This article is by Kasssey Lee on TLfDInvestors.com originally from GrandSeeds.com
Your domain is the address of your store in the digital world. If consumers remember what you sell and where to buy it, that’s powerful marketing. Your brand helps them remember what you sell, and your domain helps them remember where to buy it. Therefore, you want your domain to be easily remembered. The easiest way to remember your domain is to make it match your brand.
It's never too late to get the matching domain name, it just gets more expensive.
Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, but this one I just can't see how the management team didn't see the future of their business. Back in 2000 the internet was more than thriving and Blockbuster could have bought Netflix for a mere 50 million. As of today Netflix is worth over 128 billion, down from and all time high of 180 billion. In the summer of 2000, Blockbuster CEO John Antioco said "The dot-com hysteria is completely overblown". His council went on to state how the business models of Netflix and just about every other online business were not sustainable and would never make any money. That statement couldn't be any more wrong then than it is now. Read the full article here on Inc.com How did these guys not see that by delivering their product online would eliminate all of their overhead, shipping and logistical nightmares. Yes, management and vision are two different things, but they shouldn't be. Doesn't matter what business you are in either, not only do you need a strong online presence, there is an evolution going on of how your customers will interact with you and not just on social media. Developers are building virtual realities to showcase products. Imagine if your customers could experience your products before they buy. This will be very popular with the gaming generation as they become the most powerful purchasers of consumer goods in 10 years. If you haven't read the worst business blunders in tech history I would suggest Googling that phrase and see what you get. Branding blunders are even more common and they happen all the time. Avoid a brand blunder and start with a great domain name. A strong domain name is the foundation for enticing and retaining customers with a memorable name. Your domain name also attracts B2B partners and lays the ground floor for building supplemental income streams. Streams turn into rivers and maybe even into a whole new business model for your companies' survival. Have some vision and get creative.
Veteran's Day falls on November 11 for a good reason many do not know. November 11th is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, which ended the World War I hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in 1918. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice between Germany and the Allied nations came into effect. And, on the following November 11, 1919, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time. President Wilson proclaimed the day should be “filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory”. Thank a Veteran and help those that are returning from combat. You can get involved at any level, from volunteering at your local VA hospital to helping the family of a Veteran. Do something positive, be a part of the solution for the real heroes.
Here's a company I discovered while looking for some keyword analysis on my GeorgiaBeachHomes.com website, Wordstream. Not only does Wordstream offer keyword advice and optimization, they have a suite of utilities to tune up your marketing campaigns. Wordstream is a Google and Facebook Premier Partner leading the industry in search optimization. I like the design of their wesite too and they have a wealth of information for those of you just getting started with online advertising. Spend a little time reading though the Pay Per Click University and learn about bid management and conversion tracking.
From and article on WinningWP.com about getting the best domain name possible by Karol K, he provides 22 essentials tips to help those new to the industry. There's only one other tip I would add to this post, it's well worth it to buy a great domain name. Memorability and validity make your business standout. Not everyone can afford a million dollar domain, but there's a reason why they are worth those kind of numbers, specific site traffic and being the brand authority. Remember you are building a brand when you build your website, and there's no point to building all your collateral advertising around a sub par domain name.
I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing and hearing the duo of Henri Gates and Cassie Verhaeghe live at a small club in Mt. Pleasant, SC last night. Charleston has a lot of great local bands, but these two are top talent. They played some their new music that they haven't even recorded yet, and their new song "All You Got" is sure to be a hit record. If you're looking for rising stars in Americana/Country music, look no further than their website SaludaShoalsBand.com Check out this song "Fall" and look for their new releases coming soon. Wouldn't be surprised to hear these two become international stars. Was nice meeting them on the ground floor. All the best!
From and article on NBC Dallas - Fort Worth I agree, let's put and end to springing forward and falling back. And, let's make everyone happy by splitting the difference. Here's what I propose, one time fall back only a 1/2 hour (or spring ahead a half hour depending on the time of year) and never do it again. It may even stimulate the economy with all the programming work adjusting applications that compensate for these time changes, like Y2K all over again.
Escrow for Domain Names and a lot more. I recently sold a domain name to a foreign buyer that wasn't familiar with the escrow process. It's really just as simple as depicted in the image below, but with their unfamiliarity, I can see how they could be skeptical, so I walked them through the whole process.
A couple of items not represented in the images are number one, make sure your buyer chooses the right email address for your transaction. Most people have at least a work and personal email address. It's always good to ask before you start your transaction. The second concern is for the seller. Sometimes when a buyer receives their goods they don't always follow up to verify that they have possession. You can rest assured that Escrow.com can verify the domain name transfer without any action by the buyer, it just takes a few day longer. Escrow.com has been in the business for over 25 years and they began with handling domain name transactions. They truly are the industry leader. They provide services for just about every other transaction as well payment plans.
Summer 2019 Reported Domain Sales For those of you that are not in-tune with the domain industry, here are some recent domain name sales that have been topping this summer's domain charts. Please keep in mind that only a very small fraction of sales ever get reported. Orion.com changed hands, but the price was unreported, rumor has it that it sold above 30m. Prices have been rising for great domain names.
Voice.com 30M Money.com 20M EKO.com 1.5M Room.com 1.5M Nursing.com 950k Links.com 789k Carrot.com 565k BettingOdds.com 486k Cooking.com 402k Casions.org 400k JoyRide.com 300k Money.com.au 279k PFF.com 270k Crystals.com 188k Viajes.es 165k (Travels Esp.)
Visit DNJournal.com for the reported year to date sales chart.
I found 2 articles on Domaining.com that I thought I would pass along to share. I follow all of these blogs and they help me stay in tune with the pulse of the industry.
This is a TED talk about the Carvertise.com story. From the business owner's perspective and a savvy domain owner. Not going to spoil it, just enjoy the presentation.
The second article comes from Morgan Linton's blog about the frequency of 6 and 7 figure domain name sales. Large sales are more common than you think and often under reported.
After Memorial Day is usually a slower season, but not so this year. Sales are up, and heating up. Check out the rest of domain names I have for sale here.