When is the best time to buy your domain name?

I mean the perfect domain name for your company.

Startup mode is a difficult time for most entrepreneurs and founders. Often, the main focus is on cash flow and developing a viable product. Buying your brand's perfect domain name is not even on the radar.

But…

It could be the single biggest risk to your ability to scale.

Let me explain…

Your Domain Is Your Brand

The internet changed the game of branding forever. Your brand is now your domain name.

People associate your brand with your domain name because that is how they find and interact with you online. For example, when Carrot originally launched, they used the domain OnCarrot.com, and what they found was that 50% of their customers associated their brand with OnCarrot NOT Carrot.

This was one reason the founder decided to acquire the exact match domain carrot.com.

How does your domain impact your brand?

Your domain name impacts the very foundation and DNA of your company. It is critical to each of these key areas:

• Positioning
• Branding
• Marketing
• SEO
• Email security
• Scaling 

The key takeaway here is that great brands own their domain name. It is not an option.

Off The Market Forever

Not many companies actually have the opportunity to control their brand online once the domain is taken. For example, MeetCircle.com raised over $11M and yet will never have the opportunity to acquire circle.com 

Wonder why companies wait until it is too late?

Some brands get too comfortable with the domain name being available, get bad advice from their branding agency or the decision to buy gets held up by a committee trying to get financing. In the end it really does not matter. Once it's sold, it's off the market forever. Another startup will forever control the global positioning and simplicity of that brand association because they took action first. Great domain names don’t sit on the sidelines for long. They become great brands.

Conclusion

Take a close look at the return on investment of a branded domain. If financial resources are the only thing holding you back, reach out to our team. Many of the domain names we broker are available with an owner financing option.

Lastly, if you have the opportunity to acquire your branded domain name, do it. When it falls into the hands of a smart brand it wil be off the market forever.