What is a Brandable?

[Aiden Roberts]

With all this talk of EMD's taking a hit many of us have learned a valuable lesson, some a costly lesson some not so...

On from this it's about time I start to think about the future and brandable names play a part in that. I am not even going to attempt to buy and sell brandables rather develop one or two of them into big sites but in your opinion what makes a brandable?

Doing research short, memorable and available in the .com seems to be an absolute minimum but what else?

Could a two word name cut it as a brandable?

Are English words necassary or made up words better?

Is it possible to build a brand purely on sweat and time rather than massive budget?

Any thoughts or examples would be welcome.

Thank you

Aiden

 

[retired_member34]

Is it possible to build a brand purely on sweat and time rather than massive budget?

A course from an absolute master at this. It is not intended for purely online brands (though it applies just the same) and it is not intended for those who simply wish to make money from any method, with as little work as possible.

Go to http://dolectures.com/do-workshops/ and scroll down to "How to build a great brand with very little money". Dave Hieatt was a copywriter then founded Howies, then The Do Loectures, and now Hiut Denim.

I'd love to hear some recommendations from others regarding books on the subject too.

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Excellent thanks GeoMal I will head on over there.

 

[eddieb]

but what else?

Could a two word name cut it as a brandable?

Are English words necassary or made up words better?

Is it possible to build a brand purely on sweat and time rather than massive budget?

Aiden

Short answer would be "All of the above"

Not just 2, but 3 or more words can be brandable... CompareTheMarket.com, WeBuyAnyCar.com, IWantOneOfThose.com

In the absence of real words, made up words are more than just acceptable... Wonga, Google, Squidoo, Flickr

Social media provides a good platform for low-budget, effective brand marketing. Look at how firms use Youtube/Facebook/Twitter to launch viral campaigns, even the company's with big budgets like Redbull recognise the opportunities this offers. The key thing with social media is innovation and avoiding the hard sell.

 

[namealot]

There is no real shortcut other than research and lots of it... understand what a brand should be, etc... google “ what is a brand “ It also helps to know people in the right places and a lot of luck, you may be able to create your own but to sell to other’s to an extent they have to believe in it? After all when there pushing it to clients they don't want to look amateurish ,unknowledgeable, out of touch, foolish ( even though they may be talking absolute BS)

Its not hard to get a million hits on you tube etc that means its known? That’s a long way from it being a brand, making £ or even salable? There are few co.uk exclusive brands (normally aged companies though) If you go that route a com may be a wiser than co.uk, .uk or any cctld with the possible exception of .de

 

[Aiden Roberts]

Two sites I am working on are:

Disabled Friendly and Luxury Gift Sets

Are these brandable or not, the latter gets hardly any exacts so could this be classed as not an EMD. Sorry if these are basic questions but my head is spinning with emd, brandable and generic!

Simple explanations would be great as there seems to be a difference of opinion of what is emd or generic?

Update when I have just read this back I sound like a right "pleb" but I am leaving it in LOL!

 

[Nova]

Two sites I am working on are:

Disabled Friendly and Luxury Gift Sets

Are these brandable or not, the latter gets hardly any exacts so could this be classed as not an EMD. Sorry if these are basic questions but my head is spinning with emd, brandable and generic!

Simple explanations would be great as there seems to be a difference of opinion of what is emd or generic?

Update when I have just read this back I sound like a right "pleb" but I am leaving it in LOL!

Aiden, I'm new to all this but I think you could brand anything to any market. The word "brandable" in my opinion refers to an easy to remember, well published and recognised word. For example Nike, Coke etc.. So if someone says Nike (you think trainers, quality etc..) when someone says Pepsi (you think of cola) etc. It really depends on the domain name and how well you do at getting the word out and associating your name with that sector.

So if your domain names where DisabledFriendly(co.uk) and LuxuryGiftSets(co.uk) I would say they are too generic to be brandable. Sure you could maybe get them to position 1 in the search engines and do really well and peaople may remember the names, but the names wouldn't set them apart from the competition.

If you had something like (totaly puled out my head) Disfez(co.uk) and branded it and people associated it with Disabled Friendly goods, it would be easier to remember and unique, given the right push and advertising it could become a brandable business/domain name in that sector.

 

[websaway]

With all this talk of EMD's taking a hit many of us have learned a valuable lesson, some a costly lesson some not so...

On from this it's about time I start to think about the future and brandable names play a part in that. I am not even going to attempt to buy and sell brandables rather develop one or two of them into big sites but in your opinion what makes a brandable?

Doing research short, memorable and available in the .com seems to be an absolute minimum but what else?

Could a two word name cut it as a brandable?

Are English words necassary or made up words better?

