I’m always trying to come up with new ways to sell domains or reach potential buyers. Like most domainers, I’ve tried Craigslist, eBay, the domain auction sites, end user emails, forums, etc. I have had good success with some, and limited to no success with others. I was pondering new ways to reach people when I came up with a thought. Why not buy advertising space on one of your favorite blogs.
Let me back up here a little bit. I’ve seen some domainers with large portfolios advertise on Domaining.com. They use the sponsored headline section and get some great exposure. In fact, earlier this week, Jamie from DotWeekly.com posted some of his names there in the sponsored headline section. But let’s say you have a single name you’re looking at selling or you don’t have the budget to advertise on Domaining.com. Maybe a domain blogger can help.
Bloggers can make some money by selling advertising space on their sites. Often times, there are available spaces that are filled with affiliate banners until a paid advertiser comes along to replace them. Herein lies the opportunity. Why not reach out to your favorite blogger and purchase one of those available advertising slots for a month (you may even be able to strike a deal for a lower rate if the space isn’t currently rented). Be sure to check the blogger’s advertising page to see if there are currently any available spots. Some bloggers may have a waiting list and usually indicate their rates or if there ad slots are full.
I can’t promise that all bloggers will be open to this idea, but why not try it (some bloggers might even cringe at the thought of this). It could work out to be less than the commission you’d pay using a broker or an auction site. Prices range from site to site, so you probably don’t want to sell a crappy domain if the rate is greater than the value of you name. You’ll also need to design the banner, which is typically pretty easy these days. But don’t expect the site you’re advertising on to supply the banner. I also don’t want to come across as trying to push this idea purely as a way for me to make money, so I am removing myself from the eligible pool of bloggers. To be partial, I will not participate in this idea at least over the next 6 months.
34 comments
Precisely what I was planning to do for exactly the reasons you described. I am trying to reach end-users as well as people involved in the domain industry and am currently in the process of identifying blogs that might fit well with what I am trying to do.
If any of your readers have suggestions, I am looking forward to reading them. Thanks for the confirmation of my direction!
That’s a great suggestion. Why didn’t I think about this before?
I’d also like to add that some bloggers may be open to listing your domains in their “available domains” page or even do a paid listing as blog post.
This is indeed a great idea, I have recently acquired Inquisition.com and was thinking to sell it. I also have an idea of creating marketplace for this kind of ads. If someomebody wants to partner with me let me know. I want to make it part of DomainsHeat, but we can make it on a different domain as well…
Another idea I had was to make a marketplace for expiring domain names, let’s say auction starts at $1
I know deevelopment well, but need some financing. Any investor pls contact me, maybe you Mike would be interested in this kind of partnership? My email is rfurdzik at gmail.com…
Rafal
You might also want to advertise on blogs or websites that target the type of business that you see utilizing your domain.
That’s a great idea, Mike. But I don’t see why you need to remove yourself from the pool to participate.
I feel kind of embarrassed. But being a newbie and a poor uncle, I’d like to let everyone know I’ve plenty of ads space available. It’s dirt cheap. but you’ll have to pay first before your ads is displayed. I think only newbie like me would let people advertise and ask for payment later. Well, lesson learned. 🙂
Mike,
No reason to remove yourself from the blog sales action. You sell ads on your blog and you should not restrict yourself from selling any ad. Would you say no to an advertiser if you interviewed them in the past?
If you get an offer to list domains for sale, I say take it!
Vince
@Vince, thanks… I want to remain true to everyone. Maybe I won’t make such a bold statement in the future. But my agenda is not to (only) make money, but to share ideas and what others share with me.