‘What’s in a name?’ you might wonder, and ‘why should I invest in the right domain name for my business?’
The answer of course, won’t be given to you by your competitors, whom may just happen to have the right name perfectly matched with the right domain name already.
It almost certainly won’t be given to you by your IT guy. Your IT guy almost certainly won’t have a clue about marketing, or possess the creative intelligence that goes into forging and finessing an identity. Which is why he is your IT guy, and not your marketing guy. The right domain name is a marketing asset.
‘The right domain name is a marketing asset.’
But then again, the answer may not even be given to you by your marketing guy. If he is on your payroll, odds are he is already hitting the targets you set for him; already collecting his bonuses each year. The best part about being the marketing guy of course is that performance is often very hard to measure. Which means he can coast along or keep the wheels turning, changing only what he needs to as the need arises. Fair to say, overhauling or finessing your brand will probably always be at the bottom of his ‘to do’ list at best.
‘But we have an agency!’ you might say. Unfortunately a similar problem arises. If your marketing agency or consultant is already collecting thousands of dollars each month for SEO and advertising campaign management and the like, then they too have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. The $24,000-$60,000 pa that you pay them is baked into their business. They are in no hurry to help you get the right domain name for your business because they know that the right domain name will cost money –money that you might take away from them for 6-12 months or that you might otherwise spend on a new SEO campaign or some other service they offer.
Of course, some agencies will give you the right advice when it comes to buying the right domain name for your business. Many agencies know exactly how powerful the right domain name can be as a marketing asset.
Creative & Digital Agencies Know Better |
||
| Accent.com.au | Fuller.com.au | Permission.com.au |
| AdAgency.com.au | Fusion.com.au | Phoebe.com.au |
| Alter.com.au | Garnish.com.au | Plank.com.au |
| August.com.au | Gatecrasher.com.au | PN.com.au |
| Bam.com.au | GDH.com.au | Pollen.com.au |
| Bang.com.au | Generator.com.au | Popular.com.au |
| Banjo.com.au | GetStarted.com.au | Portfolio.com.au |
| Bashful.com.au | GGG.com.au | Potent.com.au |
| Bastion.com.au | Giraffe.com.au | Precinct.com.au |
| BCM.com.au | Gopher.com.au | Principals.com.au |
| Binge.com.au | Gorilla.com.au | PunchBuggy.com.au |
| BJN.com.au | Graffiti.com.au | Quadrant.com.au |
| BlackCanvas.com.au | Grenade.com.au | Quo.com.au |
| BlackEye.com.au | Grindstone.com.au | Rare.com.au |
| Blast.com.au | Guerrilla.com.au | Recognition.com.au |
| Bloke.com.au | Hardhat.com.au | RedLicorice.com.au |
| BMF.com.au | Heard.com.au | RocketFuel.com.au |
| BonaFide.com.au | Hindsight.com.au | ROI.com.au |
| Bonfire.com.au | Hinterlands.com.au | Ronin.com.au |
| BrainCells.com.au | Hive.com.au | Round.com.au |
| BrandAgency.com.au | Holler.com.au | Scorch.com.au |
| Brave.com.au | How.com.au | Sense.com.au |
| Brighter.com.au | IE.com.au | SeventySix.com.au |
| Butterfly.com.au | InDepth.com.au | SG.com.au |
| BWM.com.au | Instigate.com.au | SGD.com.au |
| Capture.com.au | Introduction.com.au | ShowAndTell.com.au |
| Carat.com.au | Jelly.com.au | Simple.com.au |
| Carousel.com.au | JetPack.com.au | SitBack.com.au |
| CarpeDiem.com.au | JMG.com.au | SmallDog.com.au |
| Cassette.com.au | JMR.com.au | Smart.com.au |
| ChocChip.com.au | Juicebox.com.au | Snap.com.au |
| Chook.com.au | Juncture.com.au | Soap.com.au |
| Circus.com.au | JXT.com.au | Spark.com.au |
| Clarity.com.au | Kick.com.au | Spinach.com.au |
