ANE 2011: Marketing on a Shoestring

PASADENA, Calif.—The AVN Novelty Expo 2011 opened Thursday in a big way, as attendees learned everything from how to manage their social media platforms to a new meaning for WTF. “We want to teach you to fish, rather than give you the fish,” moderator Reid Mihalko from ReidAboutSex.com explained during the Marketing on a Showstring seminar. Panelists Kelly Shibari of the PRSM Group, Shellie Yarnell of Virtually About LLC and Frankie from Radio Dentata advised against trying to promote a store, product, or brand without some type of social media platform to back up their marketing efforts. But, they cautioned, there are rules to follows when using WTF (Wordpress, Twitter and Facebook) and other mainstream outlets. “Everyone needs to learn to play in the SFW [safe for work] as opposed to the NSFW [not safe for work] parameters,” said Shibari, whose company helps clients learn the rules and how to promote their products, stores, brands, etc. “If you learn to play by those rules, then you won’t get banned.” Yarnell is a manufacturer of Crystal Delights anal plugs, which got its start in the virtual world of Second life, and then became a real product. Aside from using a social platform to create her brand and products, she uses platforms like Twitter to attract new fans and followers. She noted that she will run contests to get current fans engaged, and have them retweet to their followers in an effort to get a broader fan base and increase awareness of her product. Frankie also suggested using things like Twitter to connect to people on a personal level, noting that many of her fans connected with her because she has rescued dogs, and those people in turn become fans of Radio Dentata, an adult internet radio station. “It’s the Dead Head effect,” Mihalko said. “You have that core group of fans who then share their love of you and start dragging people to your store, product or website.” The seminars at ANE are sponsored by Sinrex. ANE continues through Saturday at the Pasadena Convention Center. For more information, visit AVNNoveltyExpo.com.