Your brand name is your brand's entire identity online.
When someone else uses your brand name, whether intentionally or not, it can harm your reputation and confuse customers. By protecting your brand's name online, you can avoid legal disputes, protect your business, stay ahead of the competition, and retain your customers' trust.
This post covers the eight most popular ways that you can protect a brand online.
Register Your Brand Name as a Trademark for Legal Protection
The first step is to register your company's name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Why do this?
A registered trademark gives your company exclusive rights to use, license, or sell your trademark. No one else can legally use your brand name without your permission. Additionally, protecting yourself by having your trademark registered gives you a solid legal base if you ever need to take action against infringement.
For example, having a registered trademark strengthens your position in trademark disputes. It proves your ownership and priority rights, so you can defend your brand in court if someone tries to claim your name.
A registered trademark gives you federal protection, which is stronger than state or common law protection. Federal trademark registration makes it easier to stop infringing activities across the country and can even open up international protection if needed.
Register Your Company's Domain Name
Your domain name is your address on the internet, so it is a core component of your brand's identity online. Step two is to register your company name as your domain name so your customers can find you easily.
Why do this?
Having the same name as a domain that matches your brand name builds trust and makes it easy for customers to find you online. A mismatched domain confuses customers and weakens your brand.
By registering your domain name, you can prevent someone else from registering it before you. It's common for Cybersquatters to buy domain names and then sell them back to a company at a higher premium. By registering your domain name first, you prevent others from being able to do that.
Start Monitoring Your Brand Online
Monitoring for mentions of your business names and brand online allows you to hear what your customers are saying about you (both good and bad) and catch issues early. By keeping an eye on where and how your brand name is being used, you can catch misuse before it gets out of hand.
Why do this?
One of the main benefits of monitoring your brand is managing your reputation online. If negative reviews or fake information are posted, you can address them quickly before they damage your credibility.
Create and Enforce Your Brand Guidelines
Brand guidelines are a set of rules that define how your brand should be presented online. These guidelines ensure every instance of your brand's mentions is consistent across websites, social media posts, or ad campaigns.
Why Do This?
Ultimately, this builds your brand identity. By having consistent branding efforts, you create a unified and memorable brand.
Your brand guidelines define and elevate your brand identity, including its personality, tone, and values. By getting everyone on the same page, you prevent unintended instances of miscommunication and misrepresentation.
Having brand guidelines also has legal benefits, too. When guidelines are enforced, make it easier for businesses to spot and prevent unauthorized use.
Prevent Brand Name Trademark Usage in Search Ads
Monitoring how your brand name is being used in search engine ads is crucial to staying ahead of your competitors. The BrandVerity PPC Monitoring tool can help you check whether competitors are using your brand name in their ad copy.
Why Do This?
BrandVerity is the fastest and most comprehensive way to find out and fix when a competitor is spotted using your trademark in their ad copy.
How it Works
By inputting specific parameters like your branded keywords, geography, and frequency, you can set up alerts that identify ad infringements across all major search engine ad platforms.
BrandVerity then filters and prioritizes these infringing ads, providing you with detailed information such as display URLs and ad copy. From there, BrandVerity walks you through a simple process with pre-populated forms and templates for submitting a trademark infringement to have the unauthorized ad taken down.
It's more important than ever to protect a business name online. Following the tips above and using tools like BrandVerity can help you protect your brand and stay ahead of bad actors online.
