People are always asking me, is it better to brand my name or to brand what I do? and this is a good question about branding and there really is no simple answer to it as it’s so very important to get the right perception brand name that you will be using in the long term. There are several questions you should explore while making a brand decision though.
Your Name:
Is your name fairly short? My name is Keith Bloemendaal (blue-men-doll), which is actually easier to say than it is to spell. It is of Dutch origin, and I recently learned that bluemen means flowers in Dutch. Anyway, that was off topic, my point is that my name is hard to pronounce and it is long. My first Twitter handle was @thefencepost because I was a fence contractor and I thought the name was catchy. Last year I read an article by Scott Williams on TwiTip entitled “10 Reasons To Use Your Real Name On Twitter“.
That article made me decide to lock in my name on Twitter, since my whole name is too long I went with @kbloemendaal. Later I shut down my original account and primarily use my name now.
I do have other accounts that are more “brand” oriented that I use to promote my businesses, but for the most part I use my name. It is important to note that whatever you choose, use it on all your networks the same. I had used “thefencepost” on some networks, and my name on others so it was confusing for people that networked with me on multiple networks. I have cleaned that up now, and most of my followers recognize my username across my networks with my name.
Domain Name:
This is a difficult one, and must be thought out as there are not very many good dot com domains left. If you have a local business, I personally think that using your business name is best if possible, unless it is just too long.
Again, if you are trying to brand yourself, and your name is not long and difficult to remember, using your name is a good idea here too. If you are trying to promote a product, then getting that product in the domain is a great idea. An example is my Fence Products site, I went with http://buy-fence.com (I also have fence-online.net which I am planning to use to separate my main two product lines so that I can optimize those sites in a more narrow niche). The point is, make it clear what the site is, both of those domains make it clear they are about fence.
Conclusion:
Making these decisions is an important process, so don’t neglect this important part of the puzzle. Do your research, make pro/con lists, and make the best decision you can based on your goals. Whether you are networking to promote a business you own, are blogging to make money online, or are just having fun with a hobby, it is hard to re-brand if you decide you don’t like the decision you have made. Whatever you decide to use, check to see it’s availability across all networking sites to make sure you can keep it consistent, it will make things easier as your social network grows.
Tagged as: blue men, bluemen, branding name, buy fence, perception brand, promote a product, Social Media, social networking sites
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for your compliment! its fun to maintain a blog, the thing that keeps me busy the most is tweaking the layout. but it is getting there
wannabe´s last blog ..Weekend, yahoo! more free time
(244 comments) February 1, 2010 at 7:44 pm
Very well said Keith, I’ve had the blue face conversation a time or two as well. lol
Personally, I’ve used my real name and logo (My initials) since the very beginning, EVERYWHERE. I always meant to brand myself personally.
When I started my first real blog (real=more then 1 month of use, lol) I branded it for what it is about…DirectSalesWebMarketing.com…online marketing tips for direct sales folks.
NOW that my name is really getting out there, I decided it was best to “finish” my personal branding and move it all to my personal domain, DennisEdell.com.
That said, you know how it’s said that the topic of your blog should be evident at first glance? Here’s my #1 tip for those using their real name as the domain name…
It’s all in the tagline. Followed up with a really good About page.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog!
(27 comments) February 1, 2010 at 9:26 pm
With your name, I can see branding it, much different that Keith Bloemendaal for sure!
The tagline does say a lot too! Great points Dennis and thanks for the comment…
Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Does Your Blog Stand Out?
(244 comments) February 2, 2010 at 5:53 pm
True I suppose, the only real issues people have with my name is pronunciation – most say “eh-dell” instead of pronouncing the e like an actual E lol.
Which all in all don’t matter at all online like spelling does.
I think all taglines are important, but none so much as with a real name as the domain name when someone don’t know jack about ya. LOL
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Hello & Welcome To The All New – DennisEdell.com/DirectSalesWebMarketing.com Merged – Direct Sales Coaching Blog!
