Two names for the same thing

by Tommy48

Posted: 5 years ago 24 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

I am currently facing a dilemma. I am starting a business related to something that has two names. Let's call them Name1 and Name2. Name*1 is the official name, but Name2 is the name under which it is widely known by outsiders (aka potential customers).
Name*2 is a derogatory term to most people involved in that field tho.

I would like to market my products under Name1, but I need to use Name2 to reach the biggest part of my potential market.

How would you deal with that?

I own both Name1 and Name2 domain names.
I was thinking of using Name1.tld as my main domain (optimized for the readers) and using Name1 everywhere on that website, while mentioning that Name1 is the correct name of Name2.
Also thinking of developing Name2.tld as a website optimized for search engines, with a similar content (more SEO oriented tho), and a disclaimer on each page explaining that Name1 is the correct name for Name2, with a link to visit the main website.
I will also market the same product without targeting either Name1 or Name2 (in this case I will just use Name1 since people will discover it for the first time, and have never heard of Name2).

Now, another issue with social media. Creating double content would be too much work for now, so I'm not sure whether to promote it as Name*1, name*2, or Name1 (Name2).
The last option might be the best for search engines, etc., but it's not very pleasant for a human reader

What do you guys think of this issue? How would you communicate in that case?

#names #thing

Frank Donovan 5 years ago

I'd pick one name and redirect the other. And I'd use that name across all platforms and promotions. I certainly wouldn't create two sets of content.

One point to consider when you're making your choice is whether the popular but "derogatory" term could potentially limit any future campaign or expansion/diversification of the business.
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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  I'm hoping for Name1 to become more and more used against Name2.
  
  If I redirect people from Name2 to Name1 they might be puzzled though, as the two names are totally different. Wouldn't like them to feel they are scammed or something as a result...
  
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Profit Traveler Banned 5 years ago

May or may not apply but have you thought about the character count and the max character count limit to get matching social handles on each platform?
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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  That's a good point!
  Didn't really think of that. Both names are quite long, 13 and 12 characters respectively.
  Thank you for pointing it out.
  
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Matthew Stanley 5 years ago

I'd pick one name and redirect the other.

This approach seems the best use of both to me as well. Ie, redirecting might allow you to leverage name2's colloquial popularity while avoiding the drawbacks of formally utilizing something with a derogatory connotation. You could also incorporate name2 in your copy on social and elsewhere, and when appropriate acknowledge its existence/"popularity" as part of the narrative you craft around your brand.
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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  Wouldn't it be confusing for people? (check my reply to Frank above)
  
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  Matthew Stanley 5 years ago
  
  It's a fair concern, of course ... my logic was that Name2's negative connotation introduces risks that may outweigh the benefits of maintaining a social presence dedicated to the (more widely used) word. That in mind, wondering a few things:
  
  -can you elaborate any on the negative connotation of Name2? Is it term people who are *well-meaning but ill-informed* would use to search? (as opposed to the more sinister scenario where people are knowingly using the "negative" word ... in which case I'd wonder about the likelihood of converting to a customer / ROI of targeting them in the first place)
  
  -Do you think any of the confusion you mention could be alleviated by the page's copy/addressing it up front ("some of you might be confused at having arrived here after searching for XYX. Let me explain ... ")
  
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  Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  Gotcha!
  
  - 'Is it term people who are *well meaning but ill informed* would use to search?' >> definitely, it's just a lack of knowledge and long-term misinformation by some other people. Hence the hope to 'educate' people/promote the right name.
  
  - Possibly, that is something I could consider doing, but it wouldn't be that nice for the others. The product is not widely known, and I'd like to 1) reach the people who've heard of it under the other name*2) help people discover it (so they don't need the disclaimer). Also, the website won't be a sale page but rather a big informative website with a few calls to action, the visitors are expected to read many of these pages before taking action.
  I was also considering writing a dedicated page about it (well, this will be on the website anyway), but I'm not sure people would take the time to read it. I mean, it's the internet, people basically look at the title and leave...
  
