Choosing the best name for a brand or marketing program can be a tough task.  People often focus on the creative aspect, but the more practical aspects of the decision – like securing and protecting the name – can be very complex.

As I was thinking about this, I remembered the flowchart graphic pictured here that a friend sent to me after seeing it on the tech blog Gizmodo.  I know a few people who you might call “addicted” to their smartphones (usually BlackBerries more often than iPhones), so I found it pretty amusing to follow the chart through different scenarios.

When you look at the graphic (click on it to see the full-size version), it’s easy to see how it works: you start at the beginning, ask yourself the questions posited on the chart, and depending on your answer, follow the arrows to more questions and ultimately, to a conclusion.  Even though this particular chart is designed to be fun and sort of tongue-in-cheek, these are pretty accurate representations of most decision-making processes.  Namely, they point out the fact that when we try to make a decision, we face certain questions, which often lead us to other questions before they lead us to answers.

This is definitely true when it comes to selecting the best name for a brand or a marketing program.  To begin with, you have to figure out whether or not it is possible to protect the name, namely whether you will be able to get a trademark for it.  The next question is if the name is available as a domain name, specifically in .COM but also perhaps in .ORG if the entity is a charity or non-profit organization.  If the .COM domain is not available, it is crucial to determine how it is being used: if it is being used legitimately, if it belongs to a domain name speculator or if it belongs to another strategic user but is not being put to use.  This determines whether it will be possible to obtain the domain from its current owner and what it might cost you.  Sometimes, even when a speculator or strategic user owns it, he or she could want an unreasonable or unexpectedly high amount of money for the domain.

Another domain name issue to consider is whether the name is available in the appropriate ccTLDs for target markets in different countries.  Then you need to decide which typo or misspelling variations Internet users are likely to type in, and which of those to register.  Similarly, you need to determine which keywords users are likely to combine with the brand name and which of those combination domain names you should register.  And then comes social media: you have to figure out the best corresponding usernames across platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and others, and then see if they are available, or can be acquired if they have already been secured.

The process can seem confusing, in the same way that a flowchart can look like a tangled, messy web.  But when you know which questions to ask, and take the time to answer them fully and honestly, you can carve out a clear path that will lead you to the best name for your brand or marketing program.