Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It!

How To Brand With Domains!

March 2, 2016

Welcome to Alphabet Domains Live Online Marketing Class …

Tonight we will examine more about branding … Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … Part 4 … How To Brand With Domains!

What is Branding with domains?

The 429,770 domains registered yesterday really drives home to point … Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … Part 4 … How To Brand With Domains!

With 429,770 domains it is easy to see branding opportunities and Why Build  a Brand, Just Buy It! …  How To Brand With Domains?

We’ve covered the meaning of branding … branding is not something one can touch…it is mental, in the mind of the person.

A ‘brand’ is not a thing, a product, a company or an organization. A brand does not exist in the physical world – it is a mental construct. A brand can best be described as the sum total of all human experiences, perceptions and feelings about a particular thing, product or organization.

Brand: the sum of all of the characteristics, both tangible and intangible, that make your organization, service, or product unique. “Brands exist in the consciousness – of individuals and of the public.” – James R. Gregory

Brands are in the mind of the person … it is not something one can touch … with marketing and branding.

What is the difference between marketing and branding?

Branding is not push, but pull. Branding is the expression of the essential truth or value of an organization, product, or service. Branding is strategic. Marketing is tactical.

Marketing may convince you to buy and the branding will determine if you will buy that particular product now and keep buying it. (marketing and branding)

With the internet expanding … a whole expanded approach to branding is available for marketing and branding. The internet allows for multiple streams or avenues to marketing brand management.

Websites, SEO, web search, social media, blogs, online press releases, and video marketing are all methods used for online brand management.

This is where domains comes to the front … the new front for branding. So Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … How To Brand With Domains!

Today there are 429,770 new domains registered and can be used for brand management. How can this brand management be accomplished … is the single most question for domain owners.

To best explain this use of domains as brands we have to flush out of our minds the concept of having just one domain to realize the branding process. This is a marathon not a sprint. t is a process and not an overnight miracle.

When domain owners come to understand this “process” or “marathon” they will initiate or implement the required domain use strategy to accomplish their desired marketing goals. Many of these domains will not be renewed for a wide variety of reasons … one reason standing out is the lack of knowledge of what to do with them.

Let’s address this lack of knowledge about branding with domains…

There was a time when there was no such thing as domains … it’s hard to believe since domains are part of our everyday life.

First, the concept of brands and branding is as old as time. People have always had the need to mark something as property (branding) so others would know it belongs to someone.

If lost, it could be returned to the rightful owner … this explains why dads would cut a mark into the wooden handle of baseball bats.

This explains why ranchers would go to the blacksmith to make a “branding iron” to burn a “brand” into the hide of his #cattle …

This “branding’ continues …  branding is being done everyday somewhere right now. Right this minute, a local or global business is putting in place promotional branding.

When the internet came online on March 12, 1989 … it became crystal clear what was needed to distinguish one website from another. Every site needed a domain (brand) in order for someone to find it … those were the infancy days of  domaining.

By 1999 domaining came into the spotlight when the largest domain company debuted … now it was easier to secure a domain name. What made the process easier was their domain name … just 6 characters … this branded company had a unique domain name. As of January 2016, it was said to have had more than 61 million domain names under management, making it the world’s largest Registrar.

Over the last few years many Registries and Registrars have come online in various places around the world. Registries like @Top_Registry (.TOP) and Registrars are opening the doors of domain ownership possible for millions of people worldwide.

These Registrars provides opportunities for everyday people to secure domain names … many are great for branding and many are just cute.

Some have perceived value for branding and are being secured for a secondary market that may require years to be “sold” to an end user.

Serious business owners require a “reason” to acquire a domain for business, the reason is to use it as a “brand” not because it’s “cute”.

The cattleman needed to “register” his brand for it to gain acceptance among his peers … today we have to register our brand or domains.

It’s not enough to say this is what I’ll call my company … there needs to be some type of registration of the name or domain.

The modern day equivalent of the branding iron is the computer technology … you can just type in the letters and “register” the domain. In many cases it takes less than one minute to register a domain name and having done the legal work required locally, you’re on the move.

Now the registered name has to renewed upon expiration otherwise it “drops” out of use for a time and someone else can then “register” it for their use.

The branding (in the mind of customers), in effect, expires for a lack of renewing it … this can to be avoided by renewing the domain name.

Remember, brands are in the mind of the person … it is not something one can touch. When they type-in the domain name and it comes up “not found” the brand is gone “in the mind” of the visitor … so renewing the domain is very important.

One can now just buy the brand and gain instant acceptance by one’s peers … which explains why careful thought is required in advance of a domain registration. This is required prior to registration … so all of the building of the brand, in the mind of the target market, can begin in earnest.

The challenge now is how to get the brand into the “mind” of the target market … many avenues are available to establish the brand. Websites, SEO, web search, social media, blogs, online press releases, video marketing and content marketing are all methods for branding .

Success requires a plan…

To be successful requires a plan. Learning from existing branded companies can save a lot of time and effort. Securing laser targeted domains makes branding easier.

Having a Marketing Strategy is a must for success. Easy access domains makes remembering your brand an essential part of this process.

A recent survey of 100 domains names for low traffic sites concluded the domain was a big factor. Hard to remember domains can be part of the reason for low traffic. A lack of an easy to remember domain name was a major factor. Easy to remember and easy to type-in on mobile.

When we asked some domain owners why they let their domains drop, the majority had the same reason: it was cute but nobody remembered it. As domain owners we have to get this part “right” at first since it is the foundation for everything coming later.

Today’s report showed 429,770 domains were registered yesterday … how many will have an online home and how many will “ride off into the sunset”.

To prevent a domain from “riding off into the sunset” requires putting those domains to work as offers, web addresses, redirect domains or others. Put the domains to work as offers, web addresses, redirect domains or as mobile marketing platforms. In other words,  domains should have a purpose for existing.

Use domains as redirects…

A major branding technique is to use a domain as a redirect domain. We’ve covered this in previous classes … us domains to drive traffic to your site.

More on this redirect subject can be found here. The use of domains as branding redirects can be found here.

Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … Part 4 … How To Brand With Domains … has revealed a non-stop branding process beginning with the first step.

Next week, March 9th … Why Build a Brand, Just Buy It! … Part 5 … How To Make Your Brand Stand Out in the Crowd!

Happy branding with domains and have a Wonderful evening and thanks for coming.