Internet porn is a ... dollar ... Is it because the average young man's thirst for porn and sex is ... in a word, yes ...But there's more to it than that. It's also that
Internet porn is a multi-billion dollar industry. Is it because the average
young man's thirst for porn and sex is instatiable?
Well, in a word, yes ...
But there's more to it than that. It's also that porn marketers are simply
brilliant. Sometimes they're shameless and unethical, but they're still
brilliant.
The following two tactics are quite controversial ...
Their ethics are questionable ...
But the fact remains that they are driving the billion-dollar Internet porn
industry and making their owners a fortune.
Non-porn Internet Marketers can learn from these tactics to boost their sales
as well.
I don't condone the use of these tactics, but I do condone adapting them!
You may have to adjust them to suit your industry and your personal ethical
boundaries, but with a little imagination you should have no problem boosting
your response dramatically with these tactics.
1. Tricky Credit Card Upgrades
How it Works
You're surfing along and you're hot for the full length version of that short
sexy video clip you just watched.
All of a sudden, before you can view it, you find you've got one quick step
before you can get the goods.
For one of several reasons, you're asked for your credit card and you happily
give it. A few days later, your card is charged for a full one year's subscription.
The reason for giving them the credit card varies.
It could be that they need to verify that you're 18 years of age, so they ask
for a valid credit card number to prove that you are.
It could be that they are offering a $1 trial for the first few days of access ...
What they don't reveal in the fine print is that if you don't cancel in a few
days your card will be billed.
And billed.
And billed.
Great for the porn sites.
Bad for unsuspecting consumers.
Problems
30 days later you get your credit card bill and you don't, ahem, recognize the
charge. What do you do? You ask for a chargeback, of course.
The trickier and more deceptive you are at getting your customers to shell out
their money, the more likely they are to ask for a chargeback.
How to Adapt and Adjust
Ethical marketers still use this kind of tactic in order to make it easier for
consumers to make a buying decision.
Here are some guidelines:
a. Make sure people understand up front what they're getting into.
If they don't, they're just going to complain later. Be up front and honest.
Yes, you can get them to give their credit card for a trial, but you need to
let them know that's what's happening.
b. Make a great product.
People ask for chargebacks if they don't remember the charge. They also do it
if the charge was for a product that sucked.
Don't suck.
Make products that make people happy and do what you can to take care of your
customer after the sale.
This way you get the best of both worlds. You get the increased sales of
aggressive tactics *and* you get happy customers.
c. Offer refunds quickly and easily.
If someone wants their money back, why fight it? You could acquire two new
customers in the time it would take you to win over an angry one.
Do your best to make them happy, but if they don't respond to your overtures
quickly, just let them go.
2. File Sharing Hijacking
How it Works
You're on your favorite file-sharing system trying to download a song by your
favorite artist. You load the file and suddenly find out it's a clip from a
porn film with the command to visit a website to see the full length clip.
Problems
Obviously if someone expects a song from Coldplay and gets a video from
Jenna Jameson they might be a little miffed.
But are they? Obviously it must be working or people wouldn't be doing it.
Perhaps it's just that people are so drawn to porn that they overlook it.
At any rate, I don't recommend trying this for yourself. That is, unless you
adjust it a bit ...
How to Adapt and Adjust
The ethical analogue to this is fusion.
Fusion Marketing is when you see one company riding along the advertising of
another.
For example, when you see movies advertised on the cups of soft drinks served
at McDonalds, that is Fusion Marketing.
When you see films advertising products subtly (and sometimes not so subtly)
in the contents of the film that's Fusion as well.
So, what's the difference?
The difference is that Fusion marketing still gives people what they are
asking for. You don't walk in expecting a film and walk out finding you've
seen a commercial (unless you just viewed Fahrenheit 9/11). If you do,
you're angry.
The Fusion Marketer still gives you the film (what you want) *and* rides
along with his marketing message (the advertisement).
Porn purveyors are advertising one thing and giving another (the good old
"bait and switch") which is sure to aggravate your customers.
How can you use legitimate Fusion Marketing to boost your business?
