FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – Somewhere between Orlando and Fort Lauderdale the heart and soul of YNOT Radio manager Daron Babin’s motivations became clear.“We have a passion for what we do,” he explained enthusiastically.
And indeed, he’s right. Babin and Brandy Shapiro, the vice president of sales and marketing for YNOTRadio.com, both burn with a passion for technology, the adult industry, and finding and deploying new ways to combine the two while spreading the word.
Babin, also known as SEGuru and well-respected for his insights into search engine technology as well as his many years working with mainstream media, has spend much of his post-Hurricane Wilma time bringing the YNOTRadio network back online so that its award winning content and interactive advertisements can return to normal. According to Shapiro, who works directly with advertisers, the network is “the largest and the best high competition radio network out there. We are the definitive source for people to get information to those who need it in order to develop their online business. Period. The end.”
In addition to top rated online radio programming including YNOT Bob and LAJ’s Hump Day Lunch Show, Twinkley’s Pillow Talk, and SEGuru and Brandy’s Rainmakers, fresh and targeted radio content including Domain Masters, which focuses on the how-to of domain maintenance and an upcoming program dedicated to legal matters of importance to the adult industry make YNOTRadio a hot property only getting hotter – which translates into more attention, more business, and more options for advertisers.
“YNOT is a brand,” Shapiro explained as she drove toward her storm damaged home and office. “It is one of the oldest and most respected brands out there. It’s a brand you can count on. It’s solid. It’s credible. We have a myriad of radio shows that reach out to a different part of the marketplace and allow people to gain information to help them achieve the goals of their online business. It’s free to the listening audience, based soley on advertiser support.” As Shapiro sees it, advertisers on the YNOTRadio network not only have the opportunity to present information about their goods or services to a live and interactive audience that is genuinely interested in what they have to offer, but also have a chance to “give back” to the adult webmaster community, which earns loyalty and appreciation.
In addition to traditional banner, button, and text link ads, YNOTRadio advertisers receive a full, integrated ad campaign, including a 30-second, professionally written and produced commercial spot which becomes entirely their own to use as they see fit: on YNOTRadio, looped on their own site, presented at trade shows, or even broadcast on other radio networks. Additionally, company professionals can be interviewed during sponsored programs for further visibility and immediate feedback. As Shapiro sees it, advertisers get an amazing deal for their financial investment in either of the two packages currently available, plus all advertisers can customize their banners and buttons to promote specific aspects of their business, further improving the cost benefits. Those seeking higher exposure can purchase additional ad play time and what Shapiro calls a “Town Hall” meeting, which is an hour of radio time during which a business representative or a host provided by YNOTRadio can introduce itself while promoting good, services, or events and answering any questions that listeners might have. Having established themselves during a Town Hall meeting as an expert in an area, companies can then sponsor and participate in workshops focusing on their areas of expertise, further spreading the word about their professional value.
“We’ve got a huge listener base,” Shapiro enthused. And that listener base is only going to explode, if Babin’s vision for the near future is accurate.
As Babin sees it, the future of Internet adult content and advertising is podcasting. And the future may not be now, but it isn’t too very far from now. “The technology is installed on YNOTRadio right now,” he explained. “But it needs to be re-skinned.” Once a new face is developed, Babin sees YNOTRadio podcasts taking the iTune and other worlds by storm. “I’ve listened to the top ten rated ‘explicit’ podcasts and they suck. I mean, it’s sad, sad stuff.”
Mainstream venture capitalists including Sequoia are investing in podcast content and technology and mainstream trend experts are buzzing about the market potential for explicit and adult oriented podcasts, so Babin believes it’s time for the producers of such content to get involved – and grab the chance to advertise in a stunningly new way. “I expect that our on demand audience will exceed our live listening audience by anywhere from 8 to 10:1, which is huge. So, that’s coming like a freight train.”
With the introduction of podcast options, advertisers will have an entirely new advertising angle and audience to explore. Not only will ads run during live broadcasts of programs such as the Hump Day Lunch, but they will be included in archives, burned into the podcast replay, and distributed within four hours of live broadcast. Babin foresees live podcasts before, during, and after conventions and events, in addition to regularly schedule programming. Coupled with bufferless streams provided by a new content distribution network, listeners will more quickly hear programming – and producers can pre-plan special advertising opportunities for live streams. “If you want to be a premium sponsor for YNOTRadio, then any time a person clicks on any stream, they’ll hear an advertisement first – and then the live stream will come to them. We can guarantee a 100% delivery of an ad, instead of eventually hearing something during an hour’s worth of rotation of music or talk.”
With an ever increasing number of industry professionals listening to YNOTRadio, whether or not they visit the chatroom, podcasting and other advertising options seem likely to keep Babin and Shapiro’s passion for what they do high – along with listener interest and advertising profits.
