To adult Webmasters, text is the proverbial She-Beast. You can’t live with it, you can’t live without it. In this first of three articles, I’ll tell you why you should care about the words as much as the pictures..Words in an Image Industry – Why We Need Them and How to Use Them

To adult Webmasters, text is the proverbial She-Beast. You can’t live with it, you can’t live without it. In this first of three articles, I’ll tell you why you should care about the words as much as the pictures.

Our industry is built on images, be they still shots or moving pictures – guys pay what they pay to get a glimpse. We’re a visual industry in a visual culture.

Yet if you look at any adult website out there, you won’t be able to find a single one that does not contain some words. Sometimes it’s just a few scattered blurbs about the homepage, promising this or that incredible fantasyland inside the members’ section. Sometimes it’s huge sprawling paragraphs of deep confession from the lonely Webmaster. And sometimes it’s something no human being could ever decipher, riddled with misspellings, run-on sentences, weird punctuation, and a hodgepodge of unknown languages.

Fact is, if there is one element of the adult industry that is sorely lacking in attention, it’s the text element. We are years ahead other Web industries in our technical expertise, our service options, and our marketing structures, but when it comes to text, we seriously suck. This of course is largely due to the fact that the workers in our industry are thinking about other things – namely getting as many great pictures on as many smooth servers as possible – but that does not remove the fact that text is sorely misused and misunderstood in our industry in the ways in which it can enhance, improve, and increase the sales on an adult site.

Think of it this way. When a browser goes to your site, the first thing he does is he looks at the pictures. Few would dispute that. He might be inclined just on the basis of the pictures to rush toward the join page and hurl his credit card info at you. But given the fact that most sites have a teensy-weensy conversion rate of visitors-to-members, this is not likely. What he does, in fact, is look at your images, but after that, he reads your text. The adage that people don’t read anymore is a crass prejudice. People have to read. That’s how they get information, in our industry and in every other.

So, to put it bluntly, text is your bridge between browser and member. Yes, some browsers will go racing across the bridge regardless of your horrible English, but the vast majority of them will read the words to get a solid sense for what they can expect once they give you their money. So, in this sense, text is a vital messenger of some of the most vital messages you need to convey. It describes your content, it makes your promises, it attests to your credibility, but more than all that it DEFINES the spirit of your site.

Words are the great wasted opportunity for adult Webmasters. I’m not saying that every site should be bedecked with huge explanatory paragraphs, but I am saying that the state of text in the adult website industry is pathetic and the value of text in increasing sales is sorely undervalued. A look at any other industry (computers, fast food, tourism, etc.) will show you what most adult Webmasters refuse to admit – that text is a vital tool in attracting and holding customers. Good text equals good conversion. It’s that simple.

And the reason is quite easy to grasp. Text is how you engage the mind of a potential customer. Unless you engage his mind, you won’t engage his wallet. You “sell” him with your words. You state clearly and temptingly what you offer. You open him to the idea of wanting desperately what you have. You involve him in a culture, an idea, an environment that he wants to be a part of. You use the ancient skills of rhetoric and persuasion to lure him into thinking like you think, which means buying what you’re selling.

Most Webmasters don’t spend nearly enough time on the text on their sites, but text is a primary marketing tool that can increase your new and recurring sales. Careful attention to text can cash in at the bank, many times over. Don’t underestimate the intelligence of your audience. Further, don’t ignore the extent to which many browsers are looking not only for hot pictures, but hot words. Be they erotic stories, a short message from the Webmaster, or a really compelling sell statement, people like to be talked to in a stylish, gripping, flattering way.

In the next article I’ll discuss the many ways in which text can be used to improve your site. Until then, I strongly advise everyone to re-evaluate their textual approach, and ask these hard questions – Am I using my text to its greatest capacity in convincing my browsers to become members? Does my text accurately reflect the spirit and goals of my site? Is my text getting the point across to browsers that I am not stupid, or cheap, or deceptive? If any of these are a “no,” then either hire yourself a writer or get editing!

Dustin Wood is the Textmaster/Marketing Director for The New Nude Network, a purveyor of excellent erotic sites, including www.hegre-archives.com, www.galitsin-archives.com, www.vulis-archives.com, and www.thenewnude.com.

The New Nude Network also operates New Nude Cash, a provider of top-quality content, affiliate programs, and ad slots for adult Webmasters. Email him at dustin@hegre-archives.com or visit www.newnudecash.com.