YourSeasonalStrategy.Sucks! Or at least that’s what you can tell brands that struggle with a reputation dip at certain times of the year. When you’re pitching a great domain idea to a potential client, you need to frame it as a solution to a problem they are currently facing.
Here’s how things that SUCK seasonally can help your domain sales strategy.
Dodge.Sucks and Ford.Sucks
Around March of every year, “Dodge sucks” and “Ford sucks” reach their highest search volume online. This seasonal trend highlights an issue with customer satisfaction, so you should push .SUCKS as a way for brands to solicit honest and useful feedback while also creating a platform from which to placate any disgruntled consumers. You can even show customers TheHustle.Sucks so they can see how brands are already using .SUCKS as a feedback forum.
Similarly, “AT&T sucks” searches peak in July and August, but occasionally last from May through September. Companies who know they have a miserable reputation should use this data to fight back constructively. Customer service initiatives can always benefit from a dedicated digital strategy and domain to boot.
The ultimate message? “We hear you. We suck. So let’s make this right.”
Google.Sucks
With Google’s oft-dubious behavior, we’re shocked that this doesn’t trend year-round! “Google sucks” tends to peak in August and September, or at least it has done so since 2016.
There are just so, so many people you could tempt with a Google.Sucks domain: Disgruntled advocacy groups for internet fairness and privacy, competitive search engines that are getting screwed out of legitimate hits, websites that are being unfairly dinged by shockingly vague SEO algorithms or customers or businesses being deceived by shady AdWords practices.
Sometimes selling .SUCKS is just about reminding people that they have a right to voice their discontent and stand up for themselves.
The ultimate message: “If you’re frustrated by ‘the man’, use your voice to stick it to him.”
School.Sucks and Work.Sucks
Is it any surprise that “school sucks” and “work sucks” peak in January, with “school sucks” rearing its head again in September? The start of a new year reminds people just how much they hate the responsibility, stress and the mundanity of their routine.
This is why School.Sucks and Work.Sucks are the perfect domains for travel, vacation, overseas work and school exchange programs. Anything that screams: Time for a change in scenery! Sure, school sucks—but imagine spending a dreamy semester in Italy or Rome! And yes, we know work sucks, which is why you deserve a discount off a flight to Maui.
Think about WHY certain things suck at certain times of year and create a domain strategy catering to those whims.
The ultimate message? “Routine sucks so here’s your chance for a change of pace!”
Hallmark.Sucks
Not to sound like the Grinch here but there’s only so many times we can hear “All I Want for Christmas” before we go crazy. Travel prices skyrocket, gift-giving leaves you in a financial slump, the weather is crap! It’s no wonder people are miserable this time of year.
Which is bad news for companies like Hallmark that stake their reputation on being the go-to seasonal card and gift company. “Hallmark sucks” peaks in online search results in December of every year. Bad news for the Missouri-based stationary titan…but maybe good news for their competitors.
Every brand will need and want a holiday-season marketing strategy. A smaller scale greeting card designer can turn all of this Hallmark hate into a clever sales opportunity with a ThisGreetingCard.Sucks campaign, that leads to sassier, more genuine seasonal messages. Or e-comm-only retailers could use HolidayShopping.Sucks to empathize with consumers and encourage them to polish off their Christmas lists without ever setting foot inside a mall.
The ultimate message? “Holiday shopping sucks—but we can help with that.”
The Takeaway
Remind customers of the importance of mediating bad reputations in statistically “sucky” times, offer competitors a chance to capitalize on what sucks and give people a place to share their thoughts. No matter what SUCKS, there’s a seasonal domain solution for it.
Do your customers want to know when they suck most in the eyes of their consumers? Google Trends and Google Adwords are two tools you can suggest to monitor search behavior for their brand name, product, or general industry throughout the year—and they just might help convince your customers that a .SUCKS domain is a no brainer.
Photo Credits: Shutterstock / Milan Ilic Photographer, Shutterstock / Khairil Azhar Junos, Shutterstock / D K Grove
