- Part 4: Last Resorts - Creating A Buzz
Creating a Buzz To Sell your Domain
Have you ever thought a product idea was really dumb, but then changed your mind when you found out how popular it had become. Take the pet rock, for example. The concept itself is not that great. It’s a stone. You pretend it’s an animal and “take care” of it. It doesn’t actually do anything. And yet, millions of pet rocks were sold. Their popularity may have died down, but when the item was hot, everyone had to have one, simply because others had them. The same thing happens with songs—even if a song is really bad, if you can get the masses to listen to it, others will jump on board. The boy band crazy of the 1990s is proof of that.
You can do the same thing with a horrible domain name if you’re creative. Creating a buzz will make it seem like the name is desirable, and someone will finally buy it. There are ways to do this, and then there are ways not to do this. Don’t spam people. Don’t make promises you can’t fulfill. Don’t lie.
And definitely don’t create a “fake” option where you bid on your own domain name. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times—it’s unethical and can land you in lots of trouble with the auction site, other users, and the buyer.
However, you can create a buzz by making it seem like you’re doing a favor by putting the domain name on the market. For example, say you’re the proud owner of www.123pinchitter.org. Why not sell it with the following note:
“I originally bought www.123pinchitter.org with thought of grandeur, but haven’t had time to develop the website of my dreams. I know I’ll regret this, but I’m putting it on the market and want to sell before I have to pay the annual registration fee. I’m looking for an immediate buyer—the price is negotiable!”
You’ve done three things here. First, you made the website sound like it have possibilities. To buyers, you’re someone who meant to develop the site as a final user, and so they will see that the site has some value to the general user. The second thing you’ve done is say that you have to sell the site right now. If a buyer is even considering it, he or she might contact you because hey, you want to sell quickly and someone else could beat them to the chase! Lastly, you’ve made the site sound like a bargain. Because you stress that the price is negotiable, users will feel comfortable making you an offer. You might be surprised when some of these offers are higher than your original asking price!
When you domain name really stinks, sometimes the best option is, however, to just let it go. Every time you register the name, you’re putting a little more money into something in which you don’t believe, so if the name is causing you to lose money, let it expire.
