Sweetmantra: Domain Name Strategy

Discover "Minivertising" at 2009 CMA National Convention

Forget about thinking big. You need to think small!

That's the rallying cry for a presentation I am giving at the Canadian Marketing Association's National Convention in Toronto on April 28, 2009.

The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA) has invited me to present my newest talk, "Minivertising", at Canada's largest marketing conference. This national convention is held each spring in a different city and welcomes thousands of attendees.

Here are the details:

"Minivertising" – The Big Future in Targeting a Tiny Niche
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
10:30 - 11:30 AM
Register for the conference

Forget about thinking big. You need to think small! Until recently, it was expensive if not impossible to market to a highly segmented target audience. Not any longer. Discover how marketers and entrepreneurs can use social media and emerging Web tools for affordable and effective mini-targeting. No matter what the size of your company is, you can learn how to become a dominant player in a profitable niche.

If you’re a marketer, you will learn how to use the principles of minivertising to generate interest for your client’s products and services, no matter how constrained their budgets are. If you are an entrepreneur or business executive, you’ll discover affordable and measurable ways to attract highly motivated customers to you, almost overnight.

For more information and to register, visit the CMA National Convention Website.

I hope to see you there.

P.S. Here is a link to the list of Minivertising Resources.

Domain Name Resources from "The Secret World of Domain Names"

This past weekend I gave a talk at PodCamp Toronto entitled "The Secret World of Domain Names," which was a marketer's guide to domain names.

My session was Webcast live, and it was also archived on video. You can view a low-resolution video recording of my presentation here:

The Secret World of Domain Names (QuickTime)

Meanwhile, I thought it would be helpful if I provided links to the various resources and sites that I talked about during my talk.

So, without much further ado, here they are:

The Secret World of Domain Names: Domain Name Resources

Resources for researching domain names and coming up with a new domain name:

• CIRA
• NameBoy Radio Test
• RhymeZone
• Thesaurus.com
• Who.is

Where to register a new domain name:

• DomainsAtCost.ca
• Hover

Where to shop for premium domain names:

• Afternic
• BuyDomains.com
• Sedo
• YummyNames

Where to shop for expired domain names:

• Go Daddy Auctions
• NameJet
• Pool.com
• SnapNames

Where to learn about the domain investing industry:

• DN Journal
• Domain Name Wire

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of resources for this topic, but it's enough to get you started...

For more information about PodCamp Toronto, visit the PodCamp Toronto Wiki.

Discover The Secret World of Domain Names at PodCamp Toronto

I will be attending, and speaking at, PodCamp Toronto next weekend, February 21-22, 2009 in downtown Toronto.

PodCamp Toronto is a free "un-conference" devoted to social media, and despite its name is about way more than just podcasting. I attended PodCamp Toronto two years ago and loved the energy and inclusiveness of the event. I highly recommend it, and you can't beat the price. Yes, it really is free to attend and hear from (and interact with) many of the sharpest minds in social media today, including Chris Brogan, Collin Douma, and Eden Spodek.

I will be giving a talk entitled "The Secret World of Domain Names" on Saturday, February 21 at 3:30 PM in Room 229. This will be a marketer's guide to domain names, and I plan to shatter some common domain name myths and show you how to buy, protect, and rescue your domain names. I will also explain how you can use domain names to generate a steady stream of targeted traffic. And for the first time ever in public, I will take you behind-the-scenes of the domaining (domain name investing) industry, a secretive, billion dollar industry that you can get a piece of for less than $10.

I'm really looking forward to PodCamp Toronto, hanging out with my fellow social media enthusiasts, and sharing my passion for domain names with everyone.

For more information about PodCamp Toronto, visit the PodCamp Toronto Wiki. See you there!

I've Been Waiting for this Week for Months, and Here's Why...

This is going to be a big week for me, and you can be part of it.

For starters, I'm really looking forward to this week's 2008 Digital Marketing Conference (October 29-30 in Toronto) from two perspectives: one as a member of the Organizing Committee, the other as a representative from Tucows.

Wearing my Committee member hat, I'm thrilled to see all the pieces and people finally coming together for what I believe will be our best Conference to date. (In case you missed it, here are my Seven Killer Reasons to Attend the 2008 Digital Marketing Conference.) I'm also really looking forward to learning, networking, and catching up with other digital marketers from across the country. I'll also be leading an Experience Exchange Roundtable discussion on Domain Name Strategy, so that should be fun.