Is it possible to build a brand purely on sweat and time rather than massive budget?

Any thoughts or examples would be welcome.

Thank you

Aiden

Is it possible to build a brand purely on sweat and time rather than massive budget?

Yes, and that's why domain names have developed a value.


If barclays buy bank.co.uk for £xxxxxxx that's not, for them, a massive budget.
If you buy an ideal domain for your project at £1000 that's not a massive budget, but you will need to put in more sweat and time to make it succeed.

I think it's a bad move for a start up to try to brand a new reg domain,unless of course it's a very good drop. The less money you have to throw at it the more imaginative you need to be in domain choice. For instance you are not going to be able to afford house.couk but you might get ourhouse couk, made famous in a song and embedded in the publics sub conscious.
Thought can save money and your right to enquire.
.

 

[Edwin]

The great thing about a generic vs a "brandable" if you're a small-to-medium business is that you have to worry less about people remembering your brand. All they need to do is remember your URL (it's generic, so easier to remember - especially some time later - than a made-up brand) which they can do by retracing the train of thought it matches.

For example, if an ad for an electric bike catches somebody's eye, it's going to be much easier to get them to remember "electricbike.co.uk" (especially some time later, when they're actually going online to compare electric bikes) than it is to get them to remember "somemadeupbrandthingy.co.uk" because it's completely frictionless - they're already thinking about "electric bike" (the product) because they're seeing the ad AND they're thinking about it in exactly those terms.

And "easier" translates directly into savings, because you have to do that much less marketing/advertising to make the same impact.

If on the other hand you have 7-9 figures of VC money burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to be the next Google or Facebook, go right ahead and make something up then buy ads at the Superbowl or (insert UK equivalent here) to "brand" yourself.

But if you're a normal company selling normal stuff in a market filled with other companies selling broadly the same normal stuff, then you're going to be far better served owning "normalstuff.co.uk" than you will be owning anything else...

NOTE 1: it doesn't mean you have to call yourself Normal Stuff Ltd - it's quite ok for the name of the company and its web address to be different, I see examples of this all the time (and you could always cover yourself by getting whatevercompanynameyouchose.co.uk and 301 redirecting that to normalstuff.co.uk)

NOTE 2: should be obvious, but if not... "normal stuff" is an example where you're meant to insert your own product/service - I don't mean that "normal stuff" itself has any particular meaning or value!

 

[Bailey]

I totally disagree with Edwin on lots - this included.

As Much as I like Edwin and admire his business Model, He does have a bit of a problem with "Comparisons" of anything that dosen't fit in with the generic model. There's nothing personal in my comments - It's just a case of each to our own, I honestly don't believe Edwin has a creative bone in his body.

I love the exaggerated comparisons:

electricbike.co.uk V somethingmadeupbrandthingy.co.uk.

Lets not forget with a generic - You ain't going nowhere that your domain don't dictate. So to use a Very selective comparrison of equal validity

Generic = statisticalanalysisforbusinessandcommerce V Brandable = smartmetrics

Yes of course I've used the same foolish exaggerated model

 

[julian]

Not this old favourite again Edwin...

Your examples are just not brandable or that memorable?

'electricbikes.co.uk' is not more memorable or better than say 'ecobike.co.uk'

electricbikes.co.uk or is it electricbike.co.uk? they only have advantage in serps (not any more )

The great thing about a generic vs a "brandable" if you're a small-to-medium business is that you have to worry less about people remembering your brand. All they need to do is remember your URL (it's generic, so easier to remember - especially some time later - than a made-up brand) which they can do by retracing the train of thought it matches.

For example, if an ad for an electric bike catches somebody's eye, it's going to be much easier to get them to remember "electricbike.co.uk" (especially some time later, when they're actually going online to compare electric bikes) than it is to get them to remember "somemadeupbrandthingy.co.uk" because it's completely frictionless - they're already thinking about "electric bike" (the product) because they're seeing the ad AND they're thinking about it in exactly those terms.

And "easier" translates directly into savings, because you have to do that much less marketing/advertising to make the same impact.

If on the other hand you have 7-9 figures of VC money burning a hole in your pocket, and you want to be the next Google or Facebook, go right ahead and make something up then buy ads at the Superbowl or (insert UK equivalent here) to "brand" yourself.

But if you're a normal company selling normal stuff in a market filled with other companies selling broadly the same normal stuff, then you're going to be far better served owning "normalstuff.co.uk" than you will be owning anything else...

