Brand gTLDs « New gTLD

Benefits of Operating a .BRAND gTLD

With ICANN’s new top level domain program about to be unleashed, companies all over the world will finally have a unique opportunity. They will be able to have their brand names or trademarks become top level domains over which they have exclusive control. Traditional top level domains (such as dot com) and even country codes will no longer be necessary. Instead, your company’s brand name can now be your Internet address.

While many businesses will not want to pay the six figure evaluation fee or operate a top level domain registry, for the ones that do there will be many significant benefits.

Short, memorable domain names and ease of access

Choosing to operate a .BRAND gTLD will allow you to create domain names that are short and easy for consumers to remember. They will also make it easier for people to access your company’s information online. For example, with the current system your company could go from this: ‘www.yourbrand.com/news/2011/index.html‘ to this: ‘www.news.yourbrand‘. The latter is much more user-friendly. Here’s another example:‘http://yourbrand.com/support.php?nav=support‘ can become this: ‘http://support.yourbrand‘.

Your customers can simply type in things like home.yourbrand, about.yourbrand, or support.yourbrand to quickly find what they need. With more and more people using their mobile phones to connect to the internet, accessing your brand online will be easier than ever.

Control over your internet presence

As the operator of your own registry, you will be able to establish the requirements and policies for all domain name registrants. You can choose to restrict use of your brand TLD to departments within your company. Each service you provide or service you offer could have its own second level domain. You could also choose to allow other companies with whom you partner as well as resellers of your product to use your brand gTLD. Either way, you have complete control.

Security, trust, and reputation

A brand gTLD will help you protect your trademark and your company’s reputation. Cybersquatters have created serious problems for companies and Internet users alike, making many unsure if a website is legitimate or not. Your customers will be able to rest assured that a website with your brand’s TLD is authentic and secure. No one will be able to register a domain name utilizing your brand TLD without your permission. This will help strengthen your brand while increasing your customers’ loyalty and trust.

New marketing opportunities

Operating your own brand TLD will provide new opportunities for marketing online. Whenever you want to launch a new campaign, you can create custom URLs with your brand extension. For example, if you are rolling out a new product you could create a domain specific to it – www.newproduct.yourbrand – and use it for advertising. The same applies to marketing sales, contests, and other online campaigns.

A brand TLD will allow you to reach new potential customers online, expand your target market, and strengthen relationships with current business partners or build new relationships with potential partners.

These are just a few of the benefits of operating your own brand TLD. There are many more for those who choose to submit an application. Since the window for applications is expected to open soon, now is the time to seriously consider taking your company to the next level with this golden opportunity.