Remember the days when there were 3 major television networks – ABC, NBC and CBS? Needless to say, there are many more television networks these days of cable and satellite TV, and the “Big Three” no longer dominate the market. In fact, can you name the fourth largest TV network in prime-time ratings? It is Univision, the Spanish language television network. (In case you are wondering, the Top 5 Networks, in order, are now CBS, Fox, ABC, Univision, and NBC.)

According to Wikipedia, Hispanics and Latinos now comprise 16.7% of the population in the United States. Of these, 90% speak English, 78% speak Spanish, 69% are bi-lingual (Spanish and English), 22% speak only English, and 9% speak only Spanish. Are you reaching out to this vast market, or are you simply following an outmoded and incorrect stereotype that says that Hispanics and Latinos are not part of your customer base?

Most small businesses work on very small margins, and incremental increases in income can make the difference between profit or loss. Factors such as additional retail sales in your store, extended stays, lower credit card processing fees, propane fills, and firewood sales all come into play and have a cumulative effect; however, these shy in comparison to the potential of an overall increase in market share.

For several years now, my company has been building French language versions of websites for Northeastern clients with businesses located in destination areas that consistently draw significant percentages of French Canadian vacation traffic. Those clients have frequently been complimented by their French Canadian customers, thanking them for providing a French language version of their website that was thoughtfully created, carefully translated, and contained full content. One of the comments that was shared with us earlier in the year (accompanying a reservation that was made with one of our campground clients) read, “Thank you for your French site. It’s the first time that we see this quality of French language out(side) of Quebec, whether it was on menus in restaurants or on web sites. Nice work and nice attention.” The message that is conveyed to customers says “we want your business and we care about your business”.

We all make buying decisions that are based upon purchasing products and doing business with companies that lie within our personal comfort zones. Those comfort zones may be defined within a variety of standards, and they are particularly crucial when you are trying to persuade a group of people to try something new. What better way could there be to communicate with new customers than for your marketing to speak their language?

In the case of the French Canadian market, the need generally applies to businesses within driving distance of Quebec, in historical destination markets (such as Old Orchard Beach, ME; Hampton Beach, NH; Cape Cod, MA; The Wildwoods and Cape May, NJ; Ocean City, MD; and Virginia Beach, VA), or that are conducting online commerce and seeking out that market. In the case of the Hispanic and Latino markets, there are no regional limitations. If you are running a business in the United States today, you need to be reaching out to these vast and growing populations in the language that represents their comfort zone.

The skeptics – or dare I say the ignorant – like to say that Hispanics, Latinos, and other demographic groups simply do not camp. My response is that these are people who have simply not been sent the invitation to engage in the experience. One fact is certain: They are not camping with your competitors, giving you the opportunity to introduce them to camping and to essentially define the experience.

Think of automobile manufacturers 10 or 20 years ago who viewed the market in China as nothing more than a nation of people who did not drive cars. Did that mean that the Chinese middle class did not want to own vehicles, or did it mean that the biggest demand in automotive history was ready to flourish? In hindsight, we all know the answer, and the companies that have successfully tapped into this market are doing so in their new customers’ native language, using marketing messages that are consistent with their native culture.

Your new markets are much closer to home. Speak their language.

In short, the answer is “no”. Nobody actually owns their domain name. Think of your domain name as a lease that may be renewed indefinitely, as long as you keep up with your payments. An international organization called ICANN – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers – is responsible for coordinating the Domain Name System (DNS), the registry of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and the management of both generic and country code Top-Level Domains (TLDs). To register a domain name under a generic top-level domain, you use one of several hundred ICANN-accredited registrars located throughout the world. The most commonly used generic top-level domains are the original .COM (commercial), .NET (network), and .ORG (organization). Once again, there are hundreds of accredited registrars, not simply GoDaddy and Network Solutions.

A few Internet acronyms to confuse people.

The idea behind all of this bureaucracy is to ensure that anybody using any computer anywhere in the world (other than in countries that try to keep a lid on democracy by restricting Internet access) can connect to any individual or legal entity that is represented by any particular domain name. When somebody in either Cincinnati or Sierra Leone types in your domain name, you want to ensure that they reach your website and nobody else’s. In most instances, your involvement in this process will be limited to selecting a registrar, checking on the availability of the domain name (or the best available option, if your first or second choice is not available), paying to register the domain name (for a period of time ranging from 1 to 10 years), and pointing the domain name (using the aforementioned DNS) to the name servers where your site resides.