With my Tucows hat on, I'm super excited that we're sponsoring the Networking Reception on Wednesday, right after the Roundtables. I'm sworn to secrecy, but what I can tell you is that I'll be unveiling 'something' we've been working on for months, plus Tucows will be giving away a one-of-kind door prize worth $2,000. On top of all that, reception attendees will be getting a special gift that I think is pretty darn cool.

If you haven't already registered for this year's Digital Marketing Conference, please don't wait any longer. The Digital Marketing Conference always sells out. Head on over to http://www.the-cma.org/digital for more details and to register.

Have a great week, and I hope to see you at the Conference and the Networking Reception.

Marketing on a Coffee Habit Budget

Are you an entrepreneur who drinks coffee? Or do you know one that does?

The reason I'm asking is that I've just finished putting the final touches on the presentation I am giving this Wednesday night (October 22) at a unique entrepreneur's learning event in Toronto.

My talk is entitled "Measurable Marketing on a Coffee Habit Budget" and I am going to show everyone in attendance how to use Search Engine Advertising to generate hundreds of qualified business leads a month for less than cost of one Starbucks coffee a day.

I'll be explaining and showing how Search Engine Advertising works, sharing some of my expert tips and tricks, and I will be giving away a gift worth over $50 to everyone who attends. Yes, everyone!

The last time I gave a presentation like this, people paid serious money to attend.

This Wednesday's entrepreneur's event is special, however, because the cost to attend is $0. Zip. Nada. Nothing.

You can get all the details and register for the event here.

I'm donating my time and energy because the event helps to support a really good cause (Street Kids International) and the people organizing it are terrific. You can read more about that in my blog post from last week about this event.

I hope to see you and your friends there. With our without your cup of coffee. ;+)

The One Question Every Entrepreneur Asks

If you're like most entrepreneurs, chances are you've asked yourself the following question at least once:

"How do I get more business without spending a fortune on advertising?"

This is probably one of the biggest challenges you face in your business, which is why I'm thrilled to let you know about an exciting event I am participating in on the evening of Wednesday, October 22nd in Toronto.

This event will be very different from other "seminars" you may have attended. It will help you tackle the challenge of boosting your business while at the same time you'll be helping support a fantastic program that helps youth in developing countries become entrepreneurs.

In one evening, you will:

• Learn practical and tactical techniques and tools that you can use immediately to find new customers fast and affordably. (By the way, I personally guarantee this is going to happen because I am giving one of the presentations! More on that in a moment...)
• Be inspired to take action on what you learn
• Have a blast with some "fiery" entertainment
• Experience all of this at absolutely no risk as this is a "Pay only for the value you receive" event. No Value...No Payment. Period.
• Make a big difference in the world. All proceeds go to helping street youth in the developing world become entrepreneurs, through Street Kids International

Sound great? It will be. It's called:

"Big Results For No/Low Dollars: Powerful and Inexpensive Marketing Techniques for Entrepreneurs"

and you can register for the event here.

This evening is part of an exciting, innovative and valuable program of practical education and training, exclusively for entrepreneurs, called Success Circle. The evening will include some amazing surprise entertainment and a roster of expert speakers you don't want to miss. The speakers will be:

• Warren Coughlin, one of North America's top business coaches, will discuss a) the key skills that must exist in your business to allow you to blast off, and b) easy-to-kickstart business building tactics available to any entrepreneur that generate quick leads, very inexpensively.
• The amazing Collin Douma (of Radical Trust fame) will share with you the wisdom he imparts to large corporations eager to exploit social media.
• Some Internet marketing dude named Bill Sweetman will reveal how to ensure you generate profits from the most universally, but non-strategically, applied marketing tool on the Internet. ;+)

How is this evening special?...

You will receive practical, tactical knowledge, tools and techniques you can use right away. This is not about giving you a teaser that requires you to drop $3,000 on follow up courses before you are able to implement. I hate those kind of things, and this isn't one of them.

Join me at this event on Wednesday, October 22nd and you will get knowledge, confidence, tools, and inspiration that will help you add to your bottom line, while making an amazing difference in the world. And you will have a ton of fun... All at no risk.

Register for this event now.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Seven Killer Reasons to Attend the 2008 Digital Marketing Conference

As you may have noticed, I've been busy spreading the word on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter about the 11th annual Digital Marketing Conference, which is being held in Toronto on October 29th and 30th. I'm on the Organizing Committee for this year's Conference and after months of planning we are now finally able to publicly share our excitement about the speakers and sessions we've arranged for you to experience.

