2010 25/01

It’s All In A Name – Guest Post by TheInfoPreneur

By Erica
View Comments com
Filed in: Blogging, Guest Post, Tips & Tricks, Work From Home

Your domain name or business name will play a huge part in whether or not you will make it. So many business and websites have amazing content and products but simply don’t realize their potential. You don’t have to be incredibly inventive with your name or brand, or even ridiculously witty;

Brand

Look around you right now, the computer you are using, the TV, the soft drinks bottle. All of them are branded, they spend millions of dollars every year to make sure they get it right. You don’t need to spend anything to get it right. Take my site for example, I could have called it JamesRichmond, but I seriously doubt I would be where I am now after 11 weeks.

Make your name and logo particular to you, complicated or clean, it’s entirely down to you, there is no right or wrong answer. What ever you choose, make sure that is how you refer and present yourself where ever you go.

Trust

Brand image is hugely important, as I said above you need to leave your mark everywhere you go, which means you absolutely need to represent the brand and name properly. People buy into brands and names once they trust them, so be trust worthy, be the person os business that people go to for answers, answers that are honest and given without an agenda.

Always being honest with your readers or customers is vital, if you make a mistake then own up to it. If you have success, share how you do it. Contribute to other sites and business and leave your calling card behind.

Easy

I took a bit of a risk by going with TheInfoPreneur, it could have back fired by miss-types in the domain url etc. Luckily it worked and I play on the overuse of InfoPreneur as the new term for a successful blogger. Could you create a new term or word? It happens all the time, new words being added to the dictionary so try it?

What ever your domain name or business name is, make it easy to read and recognize.

James Richmond, AKA The InfoPreneur, is a 28 year old family man from the UK. After several years of success online, James is sharing his knowledge with the world on his site, TheInfoPreneuer.net! From Motivational topics to How-To posts, you’re sure to find something to improve your blog! Follow James on Twitter @theinfopreneur

ralphcarlson

I kind of like JamesRichmond.com but what do I know.
Antti Kokkonen

Oh the name the name.. I'm doomed with Zemalf - at least it's unique, it means very little (unless you find the secret code) and I have no idea what people think of it :)

For personal branding, I prefer the firstname lastname dot com kinda deal nowadays. For niche sites, descriptive keyworded domain and site name is the best. For businesses that target the skies - some weird, yet neutral and catchy name works wonders. If it actually means something, even in some ancient language, all the better.
Dave Doolin

firstnamelastname.com

How about just plain old http://dool.in/ ?
Antti Kokkonen

First name, last name or both, doesn't matter. I'm not a big fan of the national domain identifier, but I guess that would do :)
EricaMueller

Antti,

I'm not a huge fan of the national domain identifiers either. I like the .com and if you must, a .net or .org. The .otherstuffs are harder to remember because our brains are programed to remember .com even if that's not what we see/hear. Perhaps this will change with time.

I couldn't get my firstnamelastname.com. I had to add 'online' to it, and figured if I was going to brand my name, I wanted something shorter, thus EricaSays.com

Boy, your name would be on heck of a mouthful to remember!! Perhaps Zemalf is the best route! :-) I always remember it just fine!
Steve Youngs

I have to side with Rose on this one. I don't believe that a domain name is that crucial to a person's or business' success. Would you, James, be where you are today with your blog if you had registered jamesrichmond.com? Yes! Without a doubt you would. You would because you would have worked just as hard as you have. You are putting way too much into the value of the gimmick of "TheInfoPreneur", and that is really all it is... a gimmick.

I would even go so far as to say that it is hurting you rather than helping. People like to know there is a real person calling the shots. I know you don't intentionally hide, but, well... I still don't know what you look like. :-) Time for you to come out from behind the photoshop shadows, mate. :-)

Thanks for the read, mate. Sorry to have to disagree with you this time.

Kind regards,
Steve.
TheInfoPreneur

Hi Steve,

No that's cool brother, we'll have to disagree this time. I honestly don't think it would have been as quick with my name as a domain, that said having a name doesn't have to affect your business brand.

Speak soon brother
Aaron

Great Post James!

I think the relevance of the domain name is becoming less important now a days. I still have trouble typing "TheInfoPreneur". But who cares. I visit your site from your Tweets! I do not type the address directly on the browser.

Another aspect of branding is consistency. Whenever I see the negative image profile picture of yours, I recognize your brand! Thats is great!
TheInfoPreneur

Hey man,

Yeah recognition is what it's all about and Aaron, I too have trouble remembering how to spell it lol, when you going to guest post for me again?
Eric

Wow, another great article from James!

So true about branding and making your name work. I hope BluePop13 turns out well and successful.

Make your mark and do it right! :)
TheInfoPreneur

Thanks brother, keep rocking it man, you're doing a great job
Eric

Hey James,

That's what we're all here for! :)
Mike CJ

I'd have to disagree with the first part. I don't think the domain or business name do play a "huge part in whether or not you will make it."

Take Google as an example. It didn't exist as a word, or have any meaning.

As long as your offering is strong it actually doesn't matter what it's called, surely? Mashable?
TheInfoPreneur

Hi Mike,

Do you not think that having it called google rather than search engine made it into a bigger success? As Graham says it was a play on an existing word and by such with clever marketing and branding it became the biggest brand in the world!

I think you and Rose may have misunderstood what I am saying, branding and names do play a part in your success, but I'm not saying it's a bad thing.

Google made it partly because it became a recognisable brand and a name people remember
Mike CJ

No. The point is that Google was a non word, so it does prove that the name actually isn't relevant, it's what you do with the name that matters/

Let me give you an example. Let's say I decide to start a business today called Drin, or Blen, or Birat. I've plucked those ideas randomly out of the air.

Which is the best name? Which one will "make it or not?"

Nobody can answer that, can they? It depends what I do with that name, in terms of marketing, product and promotion of the brand values.

The name doesn't "play a huge part in whether or not you will make it." It's almost irrelevant.

I didn't misunderstand you - your opening sentence is very clear.
Graham Tappenden

Apparently it's a mis-spelling of Googol, which is 10^100.
TheInfoPreneur

Hi Graham, yeah that's what I thought, thanks brother
Rose

"Your domain name or business name will play a huge part in whether or not you will make it."

This isn't true at all. For several years I administrated a successful website for men & women that had a woman's name.
Rose

"Your domain name or business name will play a huge part in whether or not you will make it."

This isn't true at all. For several years I administrated a successful website for men & women that had a woman's name.
TheInfoPreneur

Hi Rose,

I said it will play a huge part in whether you will make it or not, I didn't say it will cause you to fail. If you have a name that is difficult to spell or say or a domain that is offensive to some, then that site is on a back foot from the off.

DavidRisley, JohnChow all using there name as their domain to fantastic effect.
Steve Youngs

Hey you forgot SteveYoungs. LOL
EricaMueller

Thanks for the opinion, Rose.
I think having a woman's name, especially if it was a memorable one, would be a good pick. The idea is to pick something people will remember, and evidently, the site you administered had a good name!
Jimi Jones

Hello Erica and James!
Very good post with very good advice. InfoPreneur may have been a gamble, but you have successfully branded it and it works well.
TheInfoPreneur

Hey Jimi,

Thanks man yeah huge gamble but thankfully it's really paid off
EricaMueller

Ah, all the credit to James! All I did was pick the topic, and I chose it because I thought his domain was very memorable and brandable. He's done a great job with his site, and it started with getting a good domain!

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