Tweet Dirty to Me at Exxotica Miami

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Getting into Adult A-ZExxotica Miami is right around the corner and I am getting very excited! I am a part of Michael Fattorossi’s Adult from A to Z seminar series at the show.  I am pairing up with Pete Housely from The Naughty Tweet Network for a panel on social media for adult entertainment.

Social media is extremely important if you want to make it is the adult industry.  But doing it right is even more important. We are going to be talking strategy, tips and tricks for using social media to promote your adult business. Learn how to do adult social media right!

Tweet Dirty to Me

Social media is the most effective marketing strategy for any business, but with so much out there it’s easy to get lost and overwhelmed. How much business are you losing because your social media is missing the mark? This talk will help you decide what networks you should use, teach you how to reach your audience, grow your sales, get more clicks to your website and show you how to grow your networks, your reputation, your popularity and your influence. Whether you are a veteran Tweeter or completely confused by tweeting, learn how to leverage the power of social media for you business or brand.

If you are coming to the show you should make sure to come by and see the panel. It will be really informative. Plus it will give you a chance to pick mine and Pete’s brain on social media. This is a chance to ask us anything about social media strategy! We will be sharing our thoughts and tips on how to manage your social media in a way that will actually get you clicks, grow your network and show you what ROI (return on investment) in social media actually means!

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How Sticky are You?

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Naked Woman covered in chocolate holding a strawberry

Is your website just sticky or does it have audience loyalty? Social media builds trust.

Have you seen the recent study was showing that SEO was better at building sticky traffic than social media?. I believe this. When you go to Google and search for a site, you intend to spend time on that site. You are looking for it, and the search engine helps you find it. Boom…sticky.

Social media is not a tool for click-throughs, though you will get them.  It is not a tool for sales, though you will make them. It is not a tool to drive traffic, though you will do that.  Social media is a tool to build relationships with your audience.

This is more than click-throughs and short-term sales. This is more than singular traffic.

When you build a relationship with your audience you are creating:

  • Brand recognition
  • Loyalty
  • Positive customer service
  • Authority
  • Lifetime traffic
  • Trust

“The best part of relationships is they are protectable assets. When someone likes you, trusts you or finds you credible, it’s very hard to take that away.” –Why Social Media Matters

Relationships take time, and this is where studies that look at traffic sources and declare that SEO is more effective fail. They are looking at the one time click.  They are not looking at the lifetime business relationship.

Relationships are based on multiple experiences. They are built from a history of experiences and exposure. The formula is simple; the more you interact the deeper the relationship. And because the company view is built off this relationship, one bad review or blog post is not going to be able to sully that reputation.  Because your reputation is built from interpersonal relationships, it will not be tarnished by anonymous slander.

Yes, SEO is a wonderful tool that everyone should use. However, you are not comparing apples to apples when you compare SEO to social media.  SEO looks at searches. Social media looks at relationships. And let’s face it, when you really like a brand because you tweet and Facebook with them, you don’t need to search for their website because you already know their domain (and studies can’t identify how much direct traffic came from social media followers…yet).

 

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SEO vs. Social Media: The Traffic Throw Down

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Click-throughs and stickiness are two paramount issues for web businesses. Click-throughs are the number of people who click on a link, and stickiness is the amount of time someone stays on your site.  There is always contradictory information about the issues of sticky click-throughs and social media.  Some people say that social media is not as good as traditional SEO.  Some people say that it is better.  I am here to tell you that they are both right.

Xbiz just posted a story reporting that social media generates less traffic than search. When you dig deeper, the breakdown is not as simple as that. There was a huge variance according to industry.  For instance, the study showed that 42% of new visitors to news sites came from social media, but for sports sites it was only 5%. Overall search traffic still dominated the majority of unique visitor traffic, however social media unique visitor traffic, while only 11%, was on the rise.

What Xbiz did not highlight was that the study was not specifically related to Adult, and it does not have any figures that highlight the trends in Adult Industry. It was a look at all web traffic to all kinds of sites.

