We are looking for a technical writer to create technical product documentation for our site/product, and help us maintain it on an ongoing basis.
The project is about 3 months half-time to start, and then a few hours a week following that.
What you are going to do:
– Create an intuitive, comprehensive, and readable documentation site
– Work closely with our engineering team to become an expert user of our product and extract insights
– Interview our engineers and users in order to create tutorials for appropriate topics
What we want to see in you:
– Experience writing documentation sites, at least one, ideally two or more.
– Experience writing and understanding for highly technical software products.
– High degree of user empathy – our docs will take hard technical concepts and translate to language that is a pleasure to read.
Success in many areas of life depends on personal and professional development, and finding a mentor can help.
You can’t successfully take the journey to personal and professional development alone.
Mentorship simply means a relationship between you (the mentee) and a more experienced person (mentor) that benefits your growth.
How to Find a Mentor
Finding the right mentor is never an easy task. However, if you know how to go about it, you could connect with the one who can transform your life. Here are a few tips on how to find a mentor:
Know What You’re Looking for in a Mentor
The first step in finding a mentor is having a clear picture of what you’re looking for. A few qualities to look for in a mentor include:
relevant knowledge, expertise, and experience
enthusiasm to impart their knowledge
ability to give honest feedback
empathy
passion for the field/skills you want to grow in
There may be many people who can mentor you. However, not all of them can do so successfully. As with any other relationship type, find someone who understands and is willing to invest in you.
Join a Mentorship Platform
There are several mentorship platforms created to help connect mentees to mentors.
Examples of such platforms include:
MentorCruise
MentorCruise is one of the best mentorship platforms for those in tech, design, and business
One of its advantages is it’s a two-sided marketplace. Mentees can look for mentors and vice versa. Mentors set prices, usually $150 to $250 per month with a seven-day trial.
GrowthMentor’s most significant selling point is the unlimited calls with mentors. You can also post help requests and have mentors reply to you. You get all this and more starting at $50 per month paid yearly.
Pelion
Pelion connects developers to experienced mentors in their fields of expertise.
Featuring mentors from top tech companies worldwide, it’s one of the best mentorship platforms for those in tech. Mentors set prices, usually starting at $300 per month.
Clarity
Clarity operates on a simple model where you browse through their community of experts and request a call with your mentor of choice. Unlike other platforms, you usually only work with a mentor briefly to solve an immediate problem.
Mentors set per-minute rates, as this method is done via a call rather than an ongoing mentorship setup.
Reach Out to Your Existing Network
One of the best ways of finding a mentor is to look within your existing network. Find some people in your network who have already achieved what you want to achieve. Make a list of those people, looking closely at each one to help you narrow your list.
Once you’ve established who will make for a suitable mentor, reach out to them, asking if they’d be willing to take you on as a mentee.
With this method, you don’t have to start a relationship from scratch or hope you and your mentor get along.
If you can’t think of someone you already know, though, reach out to other members of your network. They could potentially recommend a perfect match for you.
Go to Professional Networking Events
Professional networking events connect you to people in your exact industry who have the knowledge, skills, experience, and connections you need.
The key to finding a mentor at professional networking events is to attend as many events as possible. Observe experienced participants and take note of those who fit your desired mentor profile.
Find an Industry Meetup
Industry meetups are similar to professional networking events because they’re full of people in your field looking to learn more, but they’re not strictly about networking. Examples of industry meetups include:
conferences
networking and speaking events
trade shows
You can also consider attending informal meetups organized by players in your industry or created through online platforms like Meetup.
Attend Volunteer Events or Social Clubs
Volunteer events and social clubs let you meet new people and learn what’s important to them. While these may not necessarily be industry-specific, you never know who you may encounter—perhaps the person cleaning the kennel next to you at the animal rescue is an established person in your field!
Consistently attending volunteer events and social clubs could help you get to know the regulars. Doing this will help you see who will make a suitable mentor for you in a situation outside of work.
While this takes a lot of time on your part and may not work all the time, you could find yourself doing good for your community and having fun, if nothing else.
Use Social Media
Social media helps people worldwide and from all walks of life connect on an equal level.
That’s what makes it an excellent tool for finding mentors.
Most social media platforms allow you to search using keywords and hashtags. These features make it easier to filter according to the specific criteria you’ve set for the type of mentor you need. You can then monitor your potential mentors’ activities to check for authenticity and engagement.
The answer depends on which social media platforms are most popular in your industry. However, the platforms that are likely to help you find a mentor online are:
LinkedIn
Facebook (especially Facebook Groups)
Instagram
Reddit
GitHub
A word of advice: Never pitch your prospective mentor outright. To increase the chances of accepting you as a mentee, engage and interact with their posts first. You want them to know who you are and what you value.
4 Tips for Getting the Most of Your Mentorship
Finding the right mentor is only half of the mentorship equation. You must also know how to get the most out of your mentor/mentee relationship. Here are a few tips to help you do that:
1. Have a Goal for Your Mentorship
Sit down with your mentor to discuss what the outcome of the mentorship should be. Doing so will help both of you focus on what matters the most in the mentorship relationship. Without clear-cut goals, you won’t know whether you’re making progress or not.
2. Prepare for Your Sessions
Never attend a mentoring session without first preparing for it. Remember, these sessions are for your benefit, so you must put in the work to ensure you maximize the time your mentor is giving you. Before your meeting, you should:
Review the notes from your last meeting.
List down questions you want to ask.
Set goals for the upcoming meeting.
While it’s your mentor’s responsibility to impart knowledge, you should also play a role in driving the conversations.
3. Know How to Give Feedback
An essential aspect of your relationship with your mentor is the feedback process. While most feedback will come from them, there are several times when you’ll also be expected to provide feedback. Here are a few tips to help you do that:
Avoid vague statements—be specific.
Only give feedback when it’s solicited.
Be descriptive rather than evaluative.
You must also be honest with your feedback. Trying to sugar-coat feedback will only slow down the process. Don’t be rude, but be clear.
