Anyone who’s ever had to secure the best domain name for their brand would agree this is not an easy task. It is an important decision that will affect your business for its lifetime. You and your team will repeat that name over, and over, and over again in meetings, on the phone, during presentations, to clients, business partners, investors. Your customers will have to remember it, type it, share it. You will have it printed in marketing materials, you’ll hear it on the radio and TV, you’ll see it on your business cards.
While we can’t necessarily take all the pressure of making a good choice away, we have put together some tips that may make your life a tiny bit easier.
Tip #1 – Do you really need it?
Before you go investing time and effort into pursuing your dream domain name, think about why did you choose That domain name? What alternatives do you have? How do they compare to your competitors’ choices? How do they play out long and short term? What happens if you don’t get this domain? What happens if someone else gets it? If you go through that process and conclude this IS the best name for your business, then move to the next step. If not – well, save yourself the time!
Companies pay too much attention to the cost of doing something. They should worry more about the cost of not doing it.
Philip Kotler
Author, Marketing Professor, Economist and Consultant
Tip #2 – Set a budget
If you are struggling to put a value on your perfect domain name, don’t worry, you’re not the only one! Here are some useful reads on that topic.
- Domain name appraisal tools
- How to value a domain for your business – some questions you can ask yourself
- Are you already paying for your perfect domain name without owning it?
- Mistakes to avoid when buying a domain name
At the end of the day, what does it matter if Estibot tells you your perfect domain is not worth more than $1000, if you’re losing ten times that per month and risking your reputation and the future of your brand?
Tip #3 Contact the owner
Some domain names have for sale pages with set price and a simple form to contact the owner. Others are harder to get hold of. You might need to do some research and spend some time on getting hold of the domain owner. Depending on the value the name has for you it might be worth hiring some help to reach out and negotiate a deal.
Tip #4 – Domain name transfer
Say you reached out, you negotiated a deal and popped the champagne! Here is a short guide on how to transfer the domain and secure it in your account.
Tip #5 – Don’t give up!
The domain owner is unreachable? They want more than you can pay now? Are you sure this is the right name for your brand? If so, don’t give up! Get creative! Here are some stories on the topic that may give you inspiration for a creative deal.
We hope those tips get you a step closer to building a successful brand. Want to get more or have something to add? Feel free to get in touch!
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