LinkedIn is one of my favorite websites for connecting with other domainers (my profile is here if you want to connect).
However, many domainers either don't use LinkedIn or don't use it effectively enough. It's a fantastic website for forging new connections, but it's best use for a domainer (I believe) is used in outbound sales.
Take this very common scenario as an example:
You've found a medium/large company that you think would definitely be interested in buying a domain you own. You find out everything you can about the company, but there's one problem: you don't know who to contact.
Usually, you'll contact the CTO or CMO of this medium/large company, but without a name you have no hope of contacting them. (Hint: using a generic "info@" email address to try to sell a domain has never worked for me.)
This is where LinkedIn comes into play. Most professionals have a LinkedIn account, so you're likely to find any professional by searching for the company name on LinkedIn and browsing the list of employees. Free LinkedIn accounts can see minimal data on each profile compared to a premium account, but you should have enough access to be able to find who you need.
If not, a very useful trick is to use Google to search LinkedIn by searching for the following:
This will show you all employees who are listed as working for the company. Search through the Google listings to find the contact you need.
Then, use the email format tip I showed you earlier this week to find their email address and send off your domain sales email.
LinkedIn can also be useful for buying domain names. There are a few domainer groups on LinkedIn in which members list domains for sale. From time to time there are domains which can be good investments.
However, many domainers either don't use LinkedIn or don't use it effectively enough. It's a fantastic website for forging new connections, but it's best use for a domainer (I believe) is used in outbound sales.
Take this very common scenario as an example:
You've found a medium/large company that you think would definitely be interested in buying a domain you own. You find out everything you can about the company, but there's one problem: you don't know who to contact.
Usually, you'll contact the CTO or CMO of this medium/large company, but without a name you have no hope of contacting them. (Hint: using a generic "info@" email address to try to sell a domain has never worked for me.)
This is where LinkedIn comes into play. Most professionals have a LinkedIn account, so you're likely to find any professional by searching for the company name on LinkedIn and browsing the list of employees. Free LinkedIn accounts can see minimal data on each profile compared to a premium account, but you should have enough access to be able to find who you need.
If not, a very useful trick is to use Google to search LinkedIn by searching for the following:
site:LinkedIn.com "at [company]"
This will show you all employees who are listed as working for the company. Search through the Google listings to find the contact you need.
Then, use the email format tip I showed you earlier this week to find their email address and send off your domain sales email.
LinkedIn can also be useful for buying domain names. There are a few domainer groups on LinkedIn in which members list domains for sale. From time to time there are domains which can be good investments.