Hello Everyone,
I'm new to NamePros, but have been buying brandable domain names off and on for over five years. Recently, I was fortunate enough be invited into the BrandBucket Brand Ambassador program. My business Brandiogo.com now has a little over five hundred brand names on the BrandBucket marketplace.
In the hopes of saving you all some time and money, I'd like to share some insight into my brandable name buying process:
On the Name Finding Process: I generally find brandables wherever I can. Many are found through the name drop lists, and some are hand registered. I've also purchased through other domain investors and had some success buying through GoDaddy auctions and SnapNames auctions (years ago).
General Name Buying Advice: I try to imagine whether I would be willing to make a logo and build a business on the name. I figure that if I can't visualize a business being built on the name, then it probably isn't worth buying.
On Two Keyword Names: The two keywords should make sense and add to the brand's meaning as a whole. The name should flow well. Example: P*R*E*S*S*F*R*E*N*Z*Y
Three Keyword Names: Finding a good brandable, three keyword name can be tricky. It's ok to have a three keyword name if all three words flow really well together and add meaning. There are even situations where three short words have more meaning than two. Some good examples include R*E*A*D*Y*F*O*R*D*U*T*Y and W*I*L*D*M*A*N*C*R*E*W. To be honest though, if you are just starting out buying brandables you should probably avoid three key word names.
Made up Names: Ask yourself if the name flows well, is memorable and if it has any rhyming qualities. One cool name that I have is also a palindrome A*D*A*R*A*D*A. I would also check out Calvenor's post earlier in this thread:
Calvenor's post on made up names.
As you gain more experience it will become easier to tell whether a name is good or not. Much of this is based on whether the name flows well, makes sense (when it comes to keywords) and is memorable.
I'd be happy to field any questions.