FAQ
Q. How to Develop a Business Plan?
A. This is a great question! Below you will find answers to this question and many more, all of which we hope will help you get your new business up and running.
While there are many things to consider before you start your business, the first and most important thing you will need is a good plan. No business can be successful without determining what those measures of success are. You need a plan that will help you figure out what kind of business you want to run.
Some things you might consider, for example are:
- Escort services or massage, or both?
- Incall or outcall, or both?
- Work for yourself or join an agency?, etc.
What kind of results you want to achieve? For example, being able to support your desired lifestyle or save up enough money to finish graduate school- and how you want to work towards achieving those results, like working 10 hours a week to supplement full time job or work full-time escorting?
Before embarking on this new professional choice, you need to make sure you have given a lot of thought to the challenges that are going to face you as new business owner, including (but not limited to):
- Determining your budget
- Creating your brand
- Measuring your results
Once you’ve put together a business plan for your new business, you have a blueprint to follow to help you meet your goals!
Q. What is a “brand,” and how do I create one?
A. A ‘brand’, in marketing and advertising terms, refers to a ‘characteristic that serves to identify a particular product.’ In your business, your product is YOU. Your ‘brand’ is everything that is associated with your business, and gets interpreted into a message that communicates WHO you are and WHAT your business is. A big part of your brand is created by the content you are associated with (both your own and that around you). For example, if you want your brand to give off a “high-end, upper-class” feel, you should be supporting that brand with well-done and tasteful professional photos, as well as classy and articulate ad text. Choosing content that doesn’t feel classy and professional deters from a “high-end” brand, and will not achieve the desired results.
Similarly, even if your ad content is classy and clean, your brand might not fit well with the overall content on an advertising site. Sites that allow explicit text and photos, and those that do not adhere to the strictest of age requirements, can send a message about your business that you are not intending to send, and give exposure to your business that is not the type of exposure that breeds success. Be careful where you decide to advertise your business, because the site itself can be the difference between the success and failure of your brand!
Q. How can I tell if an advertising site is a good one or not?
A. There are many different things to consider when determining where you want to advertise your business. The best place to start is with ‘word-of-mouth’. Ask your friends in the business where they get their best results, and ask your clients where they find their best results. Make sure you consider the ‘company you are keeping’ by advertising on any specific site, and always familiarize yourself with their age policies and content publishing rules. Sites with few rules and lax age-policies should be avoided at all costs. Furthermore, sites that don’t present their content in a clean and professional manner detract from your ability to charge higher prices. In other words, sites that look cheap attract cheap clients. This fact is supported by information that we have received from both advertisers and viewers who tell us that the price points for escort services differ based on the advertising site. Specifically, ‘high end’ sites like the Eros Guide (http://www.eros.com/) allow advertisers the ability to charge higher prices on services than other types of sites due to the fact that they have a much more affluent cross-section of visitors.
Q. How can I tell which advertising method is best for me and my brand?
A. As a smart business owner, you need to be in-tune with the ROI (return on the investment) of your advertising. You should always track where your leads come from, both the quantity and quality, and constantly review your results to determine what is working and what needs to be changed. You also need to stay updated on how other advertisers are succeeding on these sites, and how the content of the sites match with your business branding.
Q. Which is better, free advertising or paid advertising?
A. Your advertising choices are among the most important decisions you will make while running your business since your advertising decisions drive your client base. Without clients, you simply have no business. There are many different ways to make yourself available to clients and several different advertising options for you to choose from. In general, your business is only as good as the clients that support it. So, it is important to make sure your business is made available to the most qualified and affluent prospects. Almost without exception, sites that are free for you to advertise on are likely not going to yield you the best results, largely because they do not invest deeply into assuring high quality clients. When it comes to advertising results, you tend to get what you pay for.
Q. What types of photos should I be using on my ad?
A. Men are visual creatures, so it goes without saying that photos are a very important part of your ad and brand. Remember the old saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’. Your photos send a message about you that a mountain of words could never send. They are an opportunity to show the viewer who you are and how serious you are about your business. Professional, relevant and recent photos tell your prospective clients that you are a serious business owner who cares about her brand and reputation. The opposite is true as well. If your photos are of low quality, out of date, or blatantly inaccurate, you are sending the message that you don’t take your business very seriously, and that will encourage viewers not to take you very seriously as well.
Q. What type of text should I have on my ad?
A. What you write in your ad speaks volumes about how you run your business. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and your services, and give your clients an idea about how your time will be spent together. Your text should be written and geared towards the type of clients you want to see. Therefore, professional and articulate text will have better luck attracting professional guys than text that that contains mistakes or slang. Be creative and unique! Furthermore, make sure to list your rates, and the fact that they are non-negotiable to prevent calls from people who want to haggle on price.
Q. What are the best ways to make sure clients can contact me?
A. The privacy needs and comfort levels of clients differ greatly, so it is always best to provide several different contact methods in an effort to capture a wider-range of clients. Phone calls, emails, text messages, website screening forms, and computer-based chat programs are all popular contact methods for this industry. Determine what your own level of comfort is with giving out different types of information, and tailor your contact methods to best support your business.
Q. Is having my own website important?
A. Yes it is. Having a website that you control is yet another great way for clients to find and contact you. A website also allows you much greater detail in describing yourself and your services, as well as provides a place for you to pre-screen potential clients. With so many free options at your disposal today, there is no reason why any small business owner doesn’t have their own website.
Q. How should I set an advertising budget?
A. There is a lot of research available on what a standard advertising budget should be (typically expressed as a percentage of revenue earned), however, the truth is that it varies greatly by what industry you are in and what objectives you have. For example, industries with a high profit margin AND high competition generally have marketing budgets in the range of 5 to 15% (of revenue), as opposed to an industry with a low profit margin and low competition which is generally in the 3 to 5% range. Similarly, you can spend less on advertising if you are just trying to reach customers, and generally will have to spend more on advertising if you want to find customers WHILE you are building a strong and recognizable brand. So, while your marketing budget should vary based on exactly what your goals are, the important thing is to have a marketing budget, review it regularly, and stick to it!
Q. How can ‘social media’ sites help my business?
A. Social media sites (such as Facebook and Twitter) are a great way to allow your clients to get in touch with you and stay updated on your business. They are great additions to your paid advertising, and provide yet another way for potential clients to find you. Maintaining these sites can help boost your business by reemphasizing to your clients that you are a serious business owner who keeps your clients updated and in-the-loop.
Q. How can I protect my privacy?
A. There are many options available to you with regards to protecting your privacy in this business. The most obvious include using a ‘stage name’ and unique contact information (i.e. email address and phone number) on any of your advertisements. Also, blurring (or cropping out) your face and any identifying marks (tattoos, etc.) in your ad photos can also be a good way to keep your identity private.
Prepaid phones and phone cards are also a great way to protect your privacy, and are available almost anywhere with minimal investment. It’s easy these days to track your carrier account back to you, so go the extra step and look into prepaid options. Finally, one area usually overlooked is your website domain. If you own your domain be sure to use a proxy for the purchase of your domain. Domain ownership info is easily accessible online, so be sure to do your homework.
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