Domain Name Wire for Ardhi - .Co Shows How to Market a New TLD

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Domain Name Wire for Ardhi
December 14, 2010
.Co Shows How to Market a New TLD
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Sponsor Message:

DOMAINfest Santa Monica Feb 1 – 3.
Hear Go Daddy's Bob Parsons.
Workshops/Panels/Great Networking.
650 professionals from 26 countries.
Don't miss it!

www.domainfest.com

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Welcome to the DomainNameWire.com newsletter.

OK, Technically it isn't a "new top level domain name". It's
a re-purposed country code domain name. But companies looking
to cash in on new TLDs next year would be wise to pay attention
to what .CO Internet, the company behind .co, has done.

Here are some of .co's brilliant moves:

1. Get in bed with a big registrar.

This one is related to the next two, but it's the key point.
All new TLDs should get close to a major registrar. .Co did
it with the biggest, Go Daddy. Go Daddy sells half of all
new domain name registrations, and that isn't changing anytime
soon just because registry/registrar separation is a thing of
the past.

To get in the good graces of a registrar, your domain name has to
be eligible for all of the typical "upsells" where registrars
make their money. Case in point: Go Daddy doesn't sell .tel.
You can't sell hosting, private registration, et al with .tel.
You also have to provide a new user interface. That's not
worth it.

2. Default Search

For about 24 hours last month, Go Daddy changed its default
domain search option to .co.

http://domainnamewire.net/click.html?x=a62b&lc=jbH8&mc=f&s=wYcHs&y=n&

The internet was quite abuzz about it. Beyond the added registrations
in that short time period, it got more people talking about .co.

3. Super Bowl Commercial

"It Would Take a Super Bowl Commercial for a New TLD to Stick".

Exactly.

http://domainnamewire.net/click.html?x=a62b&lc=jbHj&mc=f&s=wYcHs&y=D&

4. Mainstream Auctions

.Co auctioned off e.co and is now auctioning i.co.

http://domainnamewire.net/click.html?x=a62b&lc=jbHU&mc=f&s=wYcHs&y=a&

It has announced these auctions at mainstream events. i.co
was announced at the web 2.0 conference.

Now, clearly .co's efforts weren't cheap. But marketing any
new mass market TLD won't be cheap.

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Be sure to stop by DNW.com to read these other
domain industry stories:

-Domain thief pleads guilty and faces up to 5 years in jail
-Video highlights from Go Daddy holiday party
-Why new TLD economic studies are a waste
-Facebook buys FB.biz

These stories are just a sample of what you can read at DomainNameWire.com.
Domain Name Wire is read by domainers, domain registrars, attorneys,
public officials, and Fortune 500 company domain managers.

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