| Collective.com.au | KingKong.com.au | Spoon.com.au |
| Common.com.au | Kook.com.au | Sprout.com.au |
| Coordinate.com.au | KWP.com.au | Story.com.au |
| Crease.com.au | Lamb.com.au | Stroke.com.au |
| Cube.com.au | Lampoon.com.au | Supple.com.au |
| Curious.com.au | Latitude.com.au | Swim.com.au |
| DDB.com.au | Leafcutter.com.au | Taboo.com.au |
| DeepEnd.com.au | Lemonade.com.au | Team.com.au |
| Default.com.au | Liquid.com.au | Technique.com.au |
| Depict.com.au | Liquorice.com.au | Teepee.com.au |
| Detail.com.au | Loaded.com.au | Them.com.au |
| Devotion.com.au | Loco.com.au | TheRoyals.com.au |
| Dialogue.com.au | Loud.com.au | Thread.com.au |
| Dilate.com.au | Luminosity.com.au | Tibet.com.au |
| Draw.com.au | Mama.com.au | Tonic.com.au |
| Drawcard.com.au | MangoChutney.com.au | Torch.com.au |
| DTB.com.au | Masthead.com.au | Traffic.com.au |
| ED.com.au | Maverick.com.au | Transformer.com.au |
| Eggshell.com.au | Metropolis.com.au | Trout.com.au |
| Elephant.com.au | MIH.com.au | Velvet.com.au |
| EM.com.au | MIT.com.au | Verb.com.au |
| Enabled.com.au | Moment.com.au | VI.com.au |
| Endemic.com.au | Moo.com.au | Visible.com.au |
| Endure.com.au | Nice.com.au | Vol.com.au |
| Eon.com.au | Niche.com.au | Wanted.com.au |
| EQU.com.au | Nucleus.com.au | Wax.com.au |
| ERD.com.au | Orchard.com.au | WhiteRhino.com.au |
| Fade.com.au | Osmosis.com.au | Wisdom.com.au |
| First.com.au | Outsource.com.au | Woof.com.au |
| Flame.com.au | P4.com.au | Xen.com.au |
| Flint.com.au | Pace.com.au | Yoke.com.au |
| Fluid.com.au | PDQ.com.au | Zinc.com.au |
| Follow.com.au | Percept.com.au | |
Those listed above no doubt understand the ‘cut through’ and superior brand recall that you get with a generic domain name. Those listed above no doubt equally understand that greater ‘cut through’ and recall means customers type the URL (domain name) directly into their web browsers, rather than trawling through Google; that reduced dependence on Google can mean thousands saved every year on AdWords and fewer clients or customers lost to competitors (who show up alongside you in the search results).
Increased ‘direct navigation’, as it is called, is not the only benefit of buying the right domain name for your business. The right domain name can also mean fewer misdirected emails and reduced client or customer confusion generally. Make no mistake, without the right domain name in place, your website will always underperform, all else being equal. A poorly chosen domain name is a cacophony and a blight on your business identity. A well-chosen domain name will elevate your brand and make your business one to remember.
‘A poorly chosen domain name is a cacophony and a blight on your business identity.’
By now it should be pretty clear what you need to do if you don’t already have the right domain name for your business. If this is one of those ‘penny drop’ moments for you then don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many of those listed above had to go out and buy the right domain name for their business themselves.
If you are in the position where you know you don’t have the right domain name, by all means talk to your marketing guy, even your IT guy. Your IT guy can assist with technical aspects of implementation, but when it comes to thrashing out the merits of acquiring the right domain name to begin with, your marketing guy is the person to talk to. Even so, don’t expect either of them to see much further than their next bonus; don’t expect either of them to share your long-term vision for the business.
Ultimately, the person best-placed for assessing the merits of such a crucial acquisition, is actually the same person who drives the business, who understands the business environment, and who understands the competitive landscape –YOU!
By Guest Author – “Steve”
Leave a Reply