The study was conducted by Outbrain, a company which provides widgets to publishers, designed to keep readers on their sites longer. What the study also published was the chart of the top traffic sources for websites:

Top 20 Traffic Sources from Outbrain

Notice that Facebook is in the top 5 and Twitter is in the top 10.

What they also did not tell you is there is no mention at all of the Adult Industry. In fact, when you look at the findings it actually looks unlikely that they considered Adult entertainment at all.

Does this make the study irrelevant to Adult? No. It is still relevant to some extent – what it does tell you is that SEO is still an important aspect for creating a strong web presence.  In fact, SEO is relevant for social media as well.  Social media is about relationships; SEO is about clicks.

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I heard it from a Porn Star! News of Osama dominates Social Media

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President Obama Twitter Word Map

A Twitter word map of the iconic President Obama portrait. Created by Jeff Clark

On May 1, Sunday night, President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden had been killed by a strategic U.S. strike. This news hit the Internet faster than you can believe. It was all over Twitter and Facebook within seconds of the world wide announcement.

Cries of happiness, support, jubilation, horror, anger, and upset were heard as far and as fast as fingers could tweet. Some people just spread the news, others commented on how the world is a better place without him, some were horrified that people were celebrating a man’s death. No matter how you felt about the announcement, social media was giving a world-wide voice to the news and the range of emotions that followed it.

In fact, the questions  “where were you when you heard…” and “how did you hear?” are already being asked all over the net. Mashable immediately launched a “How did you hear about Bin Laden’s death?” poll.

Want to know how I heard? On Twitter from a porn star!

It is true.  It goes to show that Adult stars participate in world events, just like the rest of us. Right now I feel like I am doing a “See, they [fill in space with mundane activity] like the rest of us” bit from the trash magazines like US Weekly. But it is true.  The Adult Industry participates in major world events and social media trends like the rest of us.  So read how the announcement spread across the social webs and know that the Adult world contributed!

The new spread like wildfire throughout the online world.

President Obama’s announcement was streamed live by the White House, and by the end of the speech tweets reached more than 4000 tweets per second.

Within minutes, someone created an “Osama Bin Laden is DEAD” Facebook fan page and within a couple hours of its creation it had gone viral, with more than a quarter of a million fans.

The hashtag #Osama was trending and occupying 18% of Twitter chatter.

On Foursquare, people started swarming at Ground Zero, and for those of you who don’t know what swarming is, it is when a lot of people (usually more than 10) check into a location at the same time.

Locations on Foursquare were being created called “Osama is dead” and “Osama bin Gonathon” allowing people to check in to a world that did not have Osama Bin Laden in it.

This was a monumental event. Because the world community is online, we are able to experience this momentous occasion together. The voices being shared across the various social networks have created a world unified through a historical event and the solidarity of a true global community.

“[T]onight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.”

– President Obama

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The Reluctant Pornstar

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Elli Nude

Friday Feature Photo: The Sexy Canadian Red-Head, Elli from Ellinude.com

I recently came across an interesting blog, The Reluctant Pornstar. As you can imagine, I was immediately intrigued.  I wondered if it was a blog by a pornstar chronicling her journey through porn, or maybe someone who did erotic photography and was being stigmatized. Perhaps it was a feminist blog about the objectification of women?  What I immediately loved was that I did not know what to expect. What the blog does demonstrate is the power of a good title.

Branding is everything. You can make or break your business and career through it. What this brand made me do was dive into her site so I could learn more.

I discovered that Elli, the Reluctant Pornstar herself, is an adult star. Though, as she will be the first to tell you, she does not identify as one. She has a website that features photos, videos, and webcam of her engaging in sexual acts. Though they mirror a lot of the traditional amateur porn sites, Elli has set herself apart by her non-porn activity.  Besides blogging, she also posts photo essays about everyday life, gardening tips and cooking videos (well, there are also erotic stories).

I have spoken about the importance of being yourself in your branding. Your personality is your biggest asset, and Elli has created a great franchise based around hers.  She is sexy and flirty, a little geeky, witty and generally playful.

Elli NudeSome examples of her reluctant pornstar side, and some of my favorite parts of her website, are her playful videos, like “Flip and Squish Eggs” or “Morning Bum”. I think I like that one because it is so distinctly Canadian.

