It appears there is a discussion on the 30DC forum about adult niches and adult marketing in general. I know a thing or two (but not much more than that ) about promoting adult content on the internet. Before I continue I just want to note that everything that isn’t adult is called mainstream in the industry.

The principles of internet marketing apply to both mainstream and adult content, products, and services. Adult can be divided into countless niches, subniches, and microniches, and some of the methods of earning money (affiliate marketing, PPC ads) are the same, but there are some distinct differences…

The strength of Web 2.0 in terms of traffic potential isn’t nearly as high in adult as it is in mainstream. This is because the biggest Web 2.0 sites don’t do adult. But lately there has been a small boom of YouTube-like sites and Digg-like sites designed specifically for adult.

Adult PPC advertising is also “weaker” compared to its mainstream cousin. You can’t use mainstream ads like AdSense, and you generally earn much less per click. We’re talking a few cents or even less per click, depending on the PPC network. That isn’t to say you can’t make a lot of money from it, but you’d need a ton of traffic to make up for decreased click revenues.

Another thing is that it is sometimes harder to convert in adult. If you are participating in the 30 Day Challenge, you might recall Ed using a 1:200 conversion ratio as “bad numbers.” In adult, 1:200 isn’t great, but it isn’t bad at all.

And let’s not forget the potential legal consequences, which vary according to where you live. After all this, it sounds crazy that anyone would even think about promoting adult content, doesn’t it?

But there are many people who make a decent income from it. Although there isn’t a lot of Web 2.0 traffic, it’s growing. Most people get traffic from link exchanges, gallery/link submissions, directories, or search engines. It’s much easier to get consistent traffic in adult than in mainstream, but it’s harder to convert.

And stereotypes aside, it isn’t as sleazy as most people make it sound. These people just want to make a buck, just like all of us online, but in a different market. And what of spamming? Exploitation of children? There are bad apples in every bunch, adult and mainstream. One remarkable thing about the adult industry is that it’s self-regulating. It isn’t uncommon for webmasters to be in a rouse about a dishonest webmaster or sponsor on one of the many of the industry forums.

Want to learn more? Here are some resources and forums I highly recommend. They aren’t linked but with a quick search you should be able to find them. Although these are forums and informational resources, expect to find some content inappropriate for the work environment or children!

YNOT - A great adult webmaster resource site with a message board.

Cozy Academy - Tons of information on adult webmastering. Also part of a “Cozy” network of sites, all of which you should check out.

Cozy Campus - Friendly message board but very small.

Greenguy and Jim - Adult webmaster site run by two guys in the adult business. Has stats for adult sponsors and hosts a message board.

Netpond
- Overall a great message board with a very friendly atmosphere. Also
has a small subforum dedicated to earning money online with mainstream sites.

GFY Webmaster Board - A very
popular adult webmaster board. Not the greatest place for newbies and
those without a thick skin, but home to a lot of very talented
webmasters and others in the adult industry. Expect to see a lot of that “rousing” I mentioned earlier.

Technorati Tags: Adult Industry, Adult Webmaster, Adult, Mainstream, Affiliate Marketing, Censored, Conversion Ratio

Bookmark or Submit: