Don’t Make this Mistake When Setting up WordPress

January 24, 2012   admin   No comments

Are you setting up a new website/blog on WordPress?  You have an important decision to make early on that will have major impact on “building your brand” – the address.

When setting things up, you will have the option to locate your site on the WordPress address (ie. mysite.wordpress.com) or to “self-host” on your own domain name (ie. mysite.com).   This is important > get your own domain name and setup your site/blog address on your domain property (mysite.com).  Do not build your brand and your business on anything but your own domain.

Here’s why:

1) Own Your Location – Owning your own domain is the equivalent of owning your own piece of property on the internet. Your own store on main street. When building your brand and name recognition you want to build traffic and branding to your own store location (ie. mysite.com), not sending it to someone elses store window (ie. mysite.wordpress.com).

Building your site on mysite.wordpress.com would be the equivalent of renting a window in someone elses store. If they move that store window, you are screwed. You have no control of what you can do in the future. Or if you move your store, people going to that old store window may not follow you.

2) Don’t Waste Your Branding Effort – If you spend lots of time and  money building your brand and traffic to a location, you want all the links and traffic you have built to continue to go to your location no matter what. If you own your own domain where the site/blog is located, you have the flexibility to change your site/blog and the traffic and links will not dissappear. The location will be the same. You want people to remember your location as “mysite.com”, not “mysite.wordpress.com”

3) Flexibility & Details - there are other pros and some cons to hosting a blog/site on your own domain. For example, you will have to pay for your own hosting (a few $/month), and if traffic really grows, you will have to pay for that. An added benefit is you the flexibility of posting ads on your site such as Google adsense. And if you aren’t technically capable, you may want to just hire someone to help you set everything up.

For this blog I use WordPress - it is built on my own domain (domainassets.ca).  You can do your own research and decide which is a better choice for you > but if you are building a brand/business, the decision to build it on your own domain name is a smart one.

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I’ve Reached 200 Followers on Twitter – So What?

January 17, 2012   admin   No comments

Today I passed the 200 mark of people following me on Twitter.  “So what” you say? Well, the small milestones are important for entrepreneurs.  And they should be celebrated. They give us perspective on where we came from, where we are, and where we are aiming for. Here’s my 3 thoughts on achieving this small goal of 200 Twitter followers.

A) I’m thankful – thankful that 200 entrepreneurs, business owners and domain investors get value out of what I have to “tweet”.  Maybe it’s helpful to their business or maybe the links help them learn from others.  200 may not seem like alot compared to some others, but my “followers” and business network is consistently growing every day. Next goal – how fast to 1,000?

B) Why do I Care? For those of us on Twitter, why are we there?  I think we all have different reasons. I’m still learning the social aspects of Twitter and the way I use it continues to change as I keep learning. The clearest benefit to me as a solo entrepreneur, is it connects me. It connects me to fellow entrepreneurs, domain investors, etc. It’s social networking on the web. And it works just like other networks – we can meet and get to know eachother and help eachother and learn from eachother too.  It’s helping me grow my business network. And when you work alone, as I do, and people in your industry/network span the globe, if just makes you feel good to be connected to others.

C) What’s next?  Growth – meeting more people, working with more people, doing more business. Having more success. That’s what we all want. Blogging and tweeting are just new ways of communicating, still doing business, but instead of reaching out to eachother through newspapers and mail we are doing it through blogs and tweets.

I hope you continue to get value from my blog/tweets, learn and have a few laughs too.  Thanks for reading/following. Tell your friends – or Retweet?

You can FOLLOW Me on Twitter.com/domainassets

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Free Training for your Domain Name Business

January 13, 2012   admin   No comments

Need some help getting your domain name business together?  I came across a site with some great FREE training for your domain name business -  Doma.in

On Twitter I came across links for the site that offered information on putting your domain business on the right track. They have blog posts and videos on domain business topics such as

  • Setting Goals for your Domain Name Business
  • Cash Flow Strategy for Domains
  • How to Sell Your Domains
  • How to Research a Domain (Buying)
  • What to Do with your Domains
  • Focusing (strategy)

The site is put together by experienced domain pros Steve Jones (@nametrader)  and Sharon Hayes (@sharonhayes).  I have to say I watched every posted video (they average 5-15 minutes long) and was impressed with the solid domain business advice.  They also offer more advanced fee-based training services.

No, I don’t know Steve or Sharon, but I hope to get to know them better or meet them at an industry event. Take advantage of their great advice and go read their blog and watch their short videos! Doma.in

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Ouch! Selling Hurts…

January 12, 2012   admin   No comments

Ouch!

“Garbage” that’s what the email said.   There was more, but this is a family blog.

I received that email in response to a domain name I was selling – a domain I thought was good. Not premium, but still okay.  And looking at comparable sales of similar domains, it was priced accordingly.

I don’t want to get into the intricacies of domain name sales, because one man’s gold is another man’s….”garbage”. The point is I can’t let this one person’s view bring me down.

Sales is like that. You need a tough skin to get through the “no’s” to get to the “yes”.  And business is all about sales – matching that product with the person who needs it and thinks it is gold.

There are a thousand reasons to push on – to not take the “no’s” personally. This person’s response to my offer is not aimed at me, it’s just they weren’t a match for the product (and were maybe feeling a bit grumpy that day).

To put bread on the table, you need to sell something, whether it’s your product, your services or your own brand.  Keep at it – don’t give up.  And if you find yourself struggling, learn how to sell. There are plenty of good resources online or at the local library.  Business is all about sales, and learning how to sell is one of the most important skills you will ever need for your business to succeed.

Follow http://domainassets.ca  on Twitter at   http://Twitter.com/DomainAssets

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What I Learnt About Angry Birds, Couch Surfing & Tech Trends from my Finnish Friend

January 09, 2012   admin   No comments

I learned alot yesterday just talking to a young friend visiting from Finland (he’s 25 years old).

I’ve never played Angry Birds before – that is until he showed me the game on his phone.  Now I don’t know alot about Angry Birds except that they are a successful app. My friend told me the app was made by a successful Finnish company called Rovio and although they have many apps, they are building a brand around Angry Birds – merchandise, toys, etc. He showed me the game and I was astounded at how simple it was.   The game has many levels, but its amazing what cute art and a simple entertaining idea can do for a phone app.

So, to learn more, I of course visited AngryBirds.com and found their official site loaded with merchandise for sale. I was impressed, they had loads of plush toys, keychains, etc, and links to join their facebook page or Twitter account.  Now, I don’t know how many other “failed” apps Rovio launched and scrapped or left in the dust. But they have a winner in Angry Birds. How do they make money? He said they have ads that appear on their apps, and Apple charges for the app while it is free on other platforms. Now after visiting their website, I’m sure they are making piles of money off merchandise sales and other opportunities spinning off from their successful app.  They are building a brand that will extend into other opportunities.

My friend is also an avid traveler and although he does stay in hostels, he told me about a new website he uses – CouchSurfing.com    They bill themselves as the world’s largest travel community. The way it works, members sign up and then post if they have “couch” availability where travelers can stay the nite on someone’s couch (for free).  It’s a great way for student travelers to save money. They meet great people to share stories with, and then they also host other travelers for free on their couch when back at their own home.   I had never heard of “couch surfing” before, but it sounds like a great idea. And of course, the company owns CouchSurfing.com

I enjoyed talking to my younger friend all night because he gave me some insight into his world from two fresh perspectives: from the viewpoint of a young, mobile male, and from the viewpoint of a Finnish man traveling the world who is able to speak English fluently and already knows much about the international community we live in.  Some other things to note – we never spoke before we met, just made all arrangements by texting eachother internationally. He of course makes all his travel arrangements online, uses wifi wherever possible (bus, train, etc) and knows his mobile phone inside + out.

We can always learn a few things by talking to younger people active in different circles than ones we live in – we may just find out where we are headed in the future!