Here, in my opinion, are seven of the best reasons to attend the 2008 Digital Marketing Conference:

1. Rob Master from Unilever will be talking about how one of the world's biggest traditional advertisers has fully embraced digital marketing, especially social media.
2. David Pogue, technology columnist for The New York Times, will be riffing about Disruptive Technology. David's brilliant and entertaining, which is a rare combination in my books. Here's a link to a funny video of David Pogue in action!
3. Everyone I talk to these days is struggling to hire good people. That's why we've persuaded Charlie Gray from Google and Bruce Powell from IQ Partners to talk about how to recruit and retain digital marketing talent.
4. The videogame industry is bigger than Hollywood, and so we've lined up Ron Bertram from Nintendo of Canada to reveal how he helped take the company to the top of the videogame market in Canada.
5. Just in time for the biggest shopping season of the year, Derek Szeto from RedFlagDeals.com will share an awesome and uniquely Canadian Boxing Week case study.
6. The Experience Exchange Roundtables are back by very popular demand. This is your chance to pick the brains of some of the country's smartest digital marketing minds. I'll leave it up to you to decide if I qualify for that title, but I will be leading a roundtable on Domain Name Strategy.
7. Coming up right after the Roundtables is the Networking Reception. The company I work for, Tucows, is sponsoring the reception and we've got a few treats in store for attendees so you definitely won't want to miss this.

So there you have it, a small taste of the inspiring and informative agenda we've got planned for you at this year's Digital Marketing Conference.

Don't wait until the last minute to register. For the last several years, the Digital Marketing Conference always sells out and we literally have to turn people away at the door. Head on over to http://www.the-cma.org/digital for more details and to register today.

I hope to see you there.

"Minivertising" - Join me in Vancouver to Learn About this New Marketing Strategy

Forget about thinking big. You need to think small!

That's the rallying cry for a keynote address I am delivering in Vancouver on September 11, 2008.

British Columbia Association of Integrated Marketers (BC AIM) has invited me to present my newest talk, "Minivertising", at a Marketing Luncheon at the Four Seasons Hotel.

Here are the details:

"Minivertising" – The Big Future in Targeting a Tiny Niche
Presented by BC AIM
Thursday, September 11, 2008
11:30 AM - 2 PM
Four Seasons Hotel, 791 Georgia Street West, Vancouver, BC
Register for this Event

Forget about thinking big. You need to think small! Until recently, it was expensive if not impossible to market to a highly segmented target audience. Not any longer. Discover how marketers and entrepreneurs can use social media and emerging Web tools for affordable and effective Mini-targeting. No matter the size of your company, you can learn how to become a dominant player in a profitable niche.

If you’re a marketer, you’ll learn how to use the principles of Minivertising to generate interest for your client’s products and services, no matter how constrained their budgets are.

If you’re an entrepreneur or business executive, you’ll discover affordable and measurable ways to attract highly motivated customers to you, almost overnight.

For more information and to register, visit the BC AIM Website.

I hope to see you there.

I'm Speaking About Search Engine Advertising at MagNet - Canada's Magazine Conference

I will be speaking at MagNet - Canada's Magazine Conference, June 4-6, 2008 in Toronto, Canada. MagNet is the Canadian magazine industry's big trade conference, and this will be my first time speaking at this event.

I will be giving a talk on Search Engine Advertising on June 4 entitled "Search Engine Advertising: The Ultimate Measurable Marketing Tool?"

My talk will provide actionable insights into the measurable marketing potential of search advertising and explore why it may be the ultimate direct-response vehicle.

For more information about the conference, visit the official MagNet Website.

DOMAINfest 2008

I will be speaking at, and attending, DOMAINfest, January 21-23, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. DOMAINfest is the domain industry's other big industry event (along with TRAFFIC), and this will be my first time attending.

I will be participating in a panel discussion on January 22nd entitled "Branding for Gold, Balancing Hype and Reality." Joining me on the panel will be David Sams, Mike "Zappy" Zapolin, and Andy Miller.

I believe we're going to discuss and debate the 'brandability' of domain names. That should be a lively discussion.

I'm particularly looking forward to the SnapNames Live Auction since one of the many gems from the Tucows domain portfolio will be on auction.

For more information about the conference, visit the official DOMAINfest Website.