4. Learn to Take Constructive Criticism
Part of the growth process involves receiving criticism. Not all feedback you’ll get from your mentor will be positive. You must learn to accept and handle negative feedback well. It’s only when you are open and receptive to constructive criticism that you’ll get the most out of your relationship with your mentor.
Remember, though: Constructive criticism isn’t the same as destructive criticism. The former helps find solutions, while the latter only finds problems. Assume positive intent—maybe you and your mentor communicate differently, or one of you is simply having a bad day.
But, if you’re only finding problems and not solutions, seek a new mentor and kindly exit this relationship. There are plenty of mentors out there!
Why Should You Find a Mentor?
No matter where you are in your business or career, you could benefit from having a mentor.
You can have many mentors as long as their knowledge and experience don’t overlap too much. Each member of your group of mentors should bring something unique to the table.
A few reasons why you must consider finding a mentor include:
Expedite Your Progress
One of the most significant advantages of mentorship is it could speed up your progress toward a goal. Mentors help you avoid common mistakes many in your niche/industry make. They may also show you the right steps to take to get where you want to go. As a result, your progress could be faster.
Extend Your Network
Another reason to consider finding a mentor is it can help expand your professional network. A mentor who has been in the industry for a long time has likely made some valuable connections. Access to a mentor may grant you access to those connections.
Improve Your Professional Skills
One of the best ways to learn and improve a skill is to get someone to teach you. That’s precisely what mentors do. If you want to enhance your professional skills, mentorship may be the best way to go about it.
Widen Your View of Your Field, Niche, or Industry
A common frustration many face in business and on their career paths is hitting a plateau. This usually happens because of not seeing other alternatives and ways to grow. Thankfully, because a mentor can often see the bigger picture, they could advise you on continuing to move on an upward trajectory.
As you can see, mentorship has several benefits for both your personal and professional development.
Conclusion
Mentorship is an essential part of the success equation. Whether you want to master digital marketing, programming, or any other career discipline, the best way to develop yourself is through mentorship. No matter your field, industry, or even level of expertise, mentorship is one of the most effective ways to help you level up.
For that to happen, however, you must know how to find a mentor. Using the advice outlined above, you can improve the chances of finding the right mentor.
Have you ever gone through mentorship or mentored someone? What was the experience like?
There are dozens of considerations entrepreneurs have to keep in mind when launching a new company, from the logo to the product to the packaging. The business name, however, may be the most important of all.
There are over 30 million small businesses in the U.S., according to the U.S Small Business Administration. That means you have to go above and beyond to stand out. The right name can help you do just that.
If you’re stuck on what to call your business or just want to make sure your chosen name ticks all the right boxes, I’m here to help.
In this article, I’ll cover my top tips for picking a winning business name, show some examples of what a great business name looks like, and even let you in on a sneaky way to get a load of business name ideas fast.
10 Tips to Pick a Business Name
Your business name can be almost anything you want it to be. As long as it’s legal and isn’t already in use, you’re good to go. However, there are several best practices most legal and marketing experts agree on.
I recommend the following tips to make sure your business gets off to the best start possible.
1. Ensure the Business Name Is Not Copyrighted or Trademarked
The first step in picking a business name is to make sure it doesn’t infringe any copyrights or trademarks. You can search copyright records and trademark records online.
I’d recommend going one step further and make sure it’s possible to trademark your brand name. You never know what the future will bring, after all. Even if you plan to keep your business small, I strongly recommend making sure it’s possible to copyright and trademark your brand.
Not doing so could land you in hot water years down the line. Just look at Apple. When Steve Jobs started the company, he chose Apple’s name because he was a fan of the Beatles (their recording label was called Apple Records).
There wasn’t any conflict initially because the two companies operated in completely separated industries. That was until Apple launched the iPod and the iTunes store, however. When they started operating in the same industry, Jobs quickly found himself saddled with a lawsuit.
2. Ensure the Business Name Isn’t Already Taken
This is a no-brainer, but it’s important to mention. Ideally, your business name will be unique and not used by any other business in existence. At the very least, it shouldn’t be used in any way by other companies operating in your industry.
A quick Google search can help you out here. If any results or domains come up that suggest another company is already using your name, either as a business name or as the name of one of their products, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
3. Ensure the Business Name Is Descriptive
You want customers to have an idea of what your business does just by hearing your name. You don’t have to know anything about TripAdvisor to know it is in the travel industry or that Burger King sells burgers.
Don’t be so descriptive that your name is downright boring, however. Seattle Plumber Inc. isn’t exactly inspiring and doesn’t separate your brand from any other plumbers in the city. First Call Plumbing is much catchier and easier to remember.
4. Make Sure the Matching Domain Name Is Available
Coming up with a brilliant business name is just the start. Before you can commit to it completely, make sure a matching domain name is available.
If not, consider coming up with another business name. Having a domain name that is the exact match of your brand can be a real boost, particularly when it comes to SEO.
If your heart is set on a specific name, then all is not lost. There are several strategies you can use if your domain name is unavailable. Adding extra words or extending the name of your brand in your URL is becoming increasingly common.
5. Get Creative
This is your chance to embrace your inner copywriter and let your imagination and creativity run wild. Don’t be afraid to make something up. Almost three-quarters (72 percent) of the best brand names use made-up words or acronyms.
There are a couple of reasons for that. Firstly, existing words already mean something to many of your potential customers. You’ll need to decide whether this is a good or bad thing. Second, competitors may well be using the same or similar words.
6. Don’t Choose a Business Name That Is Hard to Pronounce or Spell
You’ll want your brand name to be accessible for everyone. That means no words that are impossible to pronounce when written down or easy to misspell.
While mixing up the letters or removing vowels from common words may look cool, it doesn’t help your customers find your business online. If customers can’t easily search for your business after hearing your name phonetically, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on leads. You’ll also spend a lot of time spelling out your URL for customers.
7. Complete a Secretary of State Search
One way to make sure your business name is different from everyone else operating in your area is to complete a Secretary of State Search. Most states have a way to do this easily online, so it’s simply a matter of visiting your state’s website and typing in your proposed name.
