As merchants in the masturbation marketplace, we operate in a highly personal arena; but all too often deal with our prospects and customers in an all-too impersonal manner. For some of you, the equation is quite simple: "you sell photos and videos of naked chicks for cash." While this is certainly a recipe for profits, it ignores some fundamental dynamics of personal interaction and the emotions often at play in the consumer's quest for porn.
By now you're asking "What's that hippie chick on about?" Well, I'll tell you: Have you ever considered that people are not just coming to your site "because they want to see porn" – but are coming for a whole variety of reasons, stemming from loneliness, or a desire to validate their self-image ("Hey, I can't be all THAT weird – there's someone else who likes sticking a beer bottle in their ass!"), or to relive a lost love or missed opportunity by fantasizing about a model that looks like their "ex" or "the girl next door..."?
Everyone who visits your site has a reason as different as themselves to do so. These folks are in fact searching for something. They have a need that must be fulfilled – and for many of them, the generic, "one size fits all" approach that most sites take ignores these basic facts about human behavior and emotions – and leaves them wanting.
Personalized Personality Pays
When you start to consider your customers on an emotional level, and realize that they're "people" rather than simply looking at them as "traffic", "hits", "joins", or "exits", you will begin to see enhanced methods for reaching, converting and retaining them. This is something that experienced Web girls have known about and done for years.
You see, amateurs have an edge in that while they're used to marketing themselves and their "personality" – they are also much more exposed to the personality of their loyal members. They realize that their members – some of whom stay around for a year or more – are real people. They may know them by name. They may have met them in person. Regardless, they have "talked" to them.
There is often a level of interaction that builds a "relationship" between model and member that more "mainstream" adult sites simply can't match. Sometimes, it can even be called "friendship." While most Web girls are able to draw a line between the personality they portray online and their "real life" – many members are able to build up a greater importance to this relationship, especially if their experience has been personalized, or tailored to their needs, by a savvy operator. These "personal relationships" pay the rent...
Ask, Don't Tell
"Ask, Don't Tell..." Think about that statement carefully, and it will open your eyes to much of what I'm talking about. You see, most adult sites are run by guys who are "selling porn." Many of these guys see women as "pieces of meat" and tend to treat them that way. They also tend to treat customers the same way, and it shows in their marketing: "CLICK HERE!", "JOIN NOW!" – they bark orders like they are commanding their dog to obey. While it's important to clearly tell the surfer what to do, there are other approaches for other times that'll work better.
For instance, you might see a picture of a sexy girl, with a caption that reads "She'll fuck your lights out!" Sure, that will get some guy's interest, but it's impersonal. Change it to "I'll fuck your lights out!" (a much more personal statement) or even better yet, "Want to fuck my lights out?" – making the surfer feel that he's the one in control, and see how much better you do!
Share The Fantasy
One of the ways in which I interact with members on my own site is through my original erotic stories. Some have had the details slightly altered ("literary license," you know), but with one or two exceptions to feed my personal fantasies, these stories are "true."
In response to some of these stories, I've received member e-mails where folks told me their own fantasies about what they'd like to do to, with, or around me. Many of these guys probably haven't written "a story" since they were in school, but have found an easy way to share their desires in a way that they don't really feel comfortable doing with their wives or lovers.
I think it's pretty cool, really, so I've added an interactive story section where members can publicly post their fantasies – whether I'm included in them or not. "Ongoing" fantasy stories can also be created where members can add to the story line, and plots that I find "entertaining" could easily make their way into upcoming photo / video shoots. In this way, I'm "asking" my members what they want to see, rather than simply feeding them what I want to show them.
This added level of personal interaction increases customer satisfaction, and as a direct consequence, retention.
While most non "real amateur" adult sites simply cannot provide the same level of member interaction that a dedicated single-model or couple's site can, there are an infinite number of tweaks that you can do to make your site's experience more personalized for your members, and more profitable for you. Try to be as creative and interactive as possible when dealing with "your friends," and good luck! ~ Ayrora