Lead Generation Solution for Domainers

Jason Brian is the founder and CEO of AutoCricket.com and LeadBeaver.com, two top insurance lead sites that have seen incredible success since their launch just two years ago.  Jason sat down and answered some questions for me about the domains and the businesses.

Mike:  When did you start your businesses?

Jason:  In 2008, I launched my first company AutoCricket.com. It searches hundreds of databases to give consumers the best possible rate on their auto insurance.  Call it, a one-stop shop for bargain hunters.  They simply head to AutoCricket.com and enter their basic information.  Within minutes, knowledgeable insurance agents contact consumers with their FREE quote.

With the success of AutoCricket.com, I decided to launch Leadbeaver.com in February 2010 — angled more towards agents, rather than consumers.  In October, independent insurance agency CB Insurance was launched, along with 877-FOR-INSURANCE.  Basically, I want to have all angles of the industry covered.  Consumers and agents won’t need to go anywhere else to find what they need.

We’ve steadily built our business over the past two years to become a leader in the industry, and a trusted name in the community – employing 12 full-time and 35 part-time associates.

Mike:  You have two very brandable names for your businesses; AutoCricket.com and LeadBeaver.com.  Describe what you were looking for in choosing the right names?

Jason:  I think understanding the purpose of both of the sites is the first step in choosing the right names.  AutoCricket.com was designed for consumers, so I wanted something memorable.  The concept of a cricket is unique.  There’s no other company out there using a cricket and crickets are usually synonymous with luck.  The cricket also has a unique audible sound.  The original concept for our marketing efforts was to include a sound – with a concept – that people could easily identify.

LeadBeaver.com actually started as an office joke, if you can believe that.  The concept began with what is now the site’s tagline — “Dam Good Leads.”  In this case, we designed LeadBeaver.com to be edgy in what is traditionally a stuffy, corporate environment.  The whole lead industry is typically very nerdy and corporate.  This was kind of like a “Go Daddy” mentality in that we would use catchy slogans, logos, etc. to create a buzz.

Mike:  Can you share the volume of traffic that your sites receive?

Jason:  Probably close to 50,000 visits between the two sites per month.

Mike:  What type of marketing do you use to promote the sites?

Jason:  We’ve done almost every type of traditional advertising, aside from television.  We’ve run radio spots, put up billboards, even sponsored a series of country concerts at a national venue.  That’s a great way to create a brand, but we haven’t necessarily seen a direct result in leads generated.

We find, however, that search engine optimization, google adwords and other types of online advertising really create more of an opportunity for us and generate a higher volume of viable leads.

Mike:  Many domainers today are looking to lead generation as a means for generating income.  Is this something that LeadBeaver.com can help with?  Can people sell you the leads they generate on their sites?  How does this work?

Jason:  Yes, as long as the lead quality is there, they can sell the leads they generate on our site.  Or, they can host our forms on their site.  Whatever leads they generate, we do a revenue share because they drove the traffic to the site.

Mike:  Did you purchase these names from someone else or were you able to register them?  If purchased from a third party, what was the process you went through?  Will you share what you paid for the name?

Jason:  We registered them through GoDaddy.com.

Mike:  Any advice for start-ups, small business, or business of any size for that matter on choosing the right domain name?

Jason:  It really depends on the industry. Short and sweet is always good.  Dot-coms are usually associated with something that’s more professional vs. a dot-net or dot-us. I would also avoid using hyphens.

Mike:  Any other information you’d like to share?

Jason:  Always surround yourself with people who you consider to be smarter than you.