Practically Non-Existent  – Until it becomes Critical

If I were to choose an under-prioritized aspect of marketing, one that rarely or never makes it to the top of the agenda, it would be the choice of name and acquisition of the corresponding domain name. Unfortunately, the lack of urgency in this department often leads to an extreme version of “gradual, then sudden,” when the penny finally drops.

As a domain name broker, I often have a front-row seat to the effect of decisions around business names and name selection. It can often be a rather unflattering and frustrating experience.

I’m guessing you wouldn’t want to see your expensive and carefully designed logo reproduced “roughly” as it looks. It would probably be of the utmost importance that it looks exactly as designed, to avoid confusion or dilution of the brand. You probably wouldn’t want it published in contexts where it can be interpreted negatively or affected negatively. But with domain names, this is often precisely what happens, without anyone raising an eyebrow.

Business names are generally just as meticulously crafted as any visual design, perhaps even more so. The domain name is the outward face and representation of the linguistic brand identity. The digital brand. There are probably few acceptable arguments for compromise and confusion there either.

Taking this into consideration, it is still all too common for large companies to simply forget or ignore securing corresponding domains after costly branding and name development, perhaps even months later.

As a broker, it is not uncommon to receive an acquisition order just a week before a planned launch. What was not even on the agenda suddenly becomes critical. An entire organization can suddenly hinge on a domain acquisition, and entire IT departments may become idle, biting their nails. Other times, the failure continues, and the launch is made on a domain that does not match the brand name. The penny drops only much later.

In any case, such actions create very bad business. To avoid ending up in a similar trap, where the name that corresponds to the brand is held by someone else, who can calmly see the number of missed emails increase, the traffic increase, and the value of the domain rise, foresight and strategy are required.

Dotkeeper is happy to assist with assessments of the possibility of acquiring the name you use in domain form. The earlier in the process this can be done, the better.

Contact us and we will be happy to tell you more about what the process looks like and how we will act to get the best possible deal.