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Being Interviewed on The Elm Avenue Show

On Wednesday I am going to be interviewed by Elm Avenue. This is a online video interview show that talks to people in the adult entertainment industry to help educate people who are interested in learning more about the adult industry. The show was started by Extralunchmoney.com founder Benic Way. The idea came from the launch of Extra Lunch Money. When Benic and his partner Eric were starting the business, only one of them had experience in the adult industry. As two good tech savvy people they hopped on Google and started to research.

For any of you who have ever tried to research actual adult business, and were not just looking for porn, you will know that the information out there is sparse. Often times people have to go to the conferences and attend panel after panel to learn about the inner workings of the industry. As a frequent panelist, I can tell you that they are an amazing resource and give you direct access to many of the leading industry experts. However, not everyone can afford the time or money to go. Not to mention that you might not want to wait until the next conference to learn about the industry.

Benic and Eric decided if they were going to do the research they should contribute back to the community and share their knowledge. Much like industry blogs…like this one…there are many people who want to share their knowledge and help other people navigate the murky business waters. However, the issue in adult is there are not many industry blogs that share inside information. Though more are coming into development all the time. I even know of some interesting adult business communities that are in development. 😉

Launching Elm Avenue was a great way to get even more in depth information from people within the industry.

On Wednesday I am going to be one of Benic’s featured guests. So stayed tuned and I will blog about the interview and share the links next week!

And if you are wondering why it is called the ELM Avenue Show.. ELM – Extra Lunch Money. 🙂

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!

The Phoenix Forum and the Importance of Conferences

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Feature Friday Photo: Ruby Violence

Friday Feature Photo: Coquettish and fetish, all wrapped into one; the exquisite Ruby Violence.  

Next week I am heading to Arizona for The Phoenix Forum, a networking and educational business event for the Adult Industry.  Though I was hoping to speak at the event, I will have to settle for simply attending (well, that’s what happens when you ask too late).  It should be a great opportunity to have some in-depth discussions on business trends and social media.

I really enjoy going to conferences. They are an excellent way to network, make some great business connections, make new friends, learn about up-and-coming trends in the industry and get your face in front of people. As a social media strategist, I spend most of my time behind a computer screen, so being able to get my face in front of people really helps! Plus, I love opportunities to talk to people about what they are doing and have some off-the-cuff social media discussions.

This weekend is Adultcon. I wish I were able to go to this conference as well. One of the challenges is deciding which conferences you are going to attend – they can be expensive, time-consuming and energy-consuming.  It is not possible to attend all of them, unless you are a professional conference-goer. Most of us still have to work when we are not conferencing (and even when we are), so balancing the work and travel can be challenging.

How to Evaluate a Conference

  1. How important is it? Some conferences are really big and significant to the industry. These should be priority.
  2. Is it important to you? Some conferences might be really important to fans and stars, but not to businesses. Make sure you know why you are going; attend the conferences that meet your needs.
  3. How much time and money can you can invest? Like I said, conferencing is expensive. We would all love it if someone were paying all our expenses, but that is not usually the case.  Take a look at how much time you can afford to be away from your daily life, because when you are conferencing you are not doing your regular business. Then take a look at how much you can afford to spend. The costs add up quickly: registration, travel, hotel, car rental, food, entertainment: what seemed like a nice $300 trip just cost you $2000.
  4. Are the business connections important? Sometimes you choose to go to a conference not because of the content it is offering, but because of what its attendees are offering.  Take a look at who is going and if there are people important to your business or brand then you might want to make an appearance. Conferences are about networking, so make sure the networking is valuable.

I decided that The Phoenix Forum is crucial for me, mainly for the networking. I already have some important meetings set up and am looking forward to the new connections I will make.

While I am there I will also take advantage of what the conference is offering. Some of the seminars I am thinking of attending are:

  • Frenemies- Learning from your competition or arch-rivals
  • Technology and Monetization: A 2 Way Street
  • Listening to the consumer Are your price models effective? Learning from consumer spending habits.
  • Head in the Cloud- integrating cloud computing
  • Dot XXX How is .XXX affecting your business?

I am also planning on going to the YNot Grand Prix. This will be my first Grand Prix, so I am pretty excited. Remember, networking is as much about being social as it is about talking business. So make sure you go to social events, but don’t burn yourself out. Ultimately you are there for your business, brand or personal promotion. Don’t let the parties get in the way of your goals.

I’ll head out to Phoenix on Wednesday and will dive into networking and conferencing first thing on Thursday. I already have some great meetings on my schedule, but am looking forward to those that will come up spontaneously . If you’ll be at the forum next week and would like to meet, make sure you email or tweet me.

