“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” (Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 1597)
Do you agree?
I do, but Mr. Shakespeare lived in a completely different era and without the Internet.
Usually, in real life, our names have been decided for us by others, but when we choose a nickname, a stage name or whatever you want to call it, it’s all up to us.
That name will be the first piece of information that fans and followers will have to remember and relate to us. Names have a very important role in interpersonal communications and when they are also used as brands, they should stand out from the competition and be easy to remember.
What if the McDonald brothers, instead of using their surname as a brand name for their restaurants, would have used: “bu_R3s#go_od!!!1,” do you think it would have worked out well?
If William Bradley Pitt instead of choosing Brad Pitt as model name would have chosen: “blondboy1234,” do you think it would have had the same impact on his fans?
I believe that for a model, actor or anyone in show biz, having a good name is very important, because our fans and followers will not only remember us better, but also dream and fantasize about us.
In addition, our names should be easy to find on whatever site we’re on, not only for visibility, but also to help fans find us again if they forgot to bookmark our profile the first time they saw it. Think what a prospective fan would have to go through to find the right “blond boy” mentioned above, he would, most likely, settle for another one because he was exhausted by the search!
On the Internet there are several articles on how to choose the perfect business name, the perfect social media name, the perfect dog name and so on, however, once again, what really matters is you and only you. You are unique, your name deserves to be spoken and loved by your fans, and it has to be remembered because it represents you, the special you.
The choice of your model name shouldn’t be rushed: plan it well ahead before clicking on the “Sign Up” button, doodle it on a piece of paper, say it out loud it, if you are tech inclined, make several banners or logos of it. Then ask yourself: how does it look? How does it sounds? Does it fit my model persona? Is it safe to be used for an email account, for a website domain, on socials or as a brand? Would I be proud to be identified by that name? Is it easily recognizable?
Once you’ve found the name you really love, be ready to have a plan B.
We’ve all been through that frustrating moment of signing up for a website with our favorite nickname only to find out that it’s been taken already. My suggestion is not to give up, but to be creative without distorting it (and to completely avoid the suggested auto-generated nicknames). Once you get one which is still available, use it for all your websites: from a follower point of view it’s really frustrating to have to remember that, for example, Brad Pitt on one site is Pita Bread on another and Bradley_William999 on another one.
Now, that you have a beautiful and unique name which is all yours, your way to success is wide open like an inspiring tale.
What will your name be?
Photo credit: Morgan Goes Wild
Middle Photo credit: photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
Last Photo credit: photo by Kevin Malik from Pexels
—
Morgan Goes Wild is an Italian content creator. He has lived several lives, follows his passions and pursues varied interests. Visit him on Twitter at @morgangoeswild.