In most instances, you want a domain name that is as short as possible, is memorable and easy to spell, relates to the name of your business (in three words or less), and is based upon the .COM top-level domain. In many instances, your first choice may not be available, often because there is another business somewhere else in the world with the same or a similar name as yours. In other instances, a domain name may be assigned to another company or individual hoping to profit from your current need. In the early days of the Internet, a modern version of the California Gold Rush took place, where speculators and cyber-squatters became abundant. I define a domain name speculator (also known as a domainer) as someone who had the foresight to register (and maintain the registrations) of domain names made up of a logical combination of words that are not currently associated with a known company or organization. I, for example, own several dozen speculative domain names – such as FamilyCampingUSA.com – many of which I have sold over the years at fair prices (typically $500.00 or so). A cyber-squatter, on the other hand, is somebody who intentionally registers the domain name of another company or organization or who intentionally grabs a domain name that was allowed to expire by a careless registrant, all in the hope of releasing what is essentially a hostage in exchange for a sizeable ransom (typically $10,000.00 or more). In some cases, a domain name that generates traffic will not even be available for sale, but simply maintained as part of a large portfolio of domain names that might be flipped for millions of dollars. There is money to be made in clicks!

There are also instances when a business is willing to pay to transfer a domain name from another registrant for a mutually agreed upon fee. For example, Good Sam recently announced the purchase of the RV.com domain name from Dometic Group. An established site with existing traffic, such as RV.com, will command a higher price. If you are curious, you can check out the continually updated “Year to Date Top 100 Domain Sales Chart” at the DN Journal website. Some are private sales, but most are handled by domain name brokers such as Sedo and Afternic. So far this year, the price leaders include Booker.com (which sold for $375,000.00) and Mojo.com (which sold for $300,000.00). Within the last decade (mostly before the burst of the so-called “Internet bubble”) some of the highest domain names sales prices have been commanded by Hotels.com ($11,000,000.00), Beer.com ($7,000,000.00), Loans.com (bought by Bank of America for $3,000,000.00), and YP.com ($3,850,000.00).

In most instances, you will want to register the best available domain name (not already registered by another company or individual), using an accredited registrar and paying an annual fee of no more than $35.00. You may perform these domain name searches and registrations yourself, or you may rely upon your webmaster to act on your behalf. How do you know what is available? You cannot simply type a domain name into a Web browser (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, or Safari) and presume that it is available just because a website does not appear. You need to perform what is called a “whois lookup”, using a tool that is provided by any registrar and many independent search websites. If a domain name is available, you may register it using the registrar of your choice; however, you should be prepared to register a domain name immediately or risk losing it. Some registrars provide reports of whois search queries for unregistered domain names to unscrupulous parties who will then put a lock (using a process called “domain tasting”) on a domain name, hoping to sell it to you at a quick profit a day or two later.

Back to the original question: Do you own your domain name?

Don’t only perform a whois lookup when you are looking for a new domain name. Do a whois lookup now to confirm that you are, in fact, the registrant of your existing domain name(s). Did you buy your business and never update the previous owner’s registration records? Did your webmaster or the company hosting your website (or a former webmaster or host) register the domain name on your behalf? You may be surprised to discover that you are not actually listed as the registrant for your domain name. I see this on an almost daily basis. Usually there is no ill intent involved; however, YOU want to be the owner of your domain name(s). Your webmaster may be listed as the administrative and technical contact, as well as the billing contact if he or she handles the registration renewals on your behalf, but you need to be listed as the registrant. If your webmaster is handling your renewals, be sure that you can rely on that individual or company to not drop the ball and risk jeopardizing your domain name.

If you are not, in fact, listed as the registrant for your domain, don’t panic … but also don’t ignore the situation. The whois lookup will tell you the name of the registrar. If you have the login credentials to the registrar account (not usually the same as the login credentials to your hosting account, unless the registrar is also hosting your domain), go to your account to modify the settings. If you do not have those login credentials (which will usually be the case, if the registration and renewals are handled by your webmaster or hosting company) and you recognize the name of the registrant, I would suggest contacting that individual or company. Explain that this “unintended error” has just come to your attention, and ask that the registration record be corrected. If you have trouble with any of this, feel free to contact me directly for personal assistance at no charge.

You will be glad that you have taken a minute to check your domain name registration records should you decide to make a change at some future date. You do not want to find yourself in a situation where you need to fight for what should be your own or, worse yet, have to start with a new domain name because you have essentially lost what was never actually yours. While you are at it, check to be certain that the e-mail address that is associated with your contact information is valid and not an old e-mail address that you replaced 4 or 5 years ago and can no longer access. The administrative contact generally approves changes to a domain name registration via the e-mail address on record. Having a valid and current e-mail address associated with your account can save you from endless hassles on down the road, when you eventually need to make changes to your registration. Investing a few minutes today could save you from hours of headaches in the future. Knowledge is valuable!