How We Helped Air Filtration Specialists Second Nature to Rebrand With a Premium Domain Name

written by

Joe Uddeme

Joe Uddeme

How We Helped Air Filtration Specialists Second Nature to Rebrand With a Premium Domain Name

When a business is stuck with a legacy name that no longer works, rebranding is often the only solution. But securing the domain name that goes with your new moniker is rarely easy – unless you have a premium domain name broker on your side.

 

You may have heard of Second Nature, an air filtration subscription business based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Second Nature sells high-quality home air filters on a subscription basis, letting people access clean air conveniently.

However, the company didn’t start with its current name. It was previously known as FilterEasy before rebranding in 2019.

Rebranding from FilterEasy to Second Nature reflected the company’s decision to become an all-encompassing “home wellness” brand instead of limiting itself just to filters.

It was a sound decision that made the company more attractive to customers and investors.

FilterEasy was a referral from one of our trusted partners to help identify the owner and secure the SecondNature.com domain name. They were budget-conscious and looked for a way to buy the domain name without investing all the capital on day one.

They were looking for a domain broker or consultant that could help assign value to the asset, and also protect the anonymity of the FilterEasy team.

Second Nature is an ideal case study of how proper rebranding can boost a company’s fortunes. It’s something you can draw a lot of lessons from.

 

Starting out – new insight about air filters

FilterEasy began in 2012 as the brainchild of two students from the North Carolina State University (NCSU). Kevin Barry and Thad Tarkington sought to help people access residential air filters conveniently. Their idea was to sell home air filters on a recurring subscription basis so that customers could change them regularly.

Often, homeowners buy air filters and forget to change them at the recommended time. An unchanged air filter usually clogs up, and debris passes through, causing adverse effects. Hence, subscriptions represented an excellent reminder for customers to change their filters.

FilterEasy passed through a local startup accelerator program and launched out of beta in 2014. It began by offering air filters in over three dozen sizes. Barely a year after its launch, it had amassed 10,000+ subscribers and grossed $1 million in annual recurring revenue, representing major success.

FilterEasy was a simple idea implemented remarkably. All it did was add the subscription touch to air filter procurement, and it turns out a lot of customers liked that option. In 2015, the company raised $1.2 million in seed funding to expand its business.

Scaling – taking the product to the masses

After raising its seed round, FilterEasy was heading to higher heights. The company began spending significantly on marketing to spread the word to customers. It wasn’t enough to have a good product; people had to know about it.

FilterEasy invested in TV and social media ads to help market its brand and did so successfully. Another exciting marketing strategy the company undertook was partnerships with property management companies. Customers may not be convinced by TV or social media ads but pay much attention to the companies managing their rental properties. FilterEasy partnered with such companies to help spread the word to residents. One example is Ultimate Property Management, a North Carolina-based property management firm.

Ultimate Property Management teamed up with FilterEasy to create custom air filter solutions for their residents. The firm negotiated the exact quantity and size of filters required for a single change and ensured they were delivered to tenants on schedule. Likewise, the air filter packages included personalized messages with instructions on how to change filters.

Ultimate Property Management ultimately found out that tenants were keen to change their air filters when they arrived at their residents’ doorsteps. For the ones that didn’t, it sent email notifications to remind them. It was evident that FilterEasy had solved a significant pain point for residents with a simple idea.

FilterEasy raised subsequent funding rounds following its 2015 seed round. In 2016, the startup closed a $4.5 million Series A round from a group of VCs, including Fidelis Capital, IDEA Fund Partners, and Azure Capital Partners.

In 2017, FilterEasy closed a $6.9 million Series B round led by Arsenal Venture Partners. The company showed outstanding growth; its revenue rose 300% from 2016 to 2017, so it wasn’t surprising that investors broadly opened their checkbooks.

FilterEasy deployed its funding to grow its business. Driving the growth was a strategic manufacturing partnership with AAF Flanders, America’s largest residential HVAC filter manufacturer. FilterEasy never had to worry about inventory because AAF Flanders always supplied on time.

Rebranding – and securing the right domain name

FilterEasy rebranded as Second Nature in 2019, a time of rapid growth. The company didn’t want to be known only for filters, so it took on a more generic name. Nature represents the phenomena of the physical world, including the air we breathe in. Second Nature bodes well with home wellness and general sustainable green living.

FilterEasy officially rebranded as Second Nature in August 2019, changing its domain name from FilterEasy.com to SecondNature.com.

The company purchased the new domain officially on the 19th of July, 2019.

It is much more difficult for an online business to rebrand than a physical one. A physical store could change its name but remain at its exact physical location, so customers always know where to find it. On the flip side, a domain name is the only way to find an online store. If the name doesn’t register in customers’ minds, they won’t locate the online store.

The same year it rebranded, Second Nature added a water filtration product to its lineup. Customers could now order water filtration systems as they did with air filters and have them replaced periodically. Likewise, property managers could also subscribe on their tenants’ behalf.

In March 2020, Second Nature closed a $16.4 million Series C round from a group of new and existing investors. MANN+HUMMEL, a German manufacturer of air and water filtration systems, was a strategic investor in the round.

Second Nature had over a hundred thousand subscribers at its Series C round, compared to around ten thousand five years earlier. The 100,000+ subscribers brought in a steady bit of recurring revenue to power up the company’s business. The company had expanded from about a dozen employees to 150 in five years.

In 2020, Second Nature also got a business boost from the Covid pandemic. The company started selling face masks made with air filter technology. Public health agencies, such as America’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), advised people to use air filters and face masks to reduce the risk of contracting the virus. Second Nature provided these two things and earned significant revenue as demand exploded.

