opinion

Paying Attention to Online Trends

The Internet moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss the profits that come from it. Popular culture moves more quickly than ever before. Within the space of as little as 24 hours somebody can go from obscurity to national, if not global, fame. For a short period of time they are the hottest topic around until something or somebody else takes over the spotlight. If you keep your eyes open for opportunities, those 15 minutes can translate into profit.

As always has been the case with Internet marketing, identifying targets is the primary key to success. In the past, I would play the long game and use methods such as keyword suggestion tools to determine which sites to build. Google and other search engines took such a long time to reward my efforts that it only made sense. These days though, Google moves just as about as fast as we do and that opens the door nicely to profiting from topics with short but intense shelf lives.

Training yourself to be an online trend spotter is going to lead you to topics with the most potential.

Training yourself to be an online trend spotter is going to lead you to topics with the most potential. We are in a time when we don’t have to guess what people are talking about. Social media has become the water coolers of modern society. Rather than being somebody that complains about hash tags or feeds being filled with repetitive topics be the one that takes notice and does something to make those topics go to work for you.

Countless times my Facebook feed has lit up with topics that hold no real interest to me but which have clearly hit a nerve with the general public. These are the moments when I start paying attention to where and how I am seeing the topic or meme being referenced. When I see it jump from the internet to being alluded to in popular offline media then I know for sure that it is time to take advantage of the hype.

A recent example of this was the rant letter Rebecca Martinson wrote to her Delta Gamma sorority sisters. For a few days, if you went anywhere on social media it couldn’t be escaped. Twitter was buzzing both about the letter and Martinson’s own Twitter interactions. Facebook was full of people passing their discovery of the story onto their friends.

When I knew for certain that it was time to act was a few days later when I was watching “The Daily Show” and they — albeit in a loosely censored way — used the phrase “cunt punt,” which had been included in the letter. When something enters the general lexicon like that, there is no question that people will be filling search engine boxes with related terms.

Once a hot topic is chosen, it is much like any other type of Internet marketing just at an escalated pace. Finding a niche to exploit within the larger topic is often the way to cut through the competition. In the case of the sorority letter, I knew that I would be competing with all the mainstream buzz sites for Martinson and Delta Gamma terms.

“Cunt punt,” however, was being used throughout social media but was going to be too much for most of those sites to touch or they would censor it to the point of not mattering.

A quick visit to a domain registrar and a relevant domain was purchased and a site was up on it by the end of the day. It takes next to no money or effort and if the offer on the page if in some way related to the traffic, for example pushing a sorority themed paysite to Martinson traffic , then it shouldn’t take long at all to see results. The traffic will come fast and most of it will trail off after a short period but if played right that could be a period of high profit.

With so much information flooding social media, it can sometimes be difficult to keep track of why some topics and memes keep showing up. Sites such as KnowYourMeme.com and OnlineSlangDictionary.com are useful tools for when you need some clarification. Twitter trends are probably the area that can result in most scratching of the head. At those times, WhatTheTrend.com is the place to go to help sort the junk topics from those which may have earning potential.

Playing the long game with most sites is still sensible but if you keep yourself alert to what is going on around you, mixing in some short term successes can make a real difference.

Sarah Jayne Anderson is HustlerCash.com’s affiliate manager.

Related:  

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

To Cloud or Not to Cloud, That Is the Question

Let’s be honest. It just sounds way cooler to say your business is “in the cloud,” right? Buzzwords make everything sound chic and relevant. In fact, someone uninformed might even assume that any hosting that is not in the cloud is inferior. So what’s the truth?

Brad Mitchell ·
opinion

Upcoming Visa Price Changes to Registration, Transaction Fees

Visa is updating its fee structure. Effective April 1, both the card brand’s initial nonrefundable application fee and annual renewal fee will increase from $500 to $950. Visa is also introducing a fee of 10 cents for each transaction, and 10 basis points — 0.1% — on the payment volume of certain merchant accounts.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

Unpacking the New Digital Services Act

Do you hear the word “regulation” and get nervous? When it comes to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), you shouldn’t worry. If you’re complying with the most up-to-date card brand regulations, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

The Perils of Relying on ChatGPT for Legal Advice

It surprised me how many people admitted that they had used ChatGPT or similar services either to draft legal documents or to provide legal advice. “Surprised” is probably an understatement of my reaction to learning about this, as “horrified” more accurately describes my emotional response.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
profile

WIA Profile: Holly Randall

If you’re one of the many regular listeners to Holly Randall’s celebrated podcast, you are already familiar with her charming intro spiel: “Hi, I’m Holly Randall and welcome to my podcast, ‘Holly Randall Unfiltered.’ This is the show about sex, the adult industry and the people in it.

Women In Adult ·
trends

What's Hot Now: Leading Content Players on Trending Genres, Monetization Strategies

The juggernaut creator economy hurtles along, fueled by ever-ascendant demand for personality-based authenticity and intimacy — yet any reports of the demise of the traditional paysite are greatly exaggerated.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

An Ethical Approach to Global Tech Staffing

One thing my 24-year career as a technologist working to support the online adult entertainment industry has taught me about is the power of global staffing. Without a doubt, I have achieved significantly more business success as a direct result of hiring abroad.

Brad Mitchell ·
opinion

Finding the Right Payment Partner

Whenever I am talking with businesses that are just getting started, one particular question comes up a lot: “How do I get a merchant account?” It’s a simple question, but it has a complicated answer.

Jonathan Corona ·
opinion

The Taxman Cometh for Every Business

February may be the month of romance, but it is also a time when we need to think about something that inspires very little love: taxes. April is not far away, and the taxman is always waiting. This year, federal and most state income taxes are due Monday, April 15.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

The Continuous Journey of Legal Compliance in Adult

The adult entertainment industry is teeming with opportunity but is also fraught with challenges, from anticipating consumer behavior to keeping up with technological innovation. The most labyrinthine of all challenges, however, is the world of legal compliance.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
Show More