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What do Oprah, Google & Advertising Agencies have in Common?

January 06, 2012   admin   No comments

What do celebrities like Oprah, internet businesses like Google and advertising agencies have in common? They buy domain names.

Which celebrities and businesses buy domains? The smart ones, that’s who. Quietly, under the radar, going about their business building their assets.  That includes celebrities like Kanye West, advertising agencies, Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble and other businesses large and small.

I’ve noticed advertising agencies simply buying domain names to add to their portfolio so they are ready when new clients needs arise.  Now that’s smart! Let’s say “XYZ Ad Agency” has a client launching a new travel promotion and the client wants a good domain to make a splash in the market place. Rather than scrambling to search for an adequate domain that they can get quickly, they dip into their own portfolio of good names that they have already acquired and use one of their own good domains for their client’s campaign. The client is happy, and the ad agency looks brilliant for being able to supply such a good domain name on short notice. Better domain = more business for client, and happy client = more business for ad agency.

Businesses like Google and Microsoft also acquire domains related to new products or services they may or may not launch – that’s just good planning and good business smarts.

Celebrities are in business too. Oprah purchased Own.tv for her network (redirects). Kanye West purchased WatchtheThrone.com for his album promotion.

We can learn something from this.  All of us have ideas for projects we may do in the future. Whether we do them or not, it’s smart to try and get the domain name for them now. Get the domain – either by registering it new or making the existing owner a reasonable offer. Domains are unique, so the chances of getting what you want now are a lot better (and less expensive) than 1 or 3 years down the road when you get around to that project. Do it before someone else uses the domain you want or the price gets out of reach. And it’s also a good idea to try and get the Twitter handle and Facebook name for the same domain name.

Investing in your future by gathering your domain assets now – whether you are in business or not – is just being smart.

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Now what? Where do we go from here in 2012?

January 05, 2012   admin   No comments

It’s that time….planning time.    Taking a hard look at the biz – seeing what went right and what went wrong, and why.  Now what, how do we plan for success?

I’m a big reader of successful people – their books, articles, and advice.  They are my mentors. I need them more than ever because I work alone and need access to their knowledge.   I’m a big follower of successful people because I believe in COPYING SUCCESS.  No need to reinvent the wheel or the process.  Learn from those who have been there, got through it, and made it to where you want to go.

I’ve finished taking a hard look at the reality of my business the past year and planning action for the coming months.  Here’s some tips to help you do the same.

SUCCESS FORMULA:

1) Copy Success – find out what worked for others and do what they did

2) Take Action – try different things, test them quickly. most won’t work, but some will

3) Evaluate & Learn From Results – quickly drop things that don’t work and scale those that do. change tactics quickly when needed.

4) Repeat – don’t give up.  work hard. copy success

PLANNING FORMULA:

1) Determine your GOALS – what do you want to achieve. For me I attached sales figures to projects. And decided the #1 FOCUS for me this years is SALES.

2) Attach timelines to ACTION - what do you want to achieve by year end? Work backwards and plan what you have to accomplish each quarter to get there. Work backwards and list what you have to achieve each month to get there. Work backwards and list what you have to do each week to achive your monthly goals. Work backwards and list what are the key things you MUST DO today to achieve what you want to this week.

That’s it – copy success and take action to make it happen in 2012.  Work hard at it and change if you have to when results tell you to.  I’m looking forward to making it a great year!

And of course the learning never ends.  Since my mantra this year is “everything to do with selling”, I’m trying to learn more about being a better in that area.  It’s especially important when running a domain business, because it’s alot of fun buying domains!  So much that we sometimes forget we have to sell them too! (or monetizing the traffic - it’s all about giving the customer what they want).  Right now I’m reading a Dan Kennedy book about sales. He’s a well known “no BS” sales kind of guy.  In fact, the title of the book I’m reading is No B.S. Sales Success in the New Economy  -      It’s good – I’m learning.

Let’s all have a great year ahead!

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