If in doubt, ask your attorney for help. I’d also recommend searching in Delaware, even if you don’t live in that state. Delaware is a haven for company registrations, and so searching there helps ensure no businesses anywhere else in the country have similar names.
8. Get Feedback on the Business Name Before Making It Official
Test your business name out on your friends and family and get their feedback before committing to it. While you may think you’ve looked at your name from every angle, there’s a chance you’ve missed something.
If you’re not sure about a business name yet, give people a shortlist of your ideas and ask them to pick their favorite. If everyone agrees on the same one, you may just have found your new name.
9. Choose a Business Name That Isn’t Accidentally Offensive
Make sure your business name doesn’t mean something offensive in another language or as a slang term.
No self-respecting business owner would want to insult potential customers. Yet dozens of businesses do this without knowing it because of their business name.
Just because your business name isn’t offensive in your own country doesn’t mean it’s inoffensive everywhere. Any language or cultural issues can spell bad news for companies wanting to expand abroad.
Luckily, it’s never been easier to check whether your business name is offensive or not. Just head over to WordSafety.com and enter your proposed name. The site will quickly find whether there are any potential issues.
10. Keep It Simple and Easy to Remember
Long, complicated business names are bad news. The shorter, catchier, and more memorable your name is, the better. Try to keep it under 20 characters for the sake of your URL and avoid combining more than three different words.
Examples of Great Business Names
Tips and guidelines aren’t always enough to get the creative juices flowing. That’s why I’ve compiled five examples of great business names below, along with a description of what makes them so good.
Hopefully, these will give you a jumping-off point.
Google
In a parallel universe, someone is currently searching for something on BackRub. That’s the name Google was initially called because of the backlinks it used to rank websites. Eventually, they settled on Googol, a mathematical term for a number with a million zeros in it. The final brand name of Google was the result of a spelling error by an employee.
In the end, it worked out brilliantly. The name is catchy, creative, and random. “Google” is also easier to spell, remember and pronounce than Googol too.
Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is the most descriptive name on this list, and that is part of the reason it’s so effective. It sends subtle signals that attract the brand’s target audience.
Choosing the word market rather than grocer or store was a stroke of genius in this regard. Market conjures up images of farmer’s markets and suggests the kind of well-off consumer Whole Foods’ targets.
Lego
Lego is a simplified portmanteau of the Danish words leg godt meaning “play well.” Brilliantly, Lego also means “I put together,” so the name works on two levels.
Not only is the name descriptive for the native Danish market, but it also sounds great in other languages and doesn’t have any additional meanings.
Pepsi
Caleb Davis Bradham, the inventor of Pepsi, originally called his concoction Brad’s Drink. Thankfully, he rebranded three years later. Pepsi is derived from the word dyspepsia, which means indigestion as Bradham believed the drink aided digestion.
Pepsi is way more creative and memorable than Brad’s Drink. Perhaps most importantly, the new name in no way infringed on Coca-Cola, created just a handful of years earlier.
Verizon
Verizon was formed in 2000 by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE. The business name combines the Latin word for truth, veritas, and horizon to signify the new company’s honest and forward-thinking nature. It’s creative, it has meaning, and it’s definitely memorable!
Use a Business Name Generator to Find Your Perfect Name
If you’re still stuck, help is at hand in the form of business name generators. There are plenty of software tools to help entrepreneurs quickly brainstorm business names.
Here are some to try:
Shopify
Shopify is famous for helping small business owners thrive. Coming up with a brand name is no different. Enter a keyword into the search bar, and Shopify will instantly spit out 100 business names you can create a store from today.
Freshbooks
Bookkeeping software Freshbooks has a pretty comprehensive business name generator that tailors recommendations based on your industry.
Start your search by choosing whether you operate in creative and marketing, legal or business services, trade, and home services, or IT. Enter a keyword, and Freshbooks will serve up three suggestions. You can ask for more suggestions or change your keyword to get a different batch of names.
Namelix
Namelix is a free AI-powered business name generator. Enter one or several keywords to get started, then filter suggestions by name, length, and style. There are hundreds of names to scroll through and a mix of basic and premium names. Premium recommendations come with a logo and domain name attached to make building a brand easier.
Conclusion
The right name can impact your SEO, branding, and customer perception. Would Google be where it is now if it was called Backrub? I don’t think so.
The business landscape is becoming more competitive every day, and a great business name can help your brand stand out.
Take inspiration from some of the great business names already out there, and use a business name generator if necessary. Just make sure your business name sets you up for long-term growth.
What are you going to call your new business? Let me know in the comments!
Clubhouse is an interesting app that acts as a combination of podcasting, Facebook Messenger, and Snapchat mixed into one.
This audio-based platform is growing dramatically. In fact, the app has more than 228,000 reviews and a 4.9-star rating on the App Store.
If you’re looking for a unique way to reach a highly targeted audience through the use of audio, this could be your avenue. In this article, I’m covering the most useful Clubhouse tools to make your marketing efforts simpler and more effective.
Why Should You Use the Clubhouse App for Marketing?
The Clubhouse app puts a unique spin on social networking by restricting communication to nothing more than audio. You also need to know how to get a Clubhouse invite, which essentially requires you to reach out on social media and get your name out there.
It creates a bit of exclusivity that makes it all the more rewarding when you finally make it onto the platform. If you receive a Clubhouse app invite, you’ll be able to join chat rooms covering a wide variety of topics ranging from SEO to commercial plumbing.
Once you join a room, you’ll be able to sit back and listen or raise your hand and try to get into the conversation. As you get more and more involved in the community, you’ll have the opportunity to become a moderator or even create your own room and invite your followers in to listen to what you have to say.
As you can probably tell, there’s marketing potential here. Like Twitch and Snapchat, the conversations you have on the platform are gone once the chat ends. This presents a unique opportunity for you to bring people in and potentially operate the social network like a live webinar.
