Have you ever noticed how little effort some people put into selling their domain names. They simply buy them and sit back hoping that one day, somebody will come along and make them an offer. Occasionally, that happens - so I’m told, though it’s never happened to me and I don’t think it’s ever happened to the hundreds of domain name investors who are in touch with me. This article demonstrates some ideas that I use personally to promote my own domain names. I don’t like leaving these things to chance.
Tell The World!
The first thing to do with a domain name, is to point it somewhere! Obvious perhaps, but something that’s overlooked by many people. Think back to the time you first registered a domain name. The chances are that you first tried typing in a few names into your browser to see whether they worked. Do you remember how frustrating it was to reach that “page not found”, “under construction” or “domain holding” page? Potential buyers do try and register the first name they think of - and many assume that when they get the “page not found” message, that the name is unregistered. The first thing they then do, is try and register it. When they find it’s gone, they will usually then try and register a similar name - contrary to popular belief by domain name investors, who think that they will immediately conduct a “Whois” search and send an offer! The fact is that they have no idea that the name is for sale. They’d like to buy the name, but they assume that you’ve registered it because you want to do something with it, later perhaps?
To get their attention, you need a page that sells! A simple “For Sale” page with your contact details might do it. This is simple enough to do and you can place your “For Sale” notice on free web space. The instructions on how to do this are usually available from the place where you bought your name. It’s better than doing nothing.
The trouble is, such pages look amateurish. So an alternative is to add your domain name to the millions that are already for sale at an auction site like Sedo, Afternic or Great Domains and then redirecting the name straight to your auction page. At least that will demonstrate that you’re serious and your potential customer will see immediately that the name is for sale and will be shown the often-overlooked things like, how to buy, how to pay for it, what price he or she can expect to pay and more.
But This Alone Doesn’t Add Value.
You see, your name just sits there. If no-one has bid for it when your potential customer pops along, you could be creating the impression that it’s not really worth bidding on. Will people bid on it? Possibly. But Why Should They? What’s so special about it? The auction sites carry millions of names. They’ll even steal your customer away by suggesting that they register a new name with them instead of paying more for a pre-registered one! What you really need is to add some value. Give your potential customer a reason to buy. So how can you do that? I’m glad you asked.
Build Pages That Sell!
This might scare you a bit, but stay with me, it’s not as bad as it seems! Not many people consider themselves to be excellent sales people and in the domain name market, that fact alone will give you a distinct advantage. Maybe you’ve felt reluctant to actively build a web page that helps to sell your domain name?
It’s perfectly normal. After all;
- What should you put in the copy?
- Should you quote a price?
- How will your web page compare to the millions of others out there?
- Will it look amateurish?
- Do people actually read these things?
- How do you build a page like that?
- How do you get visitors to take a look at it?
These are all things which you should be considering when building a web page to sell a domain name.