Elli’s blogs range from everyday life in Vancouver to sexy videos and some of her more salacious exploits. Regardless of the content, they are all distinctly her.

She became the Friday Feature because I wanted to give you an example of how being yourself can be integral to the creation of your personal branding. Elli is able to attract a wide audience because her branding is so unique. The blog allows her to capture both an Adult, and non-adult audience.  Why would you want to capture an audience not looking for Adult content?  Well, if someone likes your blog, and they know that you produce adult content, there is a chance that they will be curious about it. You are more likely to get a longer term subscriber if you capture them with more than just a sexy vid or provocative picture.  If they like YOU then you become the substance behind your product.

Make sure you check out Ellinude.com and follow Eli on Twitter @ElliGirl

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From Hoarders to Whoreders

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Jaime Pressly

Jaime Pressly both funny and sexy

When it comes to movies, almost everyone loves a good parody, whether it be porn or mainstream.  The reason parodies are so great is because they trade on the cultural capital that already exists and then add a whole new level of humor. Sex parodies are even better, because now you are not only adding humor, you are adding sex.

The newest parody, Whoreders, has been released. It is a spoof of the show Hoarders on A&E. But where Hoarders is a depressing show about a serious mental illness, Whoreders is a funny movie about, well…hoarding whores.

As you can imagine, the Twitterverse is filling up with very funny tweets involving this play on words.  But what this really brings to our attention is this:

People love humor.

People love sex.

Ergo, people love funny sex!

This is a truism that can be taken to the bank!… as Whoreders is probably doing.

Lessons for social media

  • Stop trying to be so serious. Lighten up. People get tired of serious.
  • Be funny. Funny is sexy. More often than not people fail at sexy and succeed at being boring or drab.  Instead of trying to be sexy all the time, shake it up a bit and relax. Throw a joke or two into the mix.  Sometimes being  funny is sexier than just being sexy…look at Jaime Pressly
  • Capitalizing on the popularity of something else is a great way to grow your network and engagement. If something is popular, talk about it.  Talking about different topics also helps you seem more diverse.  Plenty of people only talk about sex or their next web show and it just gets dull. Don’t box yourself in. Be multidimensional. Your followers will pay more attention and in turn you will get more clicks.
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Expose Yourself on Video!

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Sexy Adult YoutubeVideo is one of the best ways to use social media. Of course, this is not news for the Adult Industry, however some of the popular content might surprise you.

Though we all love a great porn clip, the reality is we can’t really share that with a lot of people. It is unlikely that I will post it on Facebook, in part because I could get my account deleted. I am not very likely to retweet it, unless I am in the Adult Industry. I am probably not going to email it to everyone I know.  The lesson is simple – content can be limiting.

No one knows what will go viral and what won’t.  Many times a video goes viral because a few influential people saw it and shared it.  But shy of being able to get Conan O’Brien to post your video on Twitter, it is hard to know what will be the next laughing quadruplets or sneezing panda. However, your video doesn’t have to go viral to get great exposure.

Going viral is an issue of popularity (and influence)

Oftentimes, getting a video to go viral is a matter of getting the right person to share it – someone who has both popularity and influence. Once an influential person gives the video social proof by sharing it, then the power of popularity takes over.

Keep in mind that just because a video gets a million views on YouTube, this does not mean that the originators of the video are making any money or getting people to go to their website. No one may know who they are.  They do have the potential to capitalize on the popularity of their video and use it to promote their agenda.  But one of the issues with viral videos is that the original host does not usually remain the only host. In fact, other people posting and sharing the video is the essential element of the viral process. So, even if you placed your website at the beginning or end of the video, if it goes viral it is possible that your info will get edited out.

Great exposure does not have to be viral

This is where influence becomes more important than popularity.  To get exposure for your content you need to make sure that your followers and fans will share it. The chain is simple; I share a video with my followers then they share the video with their friends.

It is called the x250 Rule:

I have 250 friends and they have 250 friends= 250 x 250 = 62,500 people

Though many of us have more than 250 friends or followers, not all of them will share your content. But every person you show your content to has the potential to show it to their friends (who might share it with their friends, and so on). Your video might not go viral in the usual sense, but you can still share it with tens of thousands people!

Make sure your content is sharable

Creating adult content that is universally sharable often means taking the “Adult” out of the content.  However, the content can be as simple as a video blog, filming behind the scenes of your movie shoot, taking some funny home video, etc.  Basically, content that shows your personality. Showing something out of the ordinary is a great way to make it personal and appealing.

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Who you are can make you famous!

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Adult Star and pro-wrestler April Hunter

Feature Friday Photo: The sexy and delectable April Hunter

These days, with everyone who has an Internet connection going online and being content creators, it is getting harder and harder for adult stars to set themselves apart. Finding a niche is vital to separating yourself from the crowd. If there were a magic formula to this, everyone would do it. The trick is to look inside yourself and find that thing that sets you apart and then essentially exploit it.

Finding your thing is the key to success in everything. You have to find what you are good at and then run with it.  The hardest part is committing to it, and taking the time to build your skills and proficiency in your natural talent.

In certain ways the Internet makes it easy to make yourself seem unique and different. A nice website, some good photography and a good copy editor and you can create the illusion of an interesting persona. However, social media busts this personal mythos.

When you use social media, you are actually talking to people. So even if you try to maintain an inventive personality, at some point your real self comes out.  Finding a niche that separates you from the pack needs to come from you.

Many people think this means you need to have a special skill or talent. But this is not true; a niche can be anything from the talkative sweet girl-next-door type whose main skill is chatting you up on Twitter, to the dominatrix who will only talk to you if you say please.  It can truly be anything, but make sure that it is really you.

This week’s Friday Photo features April Hunter.  She has found a niche that is true to herself and is blowing it up!  I was originally going to write a post about the power of YouTube for non-viral video marketing. But now you will have to wait until Monday to read that post. April inspired me to write about the importance of being true to yourself and distinguishing yourself through your own personal niche.

Adult star and pro-wrestler April Hunter

April has created a dynamic career based on her interests. Starting off as a dancer, she realized this was not enough; it wasn’t bringing her the career satisfaction or potential advancement she wanted. So she got into fitness modeling, then became a pro-wrestler.  Now as an adult star, she is all of it and more!

On Twitter she is a great tweep to chat with. Her content is funny and engaging. She shares great pics from her life, and is also really easy to talk to. Her site really shows her passions and her specialty.

In short, April has done an exceptional job of turning her interest into her niche and that niche into a career.

Make sure you visit April’s website: www.aprilhunter.com and chat her up on Twitter @AprilHunter

The takeaway: To set yourself apart, you need to be yourself.

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Facebook lets you evict your fans!

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Sexy fans

Are your fans enthusiastic or crazy spammers?

Facebook has added a great new feature for Fan Pages, the ability to unlike a page or person.  Are spammers plaguing your Fan Page? Do you have fans who post inappropriate content? Now you can do something about it besides just deleting the post.

In February, Facebook made some big changes. One of them was allowing Fan Pages the ability to like other Fan Pages.

Well, some pages started Liking pages and then posting inappropriate content on their wall. The page could remove the content, but they could not do anything about the page that Liked them. So they were being left open to more spam, plus they were also getting associated with these pages by being listed on their Likes. So, for example, if a hate group Liked your page, you would be listed on their page among the pages they Liked. With the Fan Page’s ability to set their featured page, you might even be a featured Like, displayed prominently on their sidebar.

Facebook now allows Fan Pages to remove a Like from their page. You can “unlike” them, even ban someone so they will not be able to post or otherwise interact with your page.

This new feature doesn’t just let you kick people off your page, it will also help you engage better. You can now sort your fans by people and pages, so you can see everyone who Liked your page. This gives you more opportunity to interact with other pages and deepen your Facebook relationships.

Keep in mind, if you are posting content on other people’s pages, you can now be removed. If you get banned by pages, you might also risk catching the attention of Facebook and getting deleted from Facebook for spam. So when you post on another Fan Page wall, make sure it is quality engagement and not spam.

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