One big plus is that a camera isn’t a feature of the platform, so you don’t have to worry about being seen on screen. The platform is similar to podcasting, which has grown by 29.5 percent in the last three years. Clubhouse is more engaging than podcasting, though, because it allows listeners to comment and get involved in real-time, whereas most people listen to recordings of podcasts.
15 Marketing Clubhouse Tools
In this section, we will discuss some of the specific Clubhouse tools you can use to create a memorable experience on the platform. As marketers, our goal is to draw attention to ourselves and as much of it as possible. These tools make listening more enjoyable for your followers and keeps them coming back.
1. Humans on Clubhouse
If you’re coming to the platform with a specific goal in mind, you might want to use Humans on Clubhouse. This tool offers 1:1 connections to anyone within a particular niche. Whether you’re trying to network, build a following, or find an influencer, this Clubhouse tool can help you.
Once you’ve identified someone you’d like to connect with, you can reach out to them and hopefully determine how a networking relationship could be mutually beneficial. From there, you can host events together, piggyback on each other’s audience, and more.
2. Clubhype
A big downside to the Clubhouse platform, in general, is how challenging it can be to get the word out. Since the platform is kept relatively exclusive, there are extra steps you’ll want to take to ensure everyone knows you’re hosting an event.
Clubhype makes this easy. This Clubhouse tool allows you to enter your Clubhouse link, and it generates a sleek and attractive preview image you can share to social media. The image contains the date and time of the event, the title, and all the important members included in the event.
Let’s say you secured a great guest in your event. You’ll want to share it with your social media to get as many people into the event as possible to hear what the VIP has to say.
3. ClubLink
The goal of all Clubhouse tools is to make lives easier for you and anyone you want to join your event. ClubLink is another tool that helps create an attractive preview you can share on social media to get people to join. One unique feature is that it optimizes the time zone based on the host, so you won’t have to convert anything or worry about missing a session.
Clublink also has multiple sharing options based on the platform you’re sharing it on. No matter if you’re using Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, the tool makes it simple for you to create an attention-grabbing preview to get more viewers to join your event.
4. Find Clubhouse
This tool is similar to Humans on Clubhouse, but instead, it helps you find specific clubs based on topics you’re interested in. From a marketing standpoint, it would be good to use this in the beginning so you can find groups that relate to your business and could help you find listeners who may want to join your club as well.
There are tons of different ways to search, and they even promote clubs based on how much they’re trending. All you need to do is go over to the Find Clubhouse site and search based on your interests. From there, you can join clubs, see what the moderators are doing, and get ideas for how you’ll start to create your own audience.
5. Ask Clubhouse
Next on the list of Clubhouse tools is something that makes it easier for you to engage with your audience. If you’ve ever hosted a live event, you know how challenging it is to address all the questions as they’re pouring in.
Ask Clubhouse helps you do this by creating a board where people can ask their questions, and you can address them later on in the event or even at a later date. Best of all, you’ll answer the questions so everyone else can hear, which reduces the need to answer the same question over and over again.
6. Clubpad
A huge part of creating an inviting and fun environment in Clubhouse is being able to engage and entertain your audience. When there isn’t any video, people rely strictly on your audio to keep them engaged. Adding little sound effects to make things funnier and more interesting could help keep people aware and awake.
While these types of Clubhouse tools might not seem like a big deal, it’s the little things that make a difference. If you’re using Clubpad and have a competitor in the same niche who isn’t, maybe that’ll be your advantage.
7. Clubhouse Glow
This is a simple tool that allows you to create a color ring or filter over your Clubhouse avatar. Why would you want to do that? Why not? Generating attention and being able to stand out in a room is an important aspect of marketing.
Clubhouse Glow can help differentiate you from the rest of the crowd by adding a nice visual effect to your avatar.
8. Clubhouse Bio Builder
Clubhouse Bio Builder is an iOS app that helps you format text, choose the font, and create the most enticing bio possible. People are going to read your bio before joining your club, so you’ll want to make sure you’ve written the best bio possible as well. (Another tool coming on this later!)
Using the bio builder, you can use bold, italic, and emojis in your bio to draw more eyeballs to the text and help your profile stand out. It’s simple, easy to use, and a great way to get more people to notice you.
9. Clubhouse Avatar Maker
The avatar maker is another tool that helps you put a ring around your profile photo. With this one, you can choose from a variety of different templates based on where you’re promoting yourself, your personality, your niche, and your personal preferences. It makes setting up your profile easier so you can spend more time focusing on your content.
10. Crofile
Crofile is similar to a couple of the previous Clubhouse tools, but it has a unique spin.
You select your photo, choose from preset customization options, and add a status to your photo as well. You can put on there that you’re working on something, you’re away, or that you’re busy. Once you’ve customized your photo to your liking, you can save it and upload it to Clubhouse.
11. Comet Events
This is a powerful event management tool that helps you measure the results of your rooms in Clubhouse. You can start with a free account by simply entering your email address. From there, you’ll be able to take the link of all your events in Clubhouse and create a new Comet link where you can track all the data.
The only catch here is that you need to share the link specifically within Comet Events so it can keep track of everyone who RSVPs for the event. If you share the original Clubhouse link and people sign up, that data won’t be tracked, and you’ll have an inaccurate number.
This tool is helpful especially if you’re planning based on the total audience or doing a giveaway, and you need to know exactly how many people are planning to join the event.
12. Host Notes
Host Notes is another event management system to make it easier for people to RSVP and join your events. One important key to remember in marketing is that you need to make it as easy as possible for people.
If you create too many hoops to jump through, most people will simply back out and never move onto the next step. Host Notes allows you to create sharable links and attach resources from the conversation during the event.
13. Clubhouse DB
This Clubhouse analytics tool lets you get a bird’s eye view of the most popular users and clubs based on how many followers they have and when they registered.
If you’re trying to find ways to grow your club, this tool may help you because you can join other clubs, identify what they’re doing differently, and then start implementing that yourself.
14. CH Bio Generator
Even if you’re a writer or content marketer, writing bios is not something anyone likes to do. Many of us don’t like to talk about ourselves or tell everyone what we do, what we’ve accomplished, or why they should listen to us. Why not have someone else write it for you or use a tool that generates a personalized bio?
