Registration for the Domain .eu began on 7 December 2005 with a 4-month “sunrise” period during which existing trademark holders and public companies were allowed to register their trademark.

The domain names are being given out on a first-come-first-serve basis. Applicants then have 40 days to provide proof they hold a trademark in that name (to avoid the risk of cybersquatters taking names which are not legally theirs).

Seems like a simple enough process, especially for the Goliaths of industry, right? Well… PricewaterhouseCoopers - official validation agent for all .eu applications - made a clerical error in its own application for pwc.eu and pricewaterhousecoopers.eu and had to re-apply!

Other trademark holders weren’t so quick off the draw. There was a race between Ralph Lauren, Nestle and Volkswagen for the domain polo.eu. Apparently all three applied within 5 minutes of each other and Ralph Lauren, owner of Polo.com, missed out by only three minutes and 24 seconds to Volkswagen… German efficiency eh!

If you want to apply to get yourself a pan-European identity on the net, registration will be open to the public from 7 April.

This is the first post on the new Clientwell blog. We’ll be writing a weekly article, and will talk about issues that are relevant to online marketing. There are lots of definitions of (and names for) online marketing, but it basically boils down to:

1. Bringing visitors to your website
2. Converting these visitors to customers/clients/advocates/enquiries/repeat visitors/whatever
3. Connect with these people on an ongoing basis

The ways that you do this are:

1. Search engine marketing, Pay per click, online advertising, sponsorship, and so on
2. Website usability, tracking, measurement and good web design
3. Email marketing, mobile marketing, eCRM, loyalty programs, etc.

All online marketing should be focused on results and growing brand awareness. An integrated online marketing strategy is a crucial part of any organisation’s marketing strategy.

Okay, now that’s the lists and bullet points out of the way. Now let’s talk about us.

Clientwell Online Marketing has been in business since 2002, and provides all of the above services, with a strong focus on return on investment and brand.

This blog will focus on the above issues, and how they are evolving on an almost daily basis, with an emphasis on Ireland, which is where we are based. Links to the best articles on these topics will be posted, and I hope that you can bring your own ideas to the table!