I will be blogging about the conference and will be live tweeting the entire time. Hopefully, I’ll have some great information to share. I will keep you posted!


Friday Feature Photo: Ruby ViolenceThe fabulous Ruby Violence is the Feature Friday Photo.  Ruby and I met through Twitter when I tweeted about her being on the cover of the new DVD, Girlfiends #9. An avid tweeter, @rubyviolence is a great person to tweet with, quick to respond and a good conversationalist. Her website has a lot of  content, from videos to pictures, and a great blog that gives you tantalizing previews of her site.  Ruby’s blog not only previews sexy vids and pics, but she shares insights about her photo and video shoots. Her philosophy is “Violently Sexy”, which says that women can be beautiful and sexy without being ‘sluts’ or ‘whores’; they can be sweet and pure and still be strong. This ethos is captured in her photos and her demeanor.

Go to her website: www.rubyviolence.com

Talk to her on Twitter: @rubyviolence

Tweet Dirty to Me at Exxxotica Miami

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Exottica Miami Seminar: Hot to Get into Adult A to Z

Learn about getting into the Industry from highly specialized business experts.

7 Veils is coming to Miami!  I will be presenting as part of Michael Fattorosi’s seminar series, “Getting into Adult – A to Z“.  Michael is heading up and moderating this 3 day workshop. He’s an Adult Industry lawyer, and you can find him on Twitter @pornlaw.

Getting into Adult – A to Z will teach you how to get into the Industry, in front of and behind the cameras. There will be valuable discussions about business strategy and career management.  Definitely a great opportunity to speak to highly specialized Industry professionals about your adult career, and get some personalized advice and tips.

I will be presenting: Tweet Dirty to Me: learn to use Social Media to get the clicks. You will learn how to use Social Media to reach your audience, get people to talk to you, promote your brand, and of course get them to click your links!

I will post more about the event as we get closer, and I am very excited to be taking part in this conference. Let me know if you’ll be attending!  While I am there, hit me up about your social media strategy – I just might have some good suggestions!

Google+ Pages: Step-by-Step

It looks like Google Plus is not going to be a Facebook clone after all! The network is pleasantly surprising me with the friendliness of the network to adult entertainment.

Difference from Facebook

  • Pages growing 5 times faster
  • Engagement is lower
  • Clicks are comparable
  • Allow adult links (though they say they don’t in the TOS, they network is being very tolerant)
  • When they suspend a page they give you the option to protest it and get your page reinstated (this usually happens within 24 hours)
  • You can use hashtags
  • You can post in topic related searches. This means if you search for #dating then post while in that search, your post will be tagged by that search making your post more topic related.
  • Indexing to Google immediately upon posting

So if you have not gotten your business on Google+ it is time to join the party. Here is how:

Ready to get your Google+ Business Page?

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

Google+ Pages Create a Page1 . Sign up: Go to: http://www.google.com/+/business/

  • Click “Create your Goolge+ Page”

Google+ Page Categories

3. Category: Select the main category for your page.

  • Local Business or Place- this is for if you are primarily local or have a physical location.
  • Product or Brand- if you are creating a page for one specific product item or for a brand.
  • Company, Institution or Organization- this is the general business category
  • Arts, Entertainment or Sports- anything having to do with these categories, though often these are people like artists and musician or groups of people like a sports team.
  • Other- If you just don’t quite fit anywhere, you can assign your own category.

4. Sub-Category: After you select a main category you will be able to select a sub category that best describes you.

5. Page Name: Enter in your page name. This is what everyone will see as your page name and how people will find you. Do not make it too complicated and keep it to something that is easy to remember. Tip: Do not put XXX or Sex or really anything that seems to be obviously porn related in the name. That is a sure fire way to get your page removed.

6. URL: Enter in the URL for your website.

7. Age Restriction:You can opt to have age restriction on your page. This is good if you talk about mature issues, alcohol or drugs. The ages restrictions available are 13+, 18+ and 21+. Tip: Best to keep the wolves at bay! Set your page to 18+.

8. Profile Photo: Your profile photo is your face to the world. You may want to put your logo in here, or a picture of you. But whatever you decide make sure that the picture is square. Unlike Facebook, Google+ Pages give limited real estate to your pic. You can make this sexy, but keep it PG13. You don’t want your profile pic to be the reason your new page gets deleted.

9. Tag Line: This is where you get to put some quick little tid bit about your business. Think of this as your elevator pitch. You want something that describes your page and essentially draws someone into the page. This is a good place to be fun and flirty.

That’s it!