CH Bio Generator takes a lot of the thinking out of the process by using templates to make it easier for you to write your bio. Keep in mind that the bio is one of the most important ways to get discovered on the platform, so you’ll want to make sure you have a good one. This Clubhouse tool can help you.
15. Rooms of Clubhouse
Rooms of Clubhouse is similar to Humans of Clubhouse. The tool helps you search based on topics and keywords to find rooms with events scheduled or currently happening. The database is somewhat limited, but it will probably progress over time.
While this tool is especially helpful for users trying to find information, it can also help you as a marketer find similar groups and people to reach out to for collaborations.
15 Clubhouse Tools to Test
If you’re looking to reach a unique audience, these Clubhouse tools can help.
Humans on Clubhouse
Make 1:1 connections with people in your niche.
Clubhype
Enter your Clubhouse link, and it generates a sleek and attractive preview image you can share to social media.
Clublink
Create an attractive preview you can share on social media to get people to join.
Find Clubhouse
Search for clubs related to your interests, see what moderators are doing, and more.
Ask Clubhouse
Engage with your audience by creating a board where people can easily ask questions.
Clubpad
Add reaction sounds to your clubhouse rooms to increase engagement.
Clubhouse Glow
Create a color ring or filter over your Clubhouse avatar to grab attention.
Clubhouse Bio Builder
Add bold, italic, and emojis in your bio to draw more eyeballs to the text and help your profile stand out.
Clubhouse Avatar Maker
Choose from a variety of different templates to add personality to your avatar.
Crofile
Select your photo, choose from preset customization options, and add a status to your photo as well
Comet Events
Track Clubhouse event metrics and create beautiful event landing pages.
Host Notes
An event management tool that creates sharable links and attaches resources from the conversation during the event.
Clubhouse DB
Get a bird’s eye view of the most popular users and clubs based on how many followers they have and when they registered
CH Bio Generator
Easily create top-notch bios with this template-based bio generator.
Rooms of Clubhouse
Search by topics and keywords to find rooms with events scheduled or currently happening
Conclusion
Social media marketing still has plenty of potential. With new platforms like Clubhouse emerging every day, it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down. If you’re trying to reach a highly targeted audience, the platform makes it easy to narrow down and find exactly that.
You can use some of these Clubhouse tools to make your life even easier.
Are you on Clubhouse? What tools have you used to help your marketing on the platform?
Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.
You’re starting a new site. You Google the domain name to see if it’s available to take, but it’s already been snatched up by someone else. Bummer.
This happens more often than not, especially if you have a good name in mind.
What are you to do if you really want a domain name that has already been claimed? Or what if you’re sitting on a valuable domain and looking to sell?
Find the best domain broker to work on a negotiation plan and broker a fair deal on your behalf.
Here, I dive into the best domain brokers currently on the market that’ll help you do all the heavy lifting to acquire—or sell—a domain. And if you are on the fence about whether or not you really need a domain broker, I’ve included some other options that might work as well.
#1 – Namecheap — The Best If You Can Afford to Be Flexible About Your Domain Name Extension
Are you wedded to getting that perfect .com domain name or are you a little more flexible about the exact wording and domain extension?
If you have a little wiggle room and you’re willing to be inventive, I suggest seeing what you can get on Namecheap. This is a domain registrar, not a broker, but you’re going to find an outrageous selection of available domain names for way less than you would be able to get through a broker.
You won’t get help negotiating—it’s totally DIY, whether you are buying or selling—but you won’t pay any upfront fees and there’s only a 10% commission fee on domains you sell through the marketplace platform.
And if you buy your new domain name directly from Namecheap, there’s no commission at all.
I think you’d be surprised about what you can find. There are domains on Namecheap available for $0.99 for the first year. You won’t get a .com or a .org for that price, but many of the new extensions like .store or .link are available. And .com names start at $8.88 for the first year.
The reason I recommend Namecheap to people considering a domain broker is that they don’t always know what’s out there. They may be twisting themselves into knots trying to get a five-star domain name when there is something perfectly serviceable out there for purchase right now.
If you can afford to be flexible, Namecheap will help you find something. The search tool is amazing. You can enter up to 5,000 keywords in the search tool’s Beast Mode. This will produce thousands of results for open domains with those keywords.
Beast Mode can also offer suggestions based on transforming your keywords. Say you are looking for hireme.com—Beast Mode will find hire.me, for example.
The marketplace on Namecheap is very easy to use. It’s peer-to-peer, the only catch is that any domains on there have been purchased through Namecheap already. So if you wanted to sell or resell a domain on Namecheap’s marketplace, it would have to be one you already bought through them. Just be aware that 10% comes out of your final sale as commission to Namecheap.
Namecheap takes care of all the backend transactional stuff, so you’re not drawing up purchase agreements with people you’re never going to talk to again.
Odds are you’ll be able to find something very affordable, especially if you are willing to go with a newer domain extension.
#2 – Domain.com — The Best for Buying .com Domains Without a Broker
It must be a good sign when a domain registrar itself owns the best domain name for its industry. Domain.com isn’t a true domain broker because you won’t be able to sell through them, but they are the premier destination for scooping up prime internet real estate on your own.
So, if you aren’t ready to shell out a commission fee for a broker, but you want a solid domain name with a .com extension, this is the first place you should look.
Namecheap is another good registrar for snagging domains yourself, but Domain.com has a more extensive selection of premium .com domain names.
Domain.com offers both a standard domain search and one for premium domains. As more and more common words and phrases have gotten claimed over the years, it’s become harder to get a .com that’s short and easy to remember.
With Domain.com’s premium domain search, though, you can grab one of these for your site.
Now, they won’t come cheap. A quick search will likely return some eye-popping price tags for domain names you had your heart set on.
But the helpful folks at Domain.com are available to help secure your dream URL at a price you can stomach. Their staff is available 24/7 via phone or live chat. In this way, Domain.com functions like a brokerage, because you have their assistance and guidance throughout the purchasing process if you need it.
It’s not going to be the white-glove service you get with a true domain broker, but you’re also not going to be paying 15-20% commission on top of the price of the domain.
And, even if the initial purchase is expensive, premium domains bought through Domain.com won’t renew at an exorbitant price. Instead, they will renew at the standard rates for the extension.
So, even if you buy a .com for several hundred dollars, it will renew at just $9.99 for one year, $19.98 for two, and so on.
And, as a registrar instead of a broker, Domain.com serves as a one-stop shop for everything you need. You can get web hosting, email, SSL certificates, and increased security for your new site. In short, you can purchase everything you need to protect and grow your investment.
If you aren’t ready to hire a broker, Domain.com is your best bet for securing a premium domain on your own.
I’m talking about two-word .com domains that are easy to remember. You can get less-coveted types of domain names and newer domain extensions on Domain.com, but Namecheap will probably be more affordable.
Domain.com is a great marriage of traditional domain registrar, detailed domain search, and brokerage-level support and assistance.If you want to stake your claim to a prime domain name, start searching through Domain.com today.
#3 – GoDaddy Domain Brokerage — The Best for Buying Domains Under $5,000
Tons of people use GoDaddy Domain Brokerage to buy a domain name that’s currently owned by someone else. Here’s why: it’s really straight-forward to use and there is virtually no work on your end.
Plus, GoDaddy brokers will go after any domain you want, regardless of the price.
I recommend it highly for people that don’t want to spend more than $5,000 on a domain. The harsh truth is that this is a fairly low number in this space. A .com domain with words you’d find in a real dictionary is usually going to cost five to six figures—maybe a lot more.
You’ll find that GoDaddy has a higher commission rate (20%) than what you get by going with a smaller domain broker. The trouble is that those smaller firms don’t always agree to take on clients looking to buy small fish domains of less than $5,000.
GoDaddy doesn’t care about the cost. Once you connect with a broker, they will chase down any domain your heart desires. So if your budget tops out at a few thousand bucks, GoDaddy is a great place to start.
Simply reach out to GoDaddy and tell them the domain you want. You’ll get an email back asking you to name the price you are willing to pay.
From there, GoDaddy handles everything else. The broker spends up to 30 days tracking down the domain owner and trying to negotiate a price. If the broker is successful, the domain is yours. Simply follow the guided steps and you’ll be in control.
It’s not impossible to get a domain on your own, but GoDaddy takes out all the legwork. Plus, the company has a ton of name recognition. Instead of you reaching out as a private individual or company, the seller is dealing with one of the biggest names in the business. Both parties are going to feel more comfortable having a trusted broker handle the arrangements.
GoDaddy takes care of all the legal legwork, too, but you won’t provide the strategic guidance that other domain brokers offer. This is basically a simple point-and-shoot service.
An upfront fee of $119.99 is required to start and GoDaddy takes a 20% commission if the deal goes through. Do note that you won’t get the fee back if the sale doesn’t go through.
The higher-than-average commission rate and upfront fees are a reflection of the fact that GoDaddy will broker deals of any size. Other firms can afford lower commissions and waive upfront costs because they only take on deals above $5,000.
Essentially, the other brokers can afford to take a smaller slice because they are only ever going after a bigger pie.
$5,000 is not a hard and fast number. But if you are in this neighborhood, you may have difficulty finding a broker who’s not going to charge an upfront fee to make it worth their time.
GoDaddy won’t broker sales, but you can use the company’s auction site to sell a domain. There’s also a free domain appraisal tool, which can help you figure out where to start the bidding.
Not everyone is looking to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a domain name. They still want a broker to get things done fast and right the first time.
With GoDaddy Domain Brokerage, the transaction is as smooth and hands-off as possible. If you can spell the domain you want, GoDaddy will make a run at it for you.
#4 – VPN.com— The Best for Keeping Your Identity Under Wraps
VPN.com can help you broker the sale or acquisition of a domain if you want to stay anonymous.
The company specializes in strategic stealth acquisitions, working on behalf of Fortune 500 companies, founders, high-net-worth individuals, and other organizations that need to fly below the radar.
The truth is that people with resources are often forced to overspend to get domain names. I don’t want to speak ill of domain owners out there, but some have been known to turn the screws on potential buyers because they know they can.
VPN.com keeps this from happening. Masters of discretion, the company is a favorite for celebrities, athletes, politicians, and other people that have to be conscious about sharing their identity.
Think about it. What’s a domain owner going to charge when the seller hears that Oprah wants it?
These stealth acquisitions take finesse and experience to manage properly. The simple act of inquiring about a particular domain name gives a lot of information away. VPN.com knows just how to handle all of the communications to keep your name out of sight until the ink is dry.
Unlike a lot of the other top domain brokers, VPN.com offers a range of online services. As you might guess, the company handles virtual private networks (VPNs). Secure communications are not a problem.
For people that need to jump through the hoops of a stealth acquisition, VPN.com will help you protect your investment. The company has in-house legal counsel. You’ll know what to do if people are infringing on your domain and be able to register your brand in every country.
There are absolutely no upfront costs, though VPN.com typically works with buyers and sellers of domains worth more than $5,000.
I’m guessing the crowd interested in stealth acquisitions will be onboard with that, but I wanted to mention it. If your sale is successful, there is a 15% commission.
For those who require the utmost discretion, VPN.com is a domain broker you can work with. And if you have a premium domain to sell, and you are not sure what it’s worth, reach out to VPN.com for a free appraisal today.
#5 – Domain Booth— The Lowest Commission for a Top Domain Broker
In the future, I could see DomainBooth charging insane rates for their brokerage service. But for now, you can get one of the best domain brokers on the market for an exceptionally low 12.5% commission.
So, you’re still going to pay, but it’s 2.5% lower than other top-quality brokers. If you are negotiating a deal for a five- or six-figure domain, the savings can be significant.
DomainBooth is something of a recent arrival on the domain broker scene. In 2015, then-26 year old founder James Booth made quite a splash by brokering more than $5 million in domain names in his company’s first 12 months.
