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Overcoming the Savvy Surfer
by Kath Blackwell
It's easy to be an adult webmaster when your days are spent herding
bedazzled surfers through your sites.
But what happens when you come across a "savvy surfer?" One who knows
the tricks, is wise to the game and refuses to be filtered, sold or
moved? Here are some tips that will help you get the most out of today's
smarter surfers, and get them to go where you want them to go, doing
what you wish them to do, and most important - get them to help make
YOU some money while providing a quality product or service!
Despite the new FTC regulations that prohibit practices such as vicious
circle jerks or console hells, surfers are becoming wise to the sales
tactics of the typical adult webmaster. In order to survive you need
to become aware of this fact, and find fresh new ways to overcome
it. This industry is all about evolution and re-birth. You need to
stay on your toes and be ready to roll with the punches, if you want
to continue to find success.
Today's surfer not only KNOWS about consoles, fake top lists and the
best ways to avoid getting sent off to a sponsor, but he also knows
where to find all the FREE content and how NOT to have to pay for
it. Your mission - should you agree to accept it - will be to slap
those surfers around, show them who's boss and let them know that
they ain't seen nothing yet! Of prime importance in this endeavor,
is creating a legitimate product of value that not only inspires a
join, but results in a satisfied consumer and a recurring income stream.
Change the Map - Build NEW Roads!
Don't be predictable. There's a set pattern for the typical adult
site: index to main page, main page to galleries or other forms
of content. After surfing about twenty typical sites, it's easy
for the average surfer to "get" how this works. So, throw in a few
curves here and there. Toss in a full-page ad between your index
and main page - or between the main page and the galleries. Create
your own mini-tour for the surfers to follow that sells them on
your sponsors and introduces new niches, site options or products
that you're promoting.
Get Creative - Find FRESH Ways to Advertise!
Have you ever seen the commercial awards that they have on TV every
year? The freshest and most creative commercials are the ones who
win these awards. There's no reason why your site has to be filled
with the same standard ads that everyone else's sites are sporting.
Get creative - make something in Flash - or talk to your sponsors
about adding some fresh ideas to their line-up, or customizing some
ads just for your sites. You can wait for them to create something
new or you can go out on a limb and make a splash with something
all your own. Of course, always get your sponsor's permission before
doing anything different, but you will find that your creativity
will be rewarded and that even the most savvy of surfers will ultimately
click on something NEW just to see what it's about.
Throw Him Off Guard!
Your savvy surfer may be expecting full-page ads, consoles that
pop or Flash-versions of popular site ads. So...you may need to
take it one step further. Find fresh ways to let your surfer know
that he hasn't seen it all and that you still have a few tricks
up your sleeve. Get creative with your galleries - USE your content
to sell those sponsor memberships. Don't be afraid to think outside
the box or color outside the lines. Innovation and creativity is
what built this industry - and your hard work will be appreciated.
Catch them off guard and get them to click and move through the
site WHERE you want them to be, WHEN you want them to go, and they
will happily follow your lead. Every surfer is hoping to find something
new every time they sit down at their computer.
Make Him an Offer He Can't Refuse!
A lot of savvy surfers got that way through years of surfing experience.
Some were "burned" by bad businesses that have now gone by the wayside,
but the scars still remain. It's your job to make your sponsorship
offers so easy that the surfer overcomes his own objections and
becomes interested in what you have to offer. Choose sponsors that
give multiple payment options: credit card, online checks, dialers,
pay by phone, Pay Pal, etc. The more options available, the less
chance you'll offend him by not offering something he can work with,
and the better the chance he'll be able to join. Make sure to talk
about that sponsor's customer service policies - create a special
page that discusses anything that might cause a surfer to back off
and run away scared. Reassure him that he can cancel without hassle
and that renewal incentives will be available if he chooses to stay.
Reassure him, convince him - and sell him!
Of course there are some surfers who just won't be sold. No matter
what you do they won't fall for your advertising schemes, get dazzled
by your creativity or become reassured by your information. Some
are just so tainted by their experience with free-for-all links
lists, TGP galleries galore and other free content that they refuse
to ever become a conversion.
So what do you do with the ultimate in savvy surfers? You get them
off your site as soon as possible. Find ways to detour those bandwidth-sucking
leaches from your pages, and get them to a blind link sponsor, a
doorway page to another site to throw them off guard - or just provide
an exit from the inside so that they can find the door as quickly
as possible. This type of surfer is nothing but trouble, and unless
you can shake him from your pages, he'll continue to suck bandwidth
for as long as he's allowed.
In order to overcome the savvy surfer, you need to become an even
more-savvy webmaster. Study the tricks of the trade, always be creative,
and you will learn that you can overcome just about anything.
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