same handle across all the platforms–think Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc. Whatever you plan to use (or even just might use in the future) should be snatched up quickly so you can ensure a consistent brand name across all your platforms.

You might be thinking–“OK, EBS; I get it–I’ll make sure I can have the same name on Instagram as I can on Facebook. But I’ll never use TikTok. Do I really have to claim that username?”

Or best advice is to claim it even if you don’t think you’ll use it. Because think about it–what if in five years time, you’re a total TikTok pro and you can’t live without it in your marketing game? You’ll go to search for your name, and it’ll be a tossup on whether or not it’s available. Do you really want to go through that stress and possibly have to deal with inconsistency in your branding? Probably not.

File Your Brand Name Appropriately  

You’ve finally run all the appropriate checks–it’s time to solidify and finalize your brand name. File for the proper licenses and paperwork with your state, get your name on the records and pay whatever fees are necessary to claim your business’ name.

This should be the last step, of course because you want to make sure you’ve cleared all the other checkpoints before you make that final call. And presto! You’ve locked in that business name–you’re officially the brand behind the name, and no one can take that from you!