This was no flash in the pan, either. Today, DomainBooth is one of the top performing domain brokers, outpacing some of the established players in the game. Booth actually had the second highest domain sales of any broker in 2020, according to Escrow.com.
The firm specializes in extremely short domains–two letters, a number and a letter, three letters, and one-word domains for the most part. I would definitely talk further with DomainBooth if you are interested in something like this.
There’s just not another broker of this calibur charging such low commissions. The minimum fee for buying is $500 and for selling it’s $1,000, which is to say the company is focused on buying domains greater than $5,000 and selling those greater than $10,000.
You will not pay a dime unless DomainBooth is successful in negotiating the deal.
For as young a company as it is, DomainBooth has developed a rich network of buyers and sellers. You can list your domain for sale in the DomainBooth newsletter for $750. This puts it in front of a lot of interested buyers in different markets who you would be hard pressed to reach on your own.
By getting DomainBooth as your broker, you’re putting yourself in a good position to get the most value out of your purchase or sale. There’s still a commission, but it’s not going to be as high as it is for other brokers with similar performance.
#6 – Grit Brokerage— The Best If You Regularly Buy Premium Domains
Grit Brokerage is one of the recognized players in the space. The company has negotiated big-name deals and helped brands secure their position online.
I recommend them to businesses that are in the market for premium domains frequently. It may not be something you need all the time, but it’s also not enough for you to get a single solid domain for your company and be done with it.
If you have to work domain acquisition into your overall brand and marketing strategy, Grit Brokerage is an ideal broker to work with. It’s like having a domain expert in your office, except they’re not on the full-time payroll.
The company can walk you through the ins and outs of upgrading to a better domain in your industry, or branching out and capitalizing on a multiple domain SEO strategy.
Grit.org is the parent company of Grit Brokerage. The organization is focused on empowering people to build better companies and communities. If you work with Grit, its brokers will invest their time in helping you grow by acquiring the right domains at a fair price.
This is a challenge, even for companies with deep pockets and bright ideas. It took Elon Musk more than a decade and $11 million to get tesla.com. Until then, the company had settled for teslamotors.com and constantly took a hit in search rankings.
Not everyone’s battle to get the top domain is so brutal, but it’s never easy these days.
You’ll have to get in touch with Grit Brokerage for pricing, but it’s not hard to make contact. The founder and senior partners all have their cell phones listed on the website. Imagine the kind of service and availability they provide to paying clients.
#7 – MediaOptions— The Best for Domains Over $75,000
If you are going after that perfect domain name—maybe it’s an exact match to your business name or a major keyword in your industry—it’s not going to be cheap.
And it’s going to be ludicrously expensive if you don’t have a seasoned negotiator in your corner.
When you don’t have flexibility—you need that domain—it’s time to call up MediaOptions and get help from the most successful company in the business.
It was founded by Andrew Rosener, who has been the top domain broker in the world for the last three years according to Escrow.com. He’s the creator of the Rosener Equation, which people use to value domains, and has testified in court as an expert witness on domains.
Rosener’s knowledge of the space is a big part of MediaOptions’ continued success. The company has brokered hundreds of millions of dollars in domain deals over more than a decade in business.
I highly recommend this broker for businesses that need a prime piece of web real estate. MediaOptions has a lot of experience with stealth acquisitions as well as a track record of locating domain owners that don’t want to be found.
Essentially, MediaOptions has mastered every step of the domain acquisition process that trips people up. You won’t spin your tires trying to track down and convince a domain owner who doesn’t want to sell. The expert broker knows how to get the best outcome in that touchy conversation.
And, because MediaOptions knows how to play the game, your identity will remain hidden. So you won’t be over a barrel to get the exact domain you want.
I also recommend MediaOptions if you have a high value domain to sell. Over two decades, the company has crafted the most successful outbound sales process of any brokerage. This includes a rich network of buyers and sellers, the top domain newsletter in the industry, and timely press releases.
There is no better team to hire, and MediaOptions can afford to be choosy about their clientele. To qualify for premium domain brokerages services, the domain in question must have a sale value of $75,000 or higher.
Generally speaking, this is going to be domains that are one or two words with a meaningful volume of exact match search.
If that description sounds like what you are looking for, five or six figures (if not more) is very normal. Acquiring one of these domains will pay for itself very quickly by catapulting your sites to the top of Google’s page one search results.
Because these ultra-premium domains are so valuable, negotiating their sale or acquisition takes someone who knows what they are doing. You should anticipate that the party on the other end of your potential deal has an expert on their side. So should you.
MediaOptions is your best bet. The company’s results and reputation speaks for itself. The fact they charge 15% commission is another plus. I know it’s standard rate for the industry—but, given MediaOptions success, I feel like they could charge more.
If you need the best, and you are willing to spend to get it, having MediaOptions as your domain broker will give you the best chance at a good outcome. Get in touch today.
What I Looked At To Find The Best Domain Brokers
There are a few basic ground rules for choosing domain brokers because there is literally zero certification required.
Anyone can say they are a domain broker, but you should only consider ones that:
Have been around for a few years, at least
Maintain a spotless reputation
Use a recognized payment system, such as PayPal or Escrow.com
Handle all of the negotiations confidentially
If you are going to hire a broker, this is the bare minimum. There’s a lot of money changing hands online for domain names. The market attracts scammers you definitely want to avoid.
All my recommendations for domain brokers have you covered. They are well-known and respected in the industry, and they will be able to steer you clear of the people who aren’t.
Now, there’s a range of broker services out there. You can get help with the nuts and bolts of the deal, so you’re not drawing up purchase agreements or tracking down a domain owner.
Some domain brokers offer more of a consulting relationship. They help you with domain marketing, acquisitions, and strategy to establish and protect your brand over the long term.
There’s a ton to know about domains and it’s always changing. Getting a good domain broker means you don’t have to worry about any of it.
You really only have to focus on a few things in order to connect with the right one.
How Important Is the Exact Domain?
