Posts Tagged "unmarketing"

Why you should be live streaming

(What the porn industry knows that you don't)

Posted by Clark on Jul 6, 2010 in Featured, Mustache Musings | 0 comments

Know what people search for online more than anything else? Well, if you’ve seen this infographic that’s been circulating the interwebs, you won’t be too surprised at the answer: porn. Yep, though some of the stats on the infographic are a little suspect and contradictory, there’s no denying that porn is still one of the top industries online (though, happily, it appears to be on the decline).

Perhaps just as tragic as the number of people looking for porn, is the number of smart people selling it. Believe it or not, the porn industry full of really intelligent marketers. Devious, sneaky and scummy marketers, yes, but still marketers you could probably learn something from–though I’m not recommending you go out and do a lot of “research.”

In fact, what few respectable online marketers realize is many of the tactics and best practices they employ everyday were pioneered or improved by marketers in the porn industry. Examples include:

• Affiliate programs
• The use of landing pages and landing page optimization
• Email marketing
• “Freemium” offers
• Auto-billing subscriptions
• And of course, online video

In fact, much of the streaming video technology being used today was pioneered by the porn industry long before YouTube was even around. While YouTube is now considered the leader in online video, porn companies were streaming their video filth years before the rest of us were laughing at the star wars kid and sneezing pandas.

Okay, so we’re using tactics pioneered by sleaze balls. What’s the point? Well, you can put some of that $4.9 billion spent on porn to good use. You can find out what’s working for them now, then turn their techniques into respectable methods to promote your great product or service. Only let me save you some time and tell you what’s currently working for the moral degenerates: live streaming videos.

Yep, live video is the fastest growing segment in the online porn industry. You probably already knew that–and not just because you’ve been waiting for me to get to it ever since you read the title of my post, but because if you’re online as much as I am, it’s obvious, though you may not have given it much thought. So think about it now. No, not that way, think about it like a marketer.

• How many Twitter spam follows have you gotten with an avatar of a scandalously clad female? She has one follower, is following 437 people and her single tweet says something like “check out my live cam show at www.somelinkyoushouldntfollow.com.”
• Or do you ever get any spam emails like that? Those are now more prevalent in my junk folder now than the ubiquitous “enlargement” emails I love to get.
• Ever gotten indecent “friend” requests on IM. For me, it got so bad that I’ve pretty much stopped using my hotmail and yahoo chat accounts as those seemed to be the most affected.

You get the point. It’s the hot new thing in the porn industry. But more important than knowing that is knowing why. Again, the answer is pretty obvious. Fundamentally, it’s the same reason Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other social media platforms are so successful. It’s the reason companies hold live events.

People want to connect with other people.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

It’s one of Maslow’s needs and it comes right after our physical needs and the need for safety. We all want to connect in one way or another. We want love, friendship, and a sense of belonging. The porn industry delivers an artificial version of that with a host of exploited women broadcasting salacious streams from their bedrooms, but you can outdo them.

You can and should be delivering real, meaningful connections. And one of the best, cheapest, and most effective ways to do that is with live streaming video. Yes, you also need to be on Facebook and Twitter. You should probably have a blog, and you definitely need to join in the conversations happening about your company/product online. In fact, your should integrate those things into your live video and vice versa.

The tagline for Scott Stratten’s Unmarketing brand, get’s it right: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging. [Can't wait to read the whole book]

Engaging people connects you to them. And video (at least video done right) is one of the most engaging media there is. I’m guessing that’s why Scott has helped so many clients create viral videos and why his about us page features a video of him talking about UnMarketing.

Perhaps the most engaging of type of video is live video. Even when it’s not done well it can be draw people in. Remember the Stephon Marbury live streaming fiasco? Well, lots of people tuned in to see his meltdown. But now even bloggers who mocked him are looking to join him in the world of live streaming.  Why is live video so engaging? Because it’s real, and if it’s done right, it’s interactive. Because it helps people connect.

The difference between live video and recorded/edited video is like the difference between an magazine article and a blog post. Both serve a purpose and they both have a place, but a well written blog post is a lot more likely to engage the audience and elicit comments and interaction.

For example, last month at LaunchUp, Josh Coates gave an amazing presentation for the “amp session.” Before he started, he looked at the camera and said, “This is being recorded right? So you will get the censored version…because I don’t want to hurt people’s feelings forever…” But in the heat of his presentation, the filter came off and Josh made some comments about Guy Kawasaki that never would have made it through an officially released, recorded and edited video. The comments were in good fun and I doubt Guy ever heard them much less got offended by them, but everyone at the event, and those watching the live stream got to know Josh a little better when the filter came off. We felt more connected with him, and incidentally, it was one of the most tweeted subjects from that event.

Second to face-to-face conversation, personality comes through more via live video than through any other medium. Interaction happens via live video. People are engaged and feel connected watching live video. It’s no longer limited to dirty video chats and closed-door encounters. Already, many companies are catching on and streaming conference, workshops, seminars, and events. If you’re company isn’t taking advantage of live video, you’re not connecting and engaging as well as you could should be.