NOTE 1: it doesn't mean you have to call yourself Normal Stuff Ltd - it's quite ok for the name of the company and its web address to be different, I see examples of this all the time (and you could always cover yourself by getting whatevercompanynameyouchose.co.uk and 301 redirecting that to normalstuff.co.uk)

NOTE 2: should be obvious, but if not... "normal stuff" is an example where you're meant to insert your own product/service - I don't mean that "normal stuff" itself has any particular meaning or value!

 

[Nova]

Actually I think Facebook was a poor example for making your point Edwin. I watched a program on Bloomberg about how it was created. Long story short it was made on a shoe string budget whilst Mark Z was at college and spread on it's own merit, initially at least (perhaps they do spend a lot on advertising now though).

Where I do agree with you is that I guess if you picked say a 1000 random brandable and Geo or EMD domains in the last 10 years, and tracked them, the Geo and EMD ones have probably came out on top for actual returns on investment, income produced and long term survival (ie still being used). However I don't think EMDs and Geos carry the same weight they once did with Google. Google seem to be favouring branded domains and the buzz on social medias etc. as apposed to SEO.

Then again I am just a newbie and I am prepared to stand corrected.

 

[johnnyboy]

Here's how I would explain the difference between EMD, generic and brandables:

TVs (generic, EMD)
HD TVs (EMD)
Black HD TVs (EMD)
Black HD TVs with Freeview (EMD)

Clothes (generic, EMD)
Men's clothes (EMD)
Plus-size men's clothes (EMD)

If the internet didn't exist and you and several other individuals in your neighbourhood each decided to start your own giraffe walking service, what would call your business? The name you choose is unlikely to be ' Giraffe Walking Service' or 'Giraffe Walker' as there is no way to tell your businesses apart based on name alone; you would add a word or two or use a unique word (made-up or real) to differentiate yourself from the other giraffe walking services and inject life and personality into the brand through your development efforts.

Edwin, do you think Amazon would be as big and successful as it is today if they started out using the domain books.com?

 

[Bailey]

Edwin, do you think Amazon would be as big and successful as it is today if they started out using the domain books.com?

Or anywhere near the versatility in its markets

 

[Sound]

Edwin I think this is one sector of domaining that you simply don't seem to understand.

Which is probably why your portfolio is made up of many EMD domains but very little else.

 

[websaway]

Here's how I would explain the difference between EMD, generic and brandables:

TVs (generic, EMD)
HD TVs (EMD)
Black HD TVs (EMD)
Black HD TVs with Freeview (EMD)

Clothes (generic, EMD)
Men's clothes (EMD)
Plus-size men's clothes (EMD)

If the internet didn't exist and you and several other individuals in your neighbourhood each decided to start your own giraffe walking service, what would call your business? The name you choose is unlikely to be ' Giraffe Walking Service' or 'Giraffe Walker' as there is no way to tell your businesses apart based on name alone; you would add a word or two or use a unique word (made-up or real) to differentiate yourself from the other giraffe walking services and inject life and personality into the brand through your development efforts.

Edwin, do you think Amazon would be as big and successful as it is today if they started out using the domain books.com?

I can think of an amount of companies that would have done better had they have used books.com

In fairness to Edwin ( who doesn't need me to fight his corner) he has always said that a domain is not a silver bullet, but it does give the edge.

 

[johnnyboy]

I can think of an amount of companies that would have done better had they have used books.com

Of course, many businesses would see the benefit of having a generic EMD, but the point I was making is that they tend to limit what sectors you can operate in whereas having a brandable allows you the flexibility of selling a diverse range of products, and expand even further if required.

 

[websaway]

Of course, many businesses would see the benefit of having a generic EMD, but the point I was making is that they tend to limit what sectors you can operate in whereas having a brandable allows you the flexibility of selling a diverse range of products, and expand even further if required.

It's always easier to know the best way after you've arrived.

It's a gamble at outset, which has to be individually assessed.

If I was selling tyres, I would have tyres.co.uk at outset and not consider if I might one day be selling mobile phones.

I do know what you mean though, short cuts, although a good idea to get you further quicker, can end you up in a cul-de-sac.

 

[johnnyboy]

It's a business risk that can be avoided. Take CDs for example, made pretty much obsolete by digital music. If you were a retailer that managed to bag cds.co.uk, you would have to go through the hassle of acquiring a new domain.

 

[websaway]

It's a business risk that can be avoided. Take CDs for example, made pretty much obsolete by digital music. If you were a retailer that managed to bag cds.co.uk, you would have to go through the hassle of acquiring a new domain.

Why would you have to find a new domain, cd's don't exist anymore so you can't sell them. Had you have started with music.co.uk it would not effect you.

If you buy tyres.co.uk to sell tyres and tyres go out of fashion you would not be in a worse position than if you had started with an obscure brandable.

Or am I missing something?