Domain Names Emoji

Reading Between the Lines of Emoji Domain Hype

June 19, 2017 by Alvin Brown No Comments
Written by: Alvin Brown

I stumbled upon an interesting and engaging Twitter conversation about emoji domains.

I know, I should have been “off” and “unplugged” seeing that it was Father’s Day weekend.

But it’s my weekend and I wanted to check in electronically for a brief few minutes.

Reading the back and forth emoji domain tweets (see thread), many thoughts occurred and ran through my mind.

But let’s tackle and examine the elephant at the crux of the conversation though: hyping emoji domains.

Since emoji domains currently can’t be registered as .com domains due to IDNA 2008, there’s a camp sneering and shaking their heads in strong disapproval of emoji domains, especially ccTLD emoji domains.

And truth be told, there is a kernel of truth to certain aspects of their disapproval.

Are emoji domains the next profitable domain niche?

Let’s be real… .ws or any other ccTLD used for emoji domains are not topping or toppling .com anytime soon.

That said, with 20+ years of .com usage under our belt, I’m certain developing emoji domains as a primary web presence today is not the best idea.

Tomorrow might be a different story, but that’s the story today, for now.

There I said it. But not so fast there…

This doesn’t mean that ccTLD emoji domains are not capable of driving revenue to a primary web presence as a secondary marketing option.

That’s like denying the existence and amount of success that .club, .co, and a few other domain extensions have experienced and are continuing to experience.

You might not like or personally have mastered profitable success with non .com extensions, but it doesn’t stop anyone else from seeding and harvesting profitable business (or losses when not timely executed well).

Whether you (me or anyone else) like or don’t like .ws or any other extension allowing emoji domains, ask yourself this question:

Is it more detrimental for my business or brand to dismiss a differentiating marketing opportunity into the hands of the competition, or realize a unique communications opportunity for a market segment with $200B+ annual spend?

Seriously, which is more costly for you, your business or brand?

Where emoji domains may find their place under the sun

Look, it’s easy to dismiss and aggressively hype emoji domains and any other domain niche surfacing as the next big thing.

As it pertains to emoji domains, the truth is emoji domains are not a good option or representation for ALL businesses and personal brands.

There are some single, double, and triple combos that can serve and represent businesses and personal brands well.

The one of many options that sticks out in my mind where emoji domains will likely find success is via digital and print ads, especially billboards (but that’s a post for another day).

That said, not all emoji domains have or bring value.

So, don’t go on a buying spree allowing emoji domains to burn a hole into your pocket without having established a sound plan and timely execution.

This is where wisdom enters the conversation to discern while reading in between the lines of emoji domain hype.

I’ll take one for the team.  Search Twitter for the phrase “emoji domains”, and it’s highly likely you’ll discover a trove of emoji domain tweets from yours truly.

In fact, I produce a weekly list of available emoji domains. This listing contains a mix of good and bad emoji domain combos to be branded both professionally and personally.

There are gems to be had, yet there are also emoji domains listed that I don’t and wouldn’t care to purchase.

But again, certain people and businesses will find and realize value from the list based on life experiences while some won’t.

It’s to be expected.  Again, emoji domain value is in the eye of the beholder as has always been the case with domains and other life experiences.

Just because a a given party has the opinion that something possesses or doesn’t possess value doesn’t matter to me. It’s their prerogative.

If a person or business decides to use and gain value from an emoji domain, then great.

If a person or business decides not use and miss out on value not using an emoji domain, then great.

Discover your own emoji domain strategy

Some of the same principles of thought applied to .com can be applied to non .com extensions allowing emoji domain name registrations.

Emoji domains, just like the domain industry in general, are not a zero-sum game.

Simply discern and read in between the lines of your chosen niche, find what works for you, and execute a sound strategy without concerning yourself with those say otherwise.

After all, who knows… you may be the person well equipped to discover and lead a domain niche to profitable success.

And for those not chosen…

Well, they’ll simply squander an opportunity to busy listing all the reasons they hope they’re right with no reward other than saying “I told you so”.

Plain and simple: Hype or no hype, there will always be a crowd that will work diligently and find success, and a crowd that won’t.

Now hurry along, and find your crowd! ✌😎

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Written by Alvin Brown
He's an experienced and passionate serial entrepreneur, founder and publisher of Kickstart Commerce. Alvin possesses a great love for startups dominating their market using profitable digital strategies for greater commerce.