How I Used the Internet to Choose My Business Name: AI-Powered Tips for Birth Workers and Other Small Businesses

Using AI as a business tool

When embarking on your journey as a birth worker, one of the key early decisions you'll make is choosing a business name that reflects your mission and resonates with your target audience. Leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) can provide valuable insights and creativity in crafting a unique and memorable name for your birth worker business. In this guide, we'll explore the benefits of using AI in the process and offer actionable tips to help you make the perfect choice.

View the video version of this post at https://youtu.be/U1BUVMyOcnE.

Actionable Tips for Choosing a Business Name Using AI

AI tools can be indispensable companions in your quest for the ideal business name. These tools are not just about generating random suggestions; they use sophisticated algorithms to analyze linguistic patterns, industry trends, and user preferences. 

1. Keyword Analysis: Search Terms + Vibe 

Google Search remains a major way that parent-support experts get found by potential clients, especially in the early days before you’ve built your referral network. So you’ll want to ask yourself: what will people be searching for when they could land upon your offerings? Is it “doula near me” or “sleep coach in <insert your town name>”? Start penning a list of potential keywords that could lead clients your way. Google’s keyword planner tool can be useful here, too. Once you have a list of your search terms, take a moment to outline your values, mission, and unique selling propositions to create a list of “vibe” keywords to go alongside your SEO-friendly search keywords. 

2. Use AI as Your Digital Sandbox:

AI can be a brainstorming partner as you consider adding potential words or terms that you think resonate with your style. Now that you have a list of potential words or ideas to convey the feeling of your business, let’s hit the digital sandbox and see if we strike brand gold. ChatGPT can riff here with you to provide combinations of various keywords that you could use as a business name. Try this prompt: I’m a <role> living in <town>. Here are several keywords that I think resonate with the business I’m building and my style as a professional: <insert words>. I want you to scan the digital landscape and identify existing birth worker businesses and their names and advise me on if this is an SEO-friendly business name for my area. Please also suggest some alternatives.”

3. Brandable and Memorable Suggestions:

Next, I recommend popping over to Shopify's Business Name Generator, or to NameMesh, which uses AI to combine words, check domain availability, and propose unique business names. Move through various combinations of your keywords and see what resonates with you–and which domain names are available! 

4. Competitor Analysis:

Type each of your top choices into an incognito Google browser and see what pops up. Any red flags? Any standouts with a low number of results to offer? These can be clues to help you narrow down your options.

5. Close the Feedback Loop

Now maybe you’ve narrowed down your choices to two or three. It’s a great time to involve the public and see how the target market feels about your name choices. Create a poll as a story on your personal Instagram account and ask your followers to vote on their favorite name. 

6. Conduct a Trademark Search

The last thing you want as the owner of a growing business is to open your mailbox to a cease and desist letter from a similarly named brand. Conduct a trademark search to ensure your chosen name is legally available–although in our experience, brands can bully you around even if you feel that your names are differentiated, or that they are not in the same industry. It’s best to steer VERY clear of possible similarities, so set aside time to peruse the USPTO site, or use AI legal tools like TrademarkNow to streamline this process.

Hooray! Have you chosen a name for your business?! Announce it to the world on your various social channels with pride! And then you can dive into your brand identity (use our brand guide for worksheets to help you there!)  Congratulations on embarking on your birth worker journey with a name that truly resonates. We hope you’ll list your business and build a storefront on Nessle so that we can amplify your message, too!

Carly B

Carly B

Carly is a postpartum doula and Certified Lactation Consultant (CLC) based in the West End of Richmond, Virginia.