(13 comments) February 1, 2010 at 2:05 am
Branding is very important in blogging field..
In my view branding website name is best than branding our name..because it is only reflecting our views to the world..
(27 comments) February 1, 2010 at 7:20 am
I can agree if that is your goal, one question though, I see your twitter is your name and not your website?
Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..One Man Can Do Everything
(13 comments) February 1, 2010 at 7:54 am
yes
but it was created before i engaged in blogging and too i have some followers in that username so i kept it as same…
(20 comments) February 1, 2010 at 12:29 am
Branding sometimes really is most difficult. I tried different things and always one idea appeared irrelevant to the next context. I’m still not settled and bewildered. I’m running a website psexam.com and a blog icttrends.com I wish to correlate both with something common when both these things are totally different.
I’m started using icttrends for my twitter account. And I realize that icttrends itself is not relevant to my blog. But since I had a spare domain name icttrends which had PR 1 and I was tempted with that PR.
Still working on. Hope one day I’ll be able to afford what suits best.
Suresh Khanal´s last blog ..What Goes Around Comes Around
(27 comments) February 1, 2010 at 7:18 am
Have you thought to brand them separately? Being that they are completely unrelated I would consider that.
I have different twitter and facebook pages for different businesses I run, it can get hectic, but I mainly just feed to some of them from my blogs.
Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Article Promotion
(1 comments) January 31, 2010 at 9:30 am
Keith,
Like your thoughts on branding. From a name standpoint, it may take longer to build your recogition, but long term results may produce much better. If you choose to brand products, I would still include your name in the content.
Eventually, you will brand yourself and people who follow you, will recognize your product sites.
Mike Sweeney
Mike Sweeney @ Internet Work At Home´s last blog ..Internet Work At Home Stategic Business Plan
(27 comments) January 31, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Great points Mike, I always recommend using your name in comments for the same reason, if the site uses KeywordLuv, then by all means, add your keywords, but if not I think it is better to use your name, makes it more personal.
Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Do You Blog Engage?
(1 comments) January 31, 2010 at 2:02 am
Yeah, It’s the most crucial part. A long term goal should be set before selecting a domain and brand name.
(57 comments) January 31, 2010 at 1:29 am
In my opinion, name as domain name is match perfectly for personal blog — but for business blog, i suggest to use keyword or product name as domain name.
Dana @ Blogging Update´s last blog ..Why Do I Rarely Follow A Blog Contest?
(27 comments) January 31, 2010 at 1:35 am
My biggest argument for that (and I agree for the most part) is blogs like chrisbrogan.com or davidrisley.com and they are all about some $$$$. Neither one one were well known when they started their sites, at least not in the market for their blogs….
Thanks Dana
Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Need-Information.com Is Moving
(235 comments) January 30, 2010 at 7:38 pm
Keith i personally don’t think there is a wrong or right to this it is up the individual or company to decide which to brand i personally believe that you should brand a name like i choose lawmacs which the first three letters is from my surname good post.
lawmacs´s last blog ..5 Link Building Tips
(27 comments) January 30, 2010 at 7:51 pm
Great Points! No matter what you decide to brand, the main thing is stick with it and make sure you can brand it across all networks.
Thanks for the comment.
Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Need-Information.com Is Moving
Hi there,
its quite amazing bcs for some time i was considering to start blogging and ‘investigating’ if it is possible to start earning money using only free internet tips and advice. So this domainname is perfect for my intentions.
I recently started my own blow, wannabemillionaire.com hows that for a great domain name?
Anyway, great post .. and Bloemendaal is pretty easy to pronounce for me (I am a dutch man)
wannabe´s last blog ..Google SEO Starter Guide
(27 comments) January 30, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Thanks! Looks like a nice setup on your blog, will be watching to see how you progress….
Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Need-Information.com Is Moving
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