Hey guys, I started making YouTube videos in 2008 under the name "Racoon's Corner" up until 2 years ago where I changed it to "That Tommy". I thought this change would stand out more to be personable and easier to connect with the community and lately I've been wondering if it was a good idea.
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Need Advice Was Rebranding a good idea?
- Thread starter ThatTommy
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Best answer. You don't want to rely on the personal opinions and interpretations of anybody when discussing what is 'working.' Too many variables to consider (why you felt the need to change, what you are able to accomplish etc). Rather, it is more important to check your analytics and see exactly what statistical differences you are seeing as a result of the rebrand. Also important to note a simple name change doesn't exactly constitute a 'rebrand.' If the thumbs and/or content are the same or even delivered in the same manner it will not make much of a difference at all. Also worth noting; a rebrand may cost you a few subs who were likely not big contributors to your channel in the first place. While losing a sect of your audience all at once may be painful (and provide negative analytical feedback) it is important to note that a proper rebrand will help you to hone-in on those who really enjoy your content. So if you experienced this don't look at the raw subscriber numbers and deem the rebrand a fail. You need to look at impressions, CTR and Average View Duration on most recent videos to get better insight into how your audience is responding.
I know folks here are talking about the data (and that is important) that said, isn't "the data" a culmination of everything in the channel, mostly videos, titles, descriptions, seo etc. I'm wondering how exactly you can attribute data towards a name change, and not just attribute it towards the video performance it'self.
I think it's a personal thing really.
What did "Racoon's corner" mean to you? Why did you call yourself Racoon? was it a nickname you or a friend gave yourself? "Racoon's corner" could mean it's a channel about Racoons, but because of the 's I assume it's a nickname.
ThatTommy I assume it to do with your name being Tommy?
The next question you need to ask yourself is do you think you're going to want to be known as Racoon, or as Tommy?
JackSepticEye still goes by Jack or JackSepticEye despite the fact his name is Sean.
PewDiePie still goes by PewDiePie as a brand name, but most people refer to him as Felix as that's his name and he doesn't even refer to himself as PewDiePie anymore.
I don't like my "real" name being used, I prefer my nickname, so that's why I stuck with my nickname for my channel. If I were to make a channel as myself as a designer, I might go with my real name, like Will Patterson does with his design channel, or I could go with a brand name like TheFutur does.
Lots of artists go either with brand names, or their actual given name, so at the end of the day I think it depends on what you want to be known as in 10 years time. Do you always want to be known as Racoon's corner? Or would you rather people call you by your name? I think both are equally valid, and at the end of the day, I don't think data has as much to do with channel names as personal preference. I guess you could always ask your community what they prefer because a new viewer isn't going to care either way as long as the CONTENT is good. Your brand name is simply going to be what they remember AFTER the video leaves an impact on them.
Those are my thoughts.
I think it's a personal thing really.
What did "Racoon's corner" mean to you? Why did you call yourself Racoon? was it a nickname you or a friend gave yourself? "Racoon's corner" could mean it's a channel about Racoons, but because of the 's I assume it's a nickname.
ThatTommy I assume it to do with your name being Tommy?
The next question you need to ask yourself is do you think you're going to want to be known as Racoon, or as Tommy?
JackSepticEye still goes by Jack or JackSepticEye despite the fact his name is Sean.
PewDiePie still goes by PewDiePie as a brand name, but most people refer to him as Felix as that's his name and he doesn't even refer to himself as PewDiePie anymore.
I don't like my "real" name being used, I prefer my nickname, so that's why I stuck with my nickname for my channel. If I were to make a channel as myself as a designer, I might go with my real name, like Will Patterson does with his design channel, or I could go with a brand name like TheFutur does.
Lots of artists go either with brand names, or their actual given name, so at the end of the day I think it depends on what you want to be known as in 10 years time. Do you always want to be known as Racoon's corner? Or would you rather people call you by your name? I think both are equally valid, and at the end of the day, I don't think data has as much to do with channel names as personal preference. I guess you could always ask your community what they prefer because a new viewer isn't going to care either way as long as the CONTENT is good. Your brand name is simply going to be what they remember AFTER the video leaves an impact on them.
Those are my thoughts.
But he is talking about a complete rebrand, not just a rename--if I'm understanding him correctly. If it was a true rebrand, you can look at the data from the time he made the change and look at the results from that point on.
Also, a simple poll would reveal that same thing. Ask you people what name they prefer.
In the end, yes, data is only data. For me for instance I named my channel Black Warrior Lures because I wanted to catch as much of the local fishermen on the Black Warrior River as possible. Did it work? Nope. most of my sales 98 percent+ are from out of state. Place I'm not targeting. That tells me the methods I fish, although perfectly suited to my area, are not appealing to fishermen in my area.
That let me know that the area as not what to target, bu the fishing method itself. Could I change my name? Yes, but it isn't worth it.
Let's just say that a complete rebrand is a complete shift and change in audience, not a simple name change. Wit ha complete rebrand you need data to help you find the audience. I'm not a data person. I' m a creative person, but I'm going to make decision based on how people interact with my brand. That's the only way to know.
Also, a simple poll would reveal that same thing. Ask you people what name they prefer.
In the end, yes, data is only data. For me for instance I named my channel Black Warrior Lures because I wanted to catch as much of the local fishermen on the Black Warrior River as possible. Did it work? Nope. most of my sales 98 percent+ are from out of state. Place I'm not targeting. That tells me the methods I fish, although perfectly suited to my area, are not appealing to fishermen in my area.
That let me know that the area as not what to target, bu the fishing method itself. Could I change my name? Yes, but it isn't worth it.
Let's just say that a complete rebrand is a complete shift and change in audience, not a simple name change. Wit ha complete rebrand you need data to help you find the audience. I'm not a data person. I' m a creative person, but I'm going to make decision based on how people interact with my brand. That's the only way to know.
