The way content is being viewed by end users is shifting and Clayman urged all in the adult industry to acknowledge the changes and, rather than fearing them, take advantage of the many ways these changes can improve companies.
"Internet users are absolutely getting more educated," Clayman advised the crowd. Users know what they want and it's up to content providers to do extra work to give them exactly what they are looking for, or risk losing them, he said.
The biggest change Clayman said he's seen in the past several years is the growth of Internet content and sites that are attracting the attention and time of users. He said at first, the Internet was used basically for financial needs, email and porn. Now, with social networking video sharing sites, Clayman said, "The time online is being spent in places it's never been spent before."
This growth shows that Internet users now want some sort of interaction with the sites they visit. In order to keep users coming back, webmasters must provide ways for the viewers to interact with what they're clicking on, whether it's through blogs, live cams or chat communities.
Clayman encouraged adult companies to take risks and stay on the cutting edge of adult. "No one likes change," he said. "If you're not [changing], you're in trouble."
The first quarter of the new year is said to be a god time to "take inventory" of oneself and one's business, and Clayman said it's important for a company to truly look at what business it is in and make deals with third-parties in order to take part of other parts of the industry to avoid stretching itself too thin.
"Being a fair percentage of something is better than being 100% of nothing," Clayman said.
Lastly, Clayman professed the need for adult companies to be and remain socially responsible with the ways they do business. As they adapt with change and embrace newly emerging distribution platforms, it's imperative to keep ethics in mind. Citing a recent UNH study revealing 42 percent of children who see porn online are not actually seeking it, Clayman used spam as an example of irresponsible adult marketing.
With all of his advice, Clayman concluded by telling companies to, "stay excited, try out new mediums and remember why you started in this business in the first place."
