guide 10 rules I follow when contacting end-users.

[infosec3]

1. Get the correct email. In many cases, Whois only shows the web developer contact information.

2. Keep your email short with no more than two paragraphs of only two or three short sentences.

3. Contact end-users one by one, never in bulk.

4. Don't keep contacting people that do not respond.

5. If you get a response, answer immediately. Most purchases are made impulsively.

6. Fully identify yourself or your company.

7. Give the recipient the option to stop receiving your emails or unsubscribing.

8. Don't ask the end-user to make an offer, because you are the one contacting him. You should know the price of your own product.

9. Have an online presence yourself (a domain portal or something of that sort). If end-users can't find you online, that might make them think twice about buying your name.

10. Modify the wording of your email once in a while.

 

[kaz2]

Great advice! When sending out emails do you use your own website email (eg john (at) mywebsite.com) or do you use gmail or hotmail?

I use gmail and hotmail and have never recieved any replies - do you think I should use a "proper" email address from one of my domain names?

Thanks.

 

[cocaseco]

8. Don't ask the end-user to make an offer, because you are the one contacting him. You should know the price of your own product.

 

[infosec3]

I use [email protected]. I never use Yahoo, Hotmail or any free email.

 

[kaz2]

Thanks for the confirmation man - I always had a sneaking suspicion that the hotmail address put of buyers. How do you find out who to send the email to?

 

[infosec3]

Thanks for the confirmation man - I always had a sneaking suspicion that the hotmail address put of buyers. How do you find out who to send the email to?

Their Website, Facebook page, Whois, contact form or another way available.

 

[bytedo]

Well done @infosec3 for your tips. Sometimes you even touch on some points I have been wanting answers to, clarification or just a different input. Without you knowing.
Have you had any luck with geo+storage names? I have one for a fairly big US city. Any tips? Thanks

 

[infosec3]

Yes, I have sold a few storage names, including a couple of City + BoatStorage.com.

 

[kaz2]

Their Website, Facebook page, Whois, contact form or another way available.

So I take it you do not just send it to a generic admin or contact us address? Do you ever use the contact us forms on a website? Cheers.

 

[silentg]

These are some great tips.

 

[infosec3]

I send it to the best address available. If I am able to find the owner or CEO, generally by doing some extra search on Google, that is what I use. If not, I settle for the one I can get.

 

[kaz2]

I send it to the best address available. If I am able to find the owner or CEO, generally by doing some extra search on Google, that is what I use. If not, I settle for the one I can get.

Thanks, this is good info. I have a question which is the big elephant in the room...how do you avoid spam complaints as even sending 1 unsolicited commercial email can be construed as spam - what steps do you take to avoid spam complaints? This is my biggest worry about emailing out end users.

 

[infosec3]

I cannot provide legal advice, since I am not an attorney. In my case I make sure to comply with anti spam laws by properly identifying my company, providing contact information and giving the recipient the option to unsubscribing.

 

[kaz2]

I cannot provide legal advice, since I am not an attorney. In my case I make sure to comply with anti spam laws by properly identifying my company, providing contact information and giving the recipient the option to unsubscribing.

OK, you are doing the right thing - as you said, the main info to provide in your emails is:

1. Don’t use false or misleading header information.
2. Don’t use deceptive subject lines.
3. Identify the message as an ad.
4. Tell recipients where you’re located (ie name and address and ideally phone number for trust.)
5. Tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future email from you.
6. Honor opt-out requests promptly.
7. Monitor what others are doing on your behalf.

There are detailed FTC guidelines here:

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

Please note that other countries may have different spam laws so it is always best to check them if you are emailing companies in those particular counties.

Please note that I am not an lawyer or attorney and the above information is provided purely for informational purposes. You need to always do you own due diligence and ensure that you are complying with the law. If in doubt seek advice from a lawyer or attorney specialising in spam law.

I am just providing this information to assist fellow domainer's as I think there is a misconception amongst some people that, as long as you send one email at a time to one recipient, you are exempt from spam regulations. The short answer is you are not as there are still certain things you need to comply with.

As I said before I am not a lawyer so please treat this as informational only - I hope it is of use to some of our community, especially newbies like myself.

 

[infosec3]

@kaz2
Thanks for the link and comments. Before doing any business, it is important to do as much reading and research as possible in order to do it right. In my case, I spent about one year studying the domain industry before I developed the business model that is working for me now.

Of course, I made some mistakes along the way, such as buying a bunch of worthless names at the beginning (about seven years ago) but I have tried to learn from that experience.

 

[kaz2]

Hi, infosec3, tell me about it.

I've been doing this about 2 years now part time. and only feel that I am beginning to understand it. Mistake I made was treating it like a hobby. I am now getting rid of the terrible names I bought (mainly by dropping them) and looking to focus on the drops and short brandable names - all .com.

However, I am very interested in learning more about how to hand reg and reach out to end users so please let's stay in touch, you've been very helpful mate.

 

[dsant]

what is your experience of contacting by short emails end users/company via linkedin? I just built a dn company page.

 

[OceanKing]

Thanks for the article. Very valuable. Is it ok to contact an end user immediately after the registration of the domain name?

 

[DANEYAL]

Thanks, precisely mentioned valuable points on the subject.

 

[SammyLee]

Nice points

 

[RU]

Don't ask the end-user to make an offer, because you are the one contacting him. You should know the price of your own product.

This rule should be number 1

 

[Bullock]

2. Keep your email short with no more than two paragraphs of only two or three short sentences.

Hi Infosec3,

may you post a basic but effictive template?

Thanks

 

[infosec3]

what is your experience of contacting by short emails end users/company via linkedin? I just built a dn company page.

I have never used LinkedIn for business, but it might be a good idea.

Thanks for the article. Very valuable. Is it ok to contact an end user immediately after the registration of the domain name?

In a few cases, I have sold names right after acquiring them. In most cases I start promoting the domain the day after I acquire it.

 

[kaz2]

Hi, this is developing into a good thread. A few questions please bear with me:

What would you say is the median price point at whoch you get least resistance from small businesses buying your names? Can you give us an idea of an average selling price?

On average, how long do you hold the domains for before you sell them?

What do you find they tend to use the names for? Is it too completely rebrand their website (unlikely) or do they use the keyword domains you sell for promotional purposes (eg PPC ads, flyers, banners etc?)

Finally, do you find that long tail keyword rich domains (3 words or more) sell well?

Thanks infosec3!

 

[kaz2]

Hi infosec3, I have obtained the 50 tips guide mentioned in your signature and am going through it. I have to say that it is packed full of practical advice, much more than I expected.

Tips on pricing domains (very interesting when you see so many newbies, myself included, hand regging a domain for $10 and then expecting $X,XXX), choosing domains, the best place to hand register domains and much more. You also give solid advice on how how to avoid spam complaints and the best way to send emails which, for me personally, is so important.

I was also interested to see what payment methods your buyers adopt as, when selling lower priced domains, escrow is not always viable.

The only recommendation I would make it to put is as black font on a white background but that is a minor point - the key thing is the content which is good.

All in all in is a good read and has valuable advice from someone who is actually selling domains at the level most of us newbies are operating at - many thanks for producing this guide which puts it in one place.