Belgium is famous for “french fries,” Jacques Brel (one of the most popular French language singers), the world’s best beers, and Eddie Merckx, the five-time Tour de France winner. Which is to say that the great things about Belgium are extremely great – but it takes a little effort to discover that they are, in fact, Belgian..Belgium is famous for “french fries,” Jacques Brel (one of the most popular French language singers), the world’s best beers, and Eddie Merckx, the five-time Tour de France winner. Which is to say that the great things about Belgium are extremely great – but it takes a little effort to discover that they are, in fact, Belgian.
This country also happens to be the center of the diamond trade in Europe. In this month’s column, the Worldwide Webmaster will help you discover what’s great about the Belgian adult online market, and find the “bling-bling” that’s awaiting you there.
Belgium has a total of 10 million people, about as many people as there are in the Netherlands. Geographically it is the same size as the U.S. state of Maryland – but with twice as many people. Six million Belgian inhabitants speak Dutch and refer to themselves as Flemish. The other four million speak French and call themselves Walloons. We can only assume they do not know how silly this sounds in English. Each side of Belgium looks to the neighboring country that shares their language family. Until 1830, Belgium was a part of the Netherlands, and the Flemish follow Dutch trends to this day; the Walloons, however, get their fashion from Paris. This is important. As you optimize your site to open up the Belgian market you will also gain access to the French and Dutch markets – over eight times as many people!
Today there are 3.8 million Belgians connected to the internet. More than half of them use broadband connections. The percentage of the population online is expected to double in the near future to catch up with average European internet penetration rates of 60%.
People here do not like to talk about sex, in Dutch or in French, but they love to watch it. While the average number of online porn end-users in most markets is 20% of the total Internet population, according to Nielsen//Netratings, in Belgium it is closer to 30%.
Traffic Generation
If you were to check your stats as soon as you finish reading this guide to making money in Belgium, you would find a significant amount of Belgian traffic. Many Belgian end-users look internationally for their porn. In the domestic market today there are no large adult traffic sources, although new ones are growing. Check out www.sexite.be to see an example. Search engine optimization is a major focus for adult webmasters here. They trade traffic with every type of adult site online, including sex clubs, prostitutes and sex blogs. Belgian webmasters are also creative in their use of offline traffic sources, such as ads in magazines and TV.
Preferred Payment Options Now and Later
Most end-users who regularly surf the web have broadband connections. The most popular way to pay is with the telecom billing solution tailored for broadband users – voice-call. It costs EUR 1.1155 EUR (approx USD 1.37) per minute. Belgians do not have enough trust in Internet security in general and porn sites in particular to enter their credit card information. They prefer to spend EUR 20.00 (approx USD 24.32) for 15 minutes rather than EUR 20.00 for a monthly membership. A few reasons for distrust of the adult industry include well-publicized international porn scams, blind links, pop-ups and redirects. They are afraid of losing money or causing permanent ”un-fixable” damage to their computers by entering the member’s area of an adult site. Voice-call allows them to keep control of how much money they spend and avoid the things they fear. Partner with a telecom billing provider to offer voice-call to your Belgian, Dutch and French end-users. Consider using Nocreditcard.com for your telecom billing.
SMS billing for porn has yet to take off in Belgium. Though mobile phone penetration is close to 90% and end-users are very likely to have mobile phones, this new form of billing has just begun. Keep a close eye on SMS billing in Belgium and the rest of Europe where it is set to experience explosive growth in the next six to twelve months. SMS billing should be offered by your telecom billing provider.
Preferred Content in the Belgian Market
What’s hot in Belgium? With broadband connections representing over 50% of all internet connections, Belgians have high download capacity. For this reason they get a higher quality experience with live shows. They prefer live shows and amateur webcams with Dutch-speaking girls/couples in Flanders, and French-speaking girls in Wallonia. Girls with a Belgian/European-style convert much better than American-style porn stars.
It is a common end-user fantasy that the model at the other end of the webcam may, in fact, be living in his neighborhood. Many end-users believe that if they can charm the girls online, then they can have sex with them – literally, instead of just virtually. To take advantage of this fantasy you should offer Dutch/French-speaking live show models.
Legal Issues
Belgium is a liberal country. Its laws are similar to those in its brother to the north, the Netherlands. Regulations protect webmaster and end-user rights to distribute adult content of practically any type – though they draw the line at bestiality.
Telecom billing is well regulated, and end users consider it a safe and secure option to pay for adult content.
Site 0ptimization
Ever heard the joke about how copper wire was invented? There were two _________ (fill in the blank) fighting over a penny. You can put “Dutchmen” in that blank, but not the Belgians. They are free spenders when it comes to getting what they are after. Belgians want to know what they will get for their money, so being clear about what you offer and honestly delivering the content in the member’s area is essential for making the sale and enjoying repeat business.
Most end-users have a good working knowledge of English, and their second national language. They prefer to have content delivered in their first language, whether it be French or Dutch.
Consider translating your site into French and Dutch to increase conversions. You have two options for translating your site. First, hire a translation company such as Porn Translations, www.porn-translations.com, where a local translator will take your site from English into either of the two languages. Second, you can partner – at no cost – with a telecom billing company, such as Nocreditcard.com, that will deliver both content and billing solutions in the local language.
To bill in Belgium, as in the Netherlands and France, you must offer telecom billing, including voice-call, as a billing option. It makes sense to remove the credit card option as it will only distract from the correct billing solution and lead to higher levels of declines.
Adult Webmaster Networking
There is not yet a significant adult webmaster network in Belgium. A minority of adult webmasters know each other, but there are no Belgian webmaster meetings or webmaster boards. To find Belgian webmasters online, visit your favorite webmaster board and throw up a post looking for Belgians. You are sure to attract a significant number and can find more information about the market, as well as begin forming business relationships. Another alternative is to post on Dutch boards, such as www.adultwebmaster.nl and www.kutforum.nl.
Bottom Line
Belgium is a small but fast-growing market. Make the quick and simple changes recommended in this column and you will be well on your way to optimizing your conversions of Belgian, Dutch and French traffic. Then you can kick back, have some fries, throw a Jacques Brel record on the turntable, crack open the best beer in the world and watch a re-run of Eddie Merckx winning another Tour de France on cable as you contemplate all the new ”bling-bling” on your ring.
This article was originally published in Klixxx Magazine.
Andreas manages the German-speaking markets for Nocreditcard.com. Mitch manages the English-speaking markets for Nocredticard.com. Clay manages marketing at Nocreditcard.com. Founded in 1996, Nocreditcard.com works with some of the largest, most respected companies in the industry. It’s a recognized leader in turning traffic into cash both domestically and internationally.
