Some new TLD applicants may be operating on the premise of “Build it and They Will Come.” Not a great idea.
Owning a top-level domain, even if it is an extremely simple and short generic word, is not a no-work cash machine. To succeed, you need to think about how get registrars, large domain investors, trademark holders, and your specific target market to notice your TLD.
Here’s how we can help:
- Give you a reality check on your marketing plan. As part of the application process, you will need to convince ICANN that your business plan is viable.
- Market your TLD to trademark holders. Your first customers will be the large trademark holders (Coke, Nike etc.) who may register during the Sunrise period. You’ll want to develop a communications plan — a hard sell will definitely not work here — to let them know exactly how the Sunrise will be run and to answer any questions they have. You would be smart to work with trademark groups such as INTA for this. Having been involved in many Sunrise efforts, we can give you feedback on your communications plan.
- Market your site to registrars. By mandate, you must sell your TLD through the registrar channel. All major registrars are connected to our Espresso system, but you still need to convince them to feature your TLD, or even carry it. We can tell you what registrars are looking for.
- Market your site to domain investors. One of the best ways to generate revenue early on is to convince large domain investors that your name space represents a good investment. We can introduce you to the right people to make that happen.
- Market your site to end-users. You will need to make your customers aware of your TLD. Depending on who they are, there are different ways to market to them: traditional marketing, direct response over the Internet, social media, tradeshows — there are many possibilities. We can talk to you about what has worked, and what hasn’t, and help you decide where to spend your marketing dollars.
