The G-RATED
Secrets of the SEX SITES
Kevin Bidwell

Most of us don't like to talk about it. We try to pre- tend that it's not a fact of Internet life. But the truth is the Web is LOADED with sexually explicit sites. And some of these sites are making a BOATLOAD of money.

A couple of months ago I decided to look and see if I could figure out how these sites make so much money and if there were some things I could learn from them to make my own sites more profitable.

The astounding truth I found out is that ANY SITE could use some VERY POWERFUL techniques THAT ARE COMPLETELY G-RATED to pull in BIG DOLLARS on the web.

Here I will give you FIVE PROVEN MONEYMAKERS THAT YOU CAN USE TO MAKE YOUR SITE A MONEYMAKING MACHINE. You can STEAL THESE SUCCESS SECRETS and put them to work on your site. JUST MAKE SURE NOT TO TELL YOUR COMPETITORS.

Ready? Let's go...

SUCCESS SECRET NUMBER ONE: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

Well, duh.

This is basic marketing, yet it is often overlooked.

I have been using NoMoreHits and StartBlaze to promote my sites. I have been happy with both, and I would recommend them. NoMoreHits has produced better im- mediate results while StartBlaze has a better long- term plan.

[ If you have never used a start page rotator to market your site, you should give it a try. A start page ro- tator simply causes you to see a different page every time you initiate your browser (Internet Explorer or Netscape, etc.) Every time you "open" your browser you get a credit, which is then used to show your page to someone else. Once you start referring others you can get some serious, good quality traffic. I am seeing GOOD results (several thousand hits) from both of these start page rotators.]

Anyway, after I had begun to look at the pages that people were submitting to these "start page rotators" I was amazed. A fairly large number of people put up a page trying to get people to join NoMoreHits or StartBlaze--the very programs they were being adver- tised on! They had not bothered to consider that in order to be viewing the page, the person they were trying to "sell" to had to be a member already.

You need to spend a little time thinking about who your customers will be. Once you have figured out how they heard about you, you can know how to respond to them.

For every source of traffic to my sites, I have a dif- ferent doorway page. The reason for this is simple: someone who comes from a banner ad is a different kind of prospect than someone who comes from a start page rotator or a search engine.

I even have a different page for most of my search engine terms. People searching for information on Web Hosting shouldn't go to the same page as people looking for information on Starting A Business--though they can get both on my site. I want to send people directly to the information they are looking for and sell them my products from there.

REMEMBER: Every time your prospect has to go to ANOTHER PAGE before he finds what he is looking for, you have another chance of losing him. Every time he finds what he is looking for IMMEDIATELY and then is directed to other parts of your site he might ALSO like, you have another chance to SELL to him.

When you think about how people are hearing about you it is pretty easy to think about who they are and what they will need to see for you to close the sale.

Are your customers going to be men or women? Young or old? Are they buying for themselves or someone else? Most of these questions you already know the answer to or you can get with just a little effort.

This brings us to the SECOND SUCCESS SECRET...

USE CAPTIVATING SALES COPY.

Once you have figured out who is coming to your site and what they might be interested in, YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO WRITE IN A COMPELLING WAY.

You have about 10 seconds to get their attention or they will leave the site. 10 seconds. How can you get it done in that length of time?

Use an attention-grabbing headline.

Use words that GRAB, HOLD and WON'T LET GO. What are these MAGIC WORDS? Here is a partial list:

You, Ultimate, Free, Master, Power, Discovery, Easy, Guaranteed, Love, Money, New, Scientific, Proven, Results, Incredible, Discover, Breakthrough, Secret, Private, Cash, Shocked, Shocking, Revealed, Uncovered, Hidden, Profit's Inside

Use these kinds of words to create headlines that PULL the prospect into the page. Let's see if we can write one for a very OFFLINE product. Let's use one of those new canvas folding chairs--I don't think you can get much more boring than that!

IF YOU DON'T LOVE OUR NEW SCIENTIFICALLY ENGINEERED BACKSAVER LOUNGER, IF YOU DON'T THINK IT IS THE MOST INCREDIBLE, THE MOST LUXURIOUS, THE MOST RELAXING PORTABLE CHAIR YOU'VE EVER SUNK INTO--WE'LL GIVE IT TO YOU FREE.

No matter how little you care about folding chairs, you will probably read a little more just to see what is so special about the "BACKSAVER". If I had to write a shorter headline I might go with:

I think you get the idea.

The important thing is to GET PEOPLE TO READ YOUR SALES COPY. If they don't read your copy they will not buy. Period.

The next success secret can't apply to EVERYONE, but many can use it...

PROVIDE INSTANT ACCESS TO YOUR PRODUCT.

One thing that almost every sex site seems to have in common: INSTANT ACCESS. There are several reasons why this will make your site money:

• It makes the product more of an IMPULSE BUY.
  
  This is the reason that Kendra won't send me to the grocery store--she will make out a completely list of EVERYTHING we need, but the Double Chocolate Fudge ice cream is right next to the frozen broccoli. You get the idea.
  
  
• It provides immediate customer satisfaction.
  
  If you can INSTANTLY provide your product, right when they are in the mood to buy, you will have less returns and more satisfied customers. It's just good business.
  
  
• It makes your company look GOOD.
  
  When you customer goes to your site, puts in his card info and immediately gets to download your product, it makes your company look like a SLICK OPERATION. And that means that he is more likely to purchase your follow-up products.

Cha-ching.

What? You don't have follow-up products? That brings us to our next success secret...

SELL TO YOUR CUSTOMERS

Most of the successful sex sites are on an "autobill" plan--meaning that they bill your card each month unless you tell them differently. Think about what that means for just a minute: One customer signs up at $ 9.95 per month. Not a bunch of money. But, if he doesn't cancel his membership for 6-12 months they have made $ 60 to $ 120 from JUST ONE CUSTOMER. Not bad.

You can do the same.

If you have an ongoing service that you provide, con- sider autobilling each month. The retention rate can be fairly high and it will make you more money per customer. More people are willing to spend $ 10 per month than $ 60 for a six month membership.

If you have a "one-time" product, consider offers that will complement the first product and market those to your customers.

It will make you a BOATLOAD of money.

Now, speaking of customers, that brings us to success secret number five:

FIND A NICHE MARKET

Not all of the sex sites are making money. In fact, most are not.

That may surprise you.

The truth is that the porn industry on the Web is in- credibly competitive. The only new sites that have a chance to make it today are ones targeted to a smaller, more concentrated market.

I won't go into details here, but I think you get my point.

If you want to be successful, become a specialist. Get a specific niche market that you OWN. That will provide you with LIFETIME, LOYAL customers and you will have much less competition.

What is a niche market?

I was watching a TV show recently--I think it was on the Discovery channel--on custom crafted motorcycles.

It was all about a shop that builds custom cycles to a clients' particular specs.

What impressed me most was not the bike shop--though it was unbelievable--it was the fact that they sent all the seats to one guy to be made. He is the one guy in the country who is known to make the best custom seats.

And that is all he does.

Can you imagine telling your spouse, "Honey, I want to start a business. I want to make one-of-a-kind, custom motorcycle seats"? Yet, that is exactly all he does.

Since he's the best, everyone comes to him and he makes a mint.

If you can own a niche market--or even a healthy part of one--you can become a wealthy person.

Can we learn something from the seamier side of the Internet? I think we can. If we are willing to take ourselves, our business and our customers more seriously we can use some of the same techniques to produce MONUMENTAL results.

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