The significance you attach to a particular domain name determines the type of broker you should be looking for. Let me explain with two examples:
Example 1: You need a domain that’s short, easy to say and spell, and you want it right now. The exact name is not a huge deal. Ideally, the name is related to your business, but you’re flexible and willing to be inventive.
Example 2: You have trademarked your business, you know the exact domain name you want, and it can’t be anything else. You are willing to spend as much time and money as it’s going to take to get this exact domain name.
Both of these people could benefit from domain brokers, but they need very different types of service.
If the exact domain name isn’t the end of the world, you could start simply by seeing what’s out there. Namecheap and Domain.com make it very easy to be your own broker, even if you’ve never bought a domain before.
Alternatively, you could reach out to GoDaddy Domain Brokerage if you don’t want to deal with an auction or the back-and-forth of negotiations. Simply tell the broker what you want and how much you’re willing to pay, and GoDaddy will spend the next 30 days trying to make it happen.
Now, if you are going after a specific domain and can’t compromise, I highly recommend getting help from someone like VPN.com, Grit Brokerage, DomainBooth, or MediaOptions.
These folks know the space—which is crucial, because getting the exact domain you want at a fair price is really challenging.
Even just finding the person who owns the domain can be impossible. I’m serious. Sometimes the owners don’t want to be found. They bought the domain years ago for some pet project that didn’t take off, and now—out of inertia or spite—they won’t let go.
Whatever the reason, these domain owners are tired of being pestered by people. It’s not uncommon for them to set up dummy accounts, fake addresses in other countries, and a whole mess of obstacles to keep people away.
The really expert domain brokers know how to get around all these barriers and track people down like a sheriff on the frontier.
Here’s the other thing to think about if you are in the market for an exact name domain: everyone knows they are valuable. There’s no low-hanging fruit left.
Whoever owns the domain you want so badly is probably not some schlub. They might even sell domains for a living. If you approach that negotiation without someone on your side who knows as much as the seller does, things could go south quickly.
Upfront Costs and Commissions
Domain brokers all charge for their service a little differently. It’s important to understand exactly how this works. You may wind up paying fees even if you don’t get the domain you want.
Some brokers charge an upfront fee to get started and then take a commission based on a percentage of the sale.
Keep a close eye on this percentage, as premium domains are often five and six figures. Commissions will add a significant extra expense to the price of a domain, or cut into the profits of one you sell through a broker.
Even if you choose to be your own broker on Domain.com, there’s still a commission for using the platform to execute your trade.
You’ll find that some brokers work only on commission. There’s no upfront fee. These firms only see money if they get you what you want at a price you’re willing to pay.
If your budget is not that high, the commission-only brokers may not take you on as a client. They are not massive companies and can’t afford to spend their time negotiating deals with a small commission.
On the other hand, GoDaddy charges an upfront fee but its brokers will go after whatever you want. Just point and shoot.
A 10-20% commission fee is within the standard range. I know it’s going to be a chunk of change, but it can be totally worth it.
The best domain brokers are in business because they consistently help clients get a better deal than they could by themselves. They can help you acquire a domain for a fraction of what it would cost on the open market. If you are selling, they can get you max out the value of your sale.
At the end of the day, using a domain broker is a strategy, not a turnkey solution. You have to understand the pricing structure in order to pick an appropriate broker and avoid surprises down the line.
Stealth Acquisitions
What if you don’t want people to know you’re a buyer or a seller? Like it’s really important that your identity or the name of your business is kept totally under wraps?
All the brokers I looked at keep your identity shielded to some extent, but sometimes it requires a little more finesse. If anonymity is a must for you, you’ll want to find a broker that specializes in stealth acquisitions.
Here’s why it’s important.
If the person who owns a domain gets a call from a broker, they automatically know that there’s significant interest in their online property. Someone hired the broker, after all.
Put yourself in the seller’s shoes. They’re going to try and get as much money as they possibly can from the sale. Wouldn’t you?
The only thing stopping them from jacking up the price is what they believe you are willing to pay. So, if they can do a little research and find out that you are a company with deep pockets or a startup that just got funding, they’re going to aim for the top of your budget.
Just because you can spend six or seven figures for a domain doesn’t mean you want to.
Whatever your reason for staying anonymous, if it is a major concern, you want to pick one broker that knows how to execute stealth acquisitions. When you get in touch, ask them about war stories and some of the crazy maneuvers they’ve had to pull in order to get their clients their dream domain.
If they’re really good at this, the broker is going to have no shortage of ridiculous-sounding tales about the games they’ve played to broker touchy deals. That’s my experience, anyway. You have to work with someone who knows how to play the game.
VPN.com has a track record of negotiating domain acquisitions for politicians, celebrities, and organizations with really well-known brands. It’s a good place to start. MediaOptions and DomainBooth would also be worth shortlisting, if you need discretion.
Conclusion
An effective domain broker makes the process of acquiring or selling a domain a breeze.
Let’s face it, selling or buying a domain successfully can take a lot of upfront work. Once you’ve researched which domain name you want and made sure it’s already registered, the next step is to look into which domain broker fits your needs.
As they say, domain brokers aren’t all created equal. Here’s a quick rundown of the domain brokers I recommend and reviewed here:
Namecheap – The best if you can afford to be flexible about your domain name extension
Domain.com – The best for buying .com domains without a broker
Now I’d like to hear from you. Are there any domain brokers you’ve had a great experience with worth mentioning? Let me know in the comments. I’m all ears!
SEEKING WORK – Remote, Asia, usually used to work UTC+0 to UTC-8 but can easily adapt to other time zones
Remote: Yes (Working remotely for the last 1.5 years)
Willing to relocate: No
About: I’m a senior software engineer with 6+ years of experience building distributed applications. I have previously worked at Amazon. I consider myself a generalist and have helped startups to help them prototype and design their architecture to have their application deployed in production and in process helping them establish SDLC and CI/CD processes.
Technology: Java, Typescript, Javascript, AWS and Devops, Git, CI/CD
Availability: Flexible
Email: thisisrjain42@gmail.com
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