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Pros & Cons of Using a Domain Broker

Elliot Silver
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20

There are many advantages of engaging a domain broker to sell one or more of your domain names. Companies like Sedo, Afternic, MediaOptions, and others sell millions of dollars worth of domain names a year, many of which are sold privately with non-disclosure agreements preventing the sales prices from being released.

Like everything, there are also downsides to working with a domain broker. I want to give you some pros and cons to using a domain broker to sell your domain names. Feel free to add any I missed.

Pros of Using a Domain Broker

  • They have experience selling expensive domain names.
  • They know who the biggest buyers in the domain space are and most brokers have an extensive mailing list.
  • Brokers should know the market well, and they can give you an idea of what you can expect for your domain name.
  • Domain brokers will know how to get your domain name in front of the right person/people at a company when selling to end users.
  • You won’t have to worry about negotiations because they will work out a deal on your behalf.

Cons of Using a Domain Broker

  • Commission rate may be high simply for sending an email to client list.
  • No “real” market regulations, so you may never know if they’re 100% working on your behalf when they sell to another domain investor.
  • You may have to give them exclusivity for a period of time, which will prevent you from selling the name elsewhere.
  • If you have a name that’s listed exclusively with a broker and you receive an offer elsewhere, you may have to pay a commission anyway.
  • Broker may not do more than email his client list, and may not reach out to end users on your behalf.
  • If your domain name isn’t as valuable as others under contract, it may not receive as much attention as it should.

Get Traffic to Your Facebook Fan Page

Elliot Silver
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9

Yesterday, I wrote an article advising readers that they should be cautious when posting comments on websites that use the Facebook comments plugin because it revealed information about the person’s employer or college, and it links back to the commenter’s Facebook page. This could be problematic to someone who wants privacy.

The opposite may be true for someone who wants publicity for themselves or their Facebook fan page. If you want to post a comment on a site with the FB comment plugin and you have multiple pages, one of the nice things is that you can choose which page to comment as. For instance, I can comment as my personal page, my blog page, my DogWalker.com page, or a few others I have set up for various websites.

If you are commenting on a topic that would be of interest to people who would also be interested in learning about your website, you can post as your Facebook fan page for that website. Assuming your comment is interesting, people will likely click on the link to see who you are and end up on your fan page. This may drive a bit of traffic to your site, and it’s a good way to get people to learn about your website.

Of course, you can also post comments on websites and use your website as your name, but many bloggers will block those comments because they look ultra spammy. With Facebook comments, it’s much less spammy and more practical, especially if your page isn’t exactly called the domain name. For instance, my Lowell.com Facebook Fan Page is called “Lowell, Massachusetts” instead of Lowell.com.

Domain Boardroom Back Up

Elliot Silver
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1

Despite being on vacation for the last few days, I knew something funky was up when I got a few emails asking about Domain Boardroom (DBR). I checked it from the hotel, and sure enough, DBR was down with an ominous looking database error.

Unlike most other domain forums that have at least one techie that maintains the site and keeps things running, Domain Boardroom doesn’t have that type of person on staff. Well, the forum doesn’t really have a staff at all aside from a couple of people (like Donna Mahony) who moderate when necessary and approve new members.

When there’s a technical problem or a patch that needs to be updated, Donna relies on the IT support team at Oversee to keep things running smoothly. Donna just emailed me to let me know that Domain Boardroom is back up and running and it was the Oversee IT team that helped fix the issue.

Thanks for the assist.

Found on DNForum: Cloud Domain Sale

Elliot Silver
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37

I was browsing through DNForum’s domain names for sale above $100 section last night, when I saw a domain name listing that was interesting, to say the least. CloudSperm.com is for sale for $2,000. Yes… CloudSperm.com.

Described as an “amazing cloud domain.Brandable,” CloudSperm.com is a name that has me shaking my head and laughing. I have no idea why someone thought it would be a good idea to register, and I can’t seem to pinpoint who would buy it.

Has the cloud domain purchase craze really become this bad? Are there absolutely no more cloud keyword combinations available left to register?

Here’s a tip for people trying to capitalize on the cloud domain craze likely fueled by the Apple iCloud.com domain acquisition. Don’t buy domain names that have no search volume, make no sense, and would be especially  embarrassing  to use in market. They may get you a laugh (likely at your expense), but they probably won’t make you any money.

Bud Light Cruise Domain Problem

Elliot Silver
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6

I was watching the NBA Finals this evening, and I saw a commercial for the Bud Light Cruise. The call to action url wasn’t on the company’s branded BudLight.com website. Instead, they sent people to a special Facebook url: Facebook.com/BudLight.

In my opinion, they should have sent people to a call to action domain name like BudLightCruise.com. Unfortunately for Budweiser, that sensible domain name was created in 2009, and it is owned by someone using Moniker’s privacy service. The domain name is currently parked, and it’s also for sale at Sedo. Since this is the 4th edition of the cruise, they likely started it a few years back and should have bought the domain name at that time. It was first registered in April of 2008.

Perhaps a downside to Facebook page marketing is that they may not rank all that well in search engines. People that search Google will easily find Bud Light’s cruise page, but it’s not the Facebook page the company set up. The top result is BudLightPortParadise.com, which the company does own and operate.

The domain name isn’t everything as this demonstrates, but it would make sense for Bud Light to try and get the name in case people type BudLightCruise.com into their browser. As the PPC industry indicates, people do click on those links and that costs the company money.

New Orleans Sunday Evening Updates

Elliot Silver
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7

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, New Orleans is my favorite city in the US (aside from where I live). There are a ton of great restaurants, an awesome music scene, unique art galleries, upscale shops, nice hotels, and of course, great bars and night life.  I’ve been in New Orleans with my wife for the past few days, and it’s been a nice little vacation.

Here are some New Orleans Sunday updates.

  • I had a good meeting with Don Jones at NewOrleans.com. He showed us some southern hospitality, and we had a nice time discussing geodomain names and the new direction of NewOrleans.com. A few years back, I made him a 6 figure offer for the domain name when they were first developing it, and of course, the offer was turned down. In seeing what they are doing with the site and hearing about its exciting future plans, I am very glad its in their hands and not mine.
  • I learned more about the new non-profit GeoPublishers organization from Don, and I am planning to attend the Expo in October 2011 in Chicago.
  • My favorite restaurants this trip were Herbsaint, GW Fins, Dooky Chase’s, and Arnaud’s. Come to think of it, we really didn’t have a bad meal at all.
  • We went to a new bar on Bourbon St. called Bourbon Live featuring a live band every night. When we walked to the bar to order, a guy came up to us and asked if he could buy us a drink. He was one of the investor owners (the bar has been opened a week). He introduced us to the young guy who primarily owns/runs the place. Turns out, he’s working with the NewOrleans.com team on building his website and marketing the bar.
  • Only at the W Hotel in New Orleans would the Fiji water ($6.00) be more expensive than the Abita beer ($3.00) at our mini bar.
  • Domain Boardroom has had some technical issues for a couple of days, but I am told these are being fixed as we speak. It should be back up and running soon.
  • I really need to find a way to be able to place last minute bids at NameJet automatically without having to be on the computer. I am not a technical person and haven’t had a script or something built, so my backordering is all done by hand. It’s not that easy on the weekends, especially when I’m out of town. How do you manage?
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