With the discussion focusing on TGPs and legal factors, Lensman, who's company is known for its "soft" approach, stated that "Our galleries are non-explicit but we use very compelling trailers," as he brought up another issue – asking about the potential impact that an enforceable "harmful to minors" law would have on TGPs and their frequently explicit gallery presentations.
Eric from Adult.com commented that adult Webmasters would simply need to "...go back to the days of the tease," adding that "From a business standpoint, you have to protect yourself."
Moving onward from legal issues regarding traffic sources, the panel switched to a discussion of current traffic management techniques and non-traditional traffic sources, with Andreas from Naughty America opining that "You should really look into using peer-to-peer (P2P) networks to get traffic." This is an area in which once again adult leads the way: whereas the traditional music industry sees P2P as a negative thing which costs them money, savvy adult marketers find it the perfect viral marketing medium. Andreas added "Use DRM to pop your join page then trade your files on Kazaa."
Lens asked about gallery listings and using DRM to pop a join page after the surfer plays a video file, to which Scott from SleazyDream replied "...as long as it's not pissing off the surfer..." Most folks felt that popping a join page from a file that was saved from a free gallery was an acceptable and profitable way of generating productive traffic.
The discussion went from DRM and P2P to the use of e-mail as a marketing tool, with Andreas offering that "If you have your own site, get an e-mail collection script and start building a legitimate mail list." Lensman agreed, saying "The future is bright for mail," and added "Have a solo-girl site? Pop a 'Get My Newsletter!' exit – and respect your opt-outs..."
Andreas commented that his program relies on Webmaster affiliates to provide traffic: "We really depend on Webmasters to send us traffic... we build sites that convert and let other people send us traffic, because at the end of the day, traffic is worthless if you have nowhere to send it."
Lensman asked the panel "Is the gallery submitting business still alive and well?" to which Eric replied that the important thing was to be able to effectively handle the amount, type and quality of the traffic that you will receive from the TGPs, saying "Take in and monetize your traffic when you get it... TGP traffic is still there – and even if you don't make a sale, you're still shooting out an exit."
Lensman had some advice for real amateur site operators in need of traffic; "If you're running a solo girl or couple's site, get a listing on The Hun and get ready to burn some bandwidth." He also added that "If you're submitting a free gallery listing to The Hun, get crazy with it – you'll have a much better chance of getting listed, and a better chance of making a sale if you do."
Mark from CyberCat commented on an easy technique for handling TGP surfers: "Take them straight to your join page from your gallery – not your front page – remember, you've only got 46 seconds to make a sale... This is an impulse buy – just keep pushing them the way you want them to go, and you've got a damn good chance of making a buck!"
Scott reminded the audience to not forget the basics: "Search Engine and type-in traffic is more valuable because your site is the first thing they see that day." Lensman agreed, adding "You've always got to be thinking about new ways to get traffic – be innovative!"
Addressing the issue of attracting Webmaster traffic, Lensman stated that "We run the biggest Webmaster message board at GFY and folks who come and post get tons of business..." Eric agreed, "Make sure that you have all the basics covered, including banners, content, etc. and Webmasters will support you – it's all about relationships!"
After closing comments from the panelists, the floor was opened to questions from the audience about their specific circumstances – and therein lies one of the biggest benefits of attending the seminars at these industry events: being able to get immediate opinions in response to your questions. Hopefully, we'll see you at the next seminar series! ~ Stephen
