Adult entertainment has always been on the leading edge of technology and social trends. Right now, cam models lead the pack in social media marketing, using online platforms more effectively than a lot of big businesses, in terms of converting fans and followers into paying customers.
There’s never been marketing technology that allowed direct, one-on-one interaction with individuals, as well as channels to reach global mass markets in real time. For the first time, models can be in total control of their branding and marketing. With digital technology, models even can process their own fees for custom content or merch.
“If you go my direction, you have to promote yourself,” said independent model Sierra Lovelea. “Do so on Twitter, Fetlife, or Facebook (if you can). Find a good payment system. Never use Paypal! I use Giftrocket and Skrill or take Amazon giftcards.”
So, what’s new? Mainstream marketers are just catching on, but lots of models are already using Snapchat.
Like Instagram, Snapchat is perfect for models and creatives because it’s a messaging platform that’s primarily image- and video-based and highly mobile. There are tons of image-editing features, filters, special effects, custom emoji, geo-filtering, and lots more cool toys to play with while you create, quick, high-impact snaps.
Unlike Instagram, when you send a snap or message to friend(s), once it’s viewed, it’s deleted. You also can set the amount of time your snap will be available for viewing. The advantage to temporary content like this is it creates compelling motivation for users to view your snap immediately. To make it work best, your content should be highly targeted at your Snapchat peeps. On Snapchat, you’re marketing, literally, in real time.
You can add snaps to your Stories section, which hosts them for 24 hours. You also can save images and videos in Memories, and there’s the newly improved Chat 2.0 feature to message friends.
When choosing your Snapchat username, pick one that’ll really work for you because you won’t be able to change it (and you’ll have to start a whole new profile if you’re forced to change). Unlike other social networks, users must search you out by username, so you want to make it easy for them to find you if they are looking for you by username. You also can look people up by “Snapcode” — the quick, easy way to look up users.
Here’s the catch: like Facebook, Snapchat has policies prohibiting pornographic material, plus a whole long list of other stuff. Sixty percent of 13- to 24-year-old mobile users are on Snapchat, so you’ll want to be clever and keep your snaps PG-rated while playing up personality and promos.
Seventy-seven percent of surveyed college students said they use Snapchat daily. Especially if you connect with users involved in activities you enjoy, too — gaming, skate or surf culture, music, cosplay, whatever — Snapchat is a no-brainer for quick messages you can send just a few times a day.
Marketers find behind-the-scenes, candid, reality-style marketing is most successful on Snapchat, because Millennials react to and trust messages that are authentic. Some influential Snapchatters are emerging as stars in their own right, like DJ Kahleed, who reportedly attracts 3 million to 4 million viewers to some of his most popular snaps.
With 100 million users and growing, Snapchat is probably around to stay for a little while. It may not allow the freedom of tools like Twitter, but it’s a platform to consider for expanding your personal brand.