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  Matthew Stanley 5 years ago
  
  Got it. It sounds, then, that in your estimation, the scale benefits of having an SEO friendly page with the "negative" name may actually outweigh the downsides associated with "leaning in" to said negative name.
  
  Ultimately it seems like some confusion is unavoidable ... but if you think it can be overcome (ie the negative connotation isn't scar-ingly offensive), and you'd prefer not to redirect / "scold" people for searching on the negative name in good faith, perhaps some crisp explanatory copy gets you partway there, and your (presumably high quality) website does the rest?
  
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  Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  I decided to go for the two sites, with Name1 being the 'high quality' one destined to human readers, and Name2 being optimized for search engines (real content for the reader so they get the answer they were looking for, but not as advanced as the main website, and with a disclaimer on each page to invite people to Name1.tld).
  
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  Matthew Stanley 5 years ago
  
  Cool. Makes sense as a plan to take advantage of both domains and search use cases ... gives you an opportunity test different things and to see how much "educating" you'll need to do. Good luck!
  
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  Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  When discussing my needs here, I also realized that it will allow me to address each category of potential customers in a more personalized way, since the ones who know Name2 are usually looking for something particular, whilst the ones who've never heard of it might be interested in other aspects of the product.
  
  Thank you!
  
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saadtahir581 5 years ago

[DELETED]

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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  Thanks for your input. Actually, both names are proper names. To give you a bit of context, they come from two different languages. They both have a single meaning, and are built on the same basis.
  No risk to confuse them with something else, but the main issue is that the 'right' term is almost unknown to the public, whilst the other one doesn't feel right to some, who are trying to change the situation. Hence the idea to 'educate' people little by little while promoting Name1 more and more.
  
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culpetm

5 years ago

Originally Posted by Tommy48

You have piqued my curiosity! I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what this niche is...

Anyway, good luck...

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Profit Traveler Banned 5 years ago

Originally Posted by culpetm

You have piqued my curiosity! I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out what this niche is...

Anyway, good luck...

Your curiosity gave me curiosity haha.

What would The Equalizer do?

Start with the Tommy48's on page one of google.
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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  I'm afraid you won't find anything interesting on Google.
  
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Tommy48 5 years ago

Thank you! I might talk about it later for those who are interested, but until the website is released, I prefer to keep it confidential.
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David McGimpsey 5 years ago

I would develop Name1 and permanently redirect Name2 to Name1
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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  Thanks for your input. Wouldn't it be a be confusing for people, since most won't have any idea of what Name1 is? (hence the second website to 'educate' them?)
  
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Princess Balestra 5 years ago

Try Name 3.

It ain't gonna piss nowan an' now you thunk sum, mebbe it reflects your biz more accurately an' effortlessly than what you got so far.

THIS aka THAT confuses the wahooley outta people.

Plus also, there prolly ain't no fyootyure in terminology people bailin' outta.

Take your essential daily motions, for example.

When you all relieved an' tidyin' up aftah, which product you choosin'?

Softness Incarnate ... or Up Your Crack?
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Dan Riffle 5 years ago

Yes, you're going to confuse some people either way you go. You need to accept this as a quirk of the niche and simply move forward with the name that will get you the largest market share.

Take the emotion out of decision and look at the sheer numbers. If the derogatory name gets you more traffic (and more qualified buyers), move forward with it. You can still educate the buyer on the correct name.
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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  Thanks for your input!
  
  "If the derogatory name gets you more traffic (and more qualified buyers), move forward with it"
  This goes against my principles, although I know some competitors go that way.
  
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culpetm 5 years ago

Let us know how it works out
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- Tommy48 5 years ago
  
  I sure will!
  
  I decided to develop the two names since I already own both domains.
  Name1 will be a high-quality website optimized for the general public.
  Name2 will be optimized for search engines and for that category of people who've heard of it, I realized they are mostly looking for one particular aspect of the product, so I'll push that. But ultimately, they will be redirected to Name1 (via a call-to-action on each page of Name2's website).
  
  I'm going to start like that and reassess the strategy in 10-12 months.
  
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