Rebranding as Second Nature was an intelligent move. Instead of limiting itself to filters, the company has positioned itself as an all-encompassing “home wellness” and sustainability brand. With the new name, the company would have no problem expanding its product line outside filters.

Lessons learned

Choosing the right name is critical in every business. Second Nature might not be as successful as it is right now if it had picked the wrong name. Its current name fits greatly with the air filter business and is easy for customers to remember.

Also, don’t be afraid to rebrand when you have the resources. The Second Nature domain name may have been too expensive for two college students, so they started with something more feasible. However, as the business expanded, the co-founders garnered enough resources to rebrand, and they did that successfully.

Ensure you market your company effectively after rebranding. Second Nature advertised heavily after its rebrand to make existing customers aware. It also took advantage of its new generic name to reach more customers.

The efforts paid off in the long run. Second Nature is now a well-known company pulling in tens of millions of dollars annually.

We like to reference this case study as it is a fantastic example of how we are able to secure seemingly out-of-reach domain names for our clients (and at the right price). It also helps highlight just how important it is to choose a great brand name. Whatever your naming conundrum, give us a call. We’ve “achieved the impossible” for everyone from Mark Cuban to Monday.com – and can do it for you, too.

 

About the author

Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Contact us at: [email protected]

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How to Choose a Domain Name

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What to Do Instead: A short name is easy to remember, easier to spell, and thus, has a better chance of becoming a household name. It also makes it easier when you want to branch out into branded items, or you want to create a logo, etc. Unfortunately, the very easy 3-letter names were all taken as early as 1997, but there are plenty of others available that are appropriate. The shorter your domain name is, the easier it is to share through word of mouth. It’s also easier to type into your search bar, especially if you’re using a phone. 2. Pick Something Easy to Spell, Pronounce, and Remember What You Want to Avoid: A name that is difficult to spell can negatively impact your traffic because it can mean that users don’t land on your page. They might even end up with a competitor, instead. You’ll also want to avoid using multiple spellings and the use of hyphens, numbers, or special characters. Your customers will often misunderstand numbers or misplace hyphens. People who hear your web address might not know whether you’re using a numeral or if it’s spelled out. What to Do Instead: This name needs to be easy to remember. Your customers need to be able to spell it correctly and pronounce it easily, so that they can easily share it with others. Imagine you’re naming a child – you want something unique for your site, but you also don’t want a name that will create difficulties because of spelling or pronunciation. If you absolutely need to include special characters or terms that are more difficult to spell in your domain name, make sure you register different variations of it to be safe. Some of the most famous and brandable names out there are extremely simple: Google. Facebook. Amazon. These are giants who created an excellent product or service, but who also knew how to brand themselves by acquiring premium domain names. 3. Use Relevant Keywords What You Want to Avoid: A word of caution, here – if your domain is entirely made up of keywords, you run the risk of creating a brand that sounds too generic, or unrecognizable. Especially if you’re starting a blog or a personal page, you need something with a bit of personality. What to Do Instead: You’ll notice that a lot of the heavy players have names that are composed of two words, and one of them is usually a keyword. That is a very clever choice, because a) it’s descriptive of your business, b) it majorly contributes to SEO, and c) it makes your name easy to remember. So, if you’ve got an interior design business, for example, you’ll want a premium domain that ideally includes a relevant keyword, like “design”, “interior”, “decorator”, “home”, “style”, etc. That will tell your potential customers all they need to know about your business. Your name is also likely to pop up in whatever Google search they try for “interior design” or similar keywords. If your business is local, you might consider including your city or state in your domain. That way, customers in your area can find your name and remember it easier. Often, when doing keyword research for your business, you’ll find that city and state will most likely be included. 4. Avoid Anything Confusing or Inappropriate What You Want to Avoid: You want to pay attention to not pick a name that is confusing (either because of spelling or sheer peculiarity), awkward, or inappropriate. If the initials of your business make up an inappropriate word, scrap the name immediately. What to Do Instead: Also pay attention to what a domain looks like when you spell it out, if it’s made of multiple words. You’ll be surprised at how many other words you may inadvertently spelling. The other thing to look out for is that picking a name that has no relation to your line of business can be very confusing. 5. Avoid Names that Already Exist or Are Trademarked What You Want to Avoid: Don’t go ahead with a name that is extremely similar to an existing one or that is trademarked, because a) that is confusing for your customers and you risk losing traffic, and b) you may, someday, be served with a legal notice that may create problems. What to Do Instead: However, there is a caveat, here. If the name is already trademark-protected, that’s a bit of a dead-end. There can’t be another Burger King, for example. If, however, the domain name you want is just taken by someone else, there are ways around that and you are still able to buy a domain name that is already owned. 6. Choose a .com TLD, but Purchase All Available Extensions What You Want to Avoid: If you only acquire the domain name you want and no other similar ones, you run the risk of having someone else purchase other variations of your domain. They will get the traffic that should have been directed towards your page. What to Do Instead: The most popular domains are .com ones, and they are the most widely used, so it’s the ideal premium domain to acquire. But your work doesn’t stop here. Once you’ve bought that, you also want to purchase every other available variation of your domain name. For example, let’s say your domain name is www.carsforsale.com. You should try to buy www.carsforsale.net, www.carsforsale.org, www.carsforsale.biz, etc. That way, no one else can take these domains and possibly steal traffic that was meant to go your way. Once you have these domains, you can make sure the traffic redirects to your main .com domain. Bottom Line When Deciding How to Choose a Domain Name Choosing a domain name can be a delicate process. Pick the wrong one, and your business may suffer. Pick the right one, and it can catapult you into quick notoriety, or at least it can help make branding easier. 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Name Experts offers personalized domain brokerage services, assisting clients in buying or selling premium domain names with expert appraisal, negotiation, and complete transaction management while ensuring confidentiality.

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