#putitinmyMIND : PROS TIPS for Social Media Marketing
It’s 2022, social media is a staple marketing tool for businesses of all sizes, industries, and audiences. However, as these platforms become increasingly popular among businesses we are seeing constant updates to the terms of services across all platforms. Keeping up to date with the latest developments can feel next to impossible.
If we look at Facebook and Instagram‘s terms of service, we can see they have long used strict terms of service that alienate sex workers. We see this in form of banning nude, partially nude, sexually suggestive, and pornographic photos. With each new iteration of the terms of services, we are seeing more restrictive rules that censor sex workers further. In the past month, we have seen Instagram start threatening to remove posts, stories, and comments that use emojis, words, and hashtags that are used sexually, including, eggplant and peach emojis and models. This has caused sex workers and non-sex workers alike to self-censor everything being posted as well as go through all old posts to delete or restructure captions that could be seen as controversial. Since this threat from Instagram, we are seeing more captions, comments, and bios with misspellings or accents added to words so the algorithm won’t detect them.
Generally, most users on Instagram don’t even know that there are banned hashtags. When a user uses a banned hashtag there is no popup saying ‘don’t use’, instead, Instagram likes to use one of the shadiest tricks in the books and shadowban accounts. Shadowbanning is a practice social media platforms can use to secretly reduce a user’s content visibility. This can be because of who shared it or because of the content and subject matter. Another form of punishment Instagram dishes out is suspending users’ accounts or de-platforming them.
If shadowbanning doesn’t work on an account, Instagram loves to suspend or ban the account (and the email address attached to it).
Don’t let this detour you away from social media marketing. There are many benefits of using leveraging your social media to increase your business. Here are just some of the benefits that come with social media marketing:
- Increase brand awareness – Let people know that you, the brand, exist. The more people that are aware of your business/services, the more recognition it will get. There are billions of people that use social media, so more people are guaranteed to come across your social content and engage with it, by commenting, liking, saving, and sharing.
- Generate leads and boost conversions – This means the success of gaining clientele. When you promote your sex services on social media and appeal to the right audience, they can potentially turn into paying clients. Remember, you’re advertising to those who have shown their interest by choosing to engage with you on the social platform, so you already have the upper hand.
- Form relationships with clients – If you want to build loyal clients and keep them coming back for more, building a rapport with them and staying in contact is the way to go. You can interact with them on your posts, respond to their queries, or even ask them questions to ignite interesting topics of conversation.
You might be thinking this sounds great, but how does a sex worker advertise and use a platform that is not welcoming to them?
Even though we covered that Instagram and other platforms don’t want sex workers to point blank promote sex work, if you are mindful of the platform’s terms and services and don’t have a problem being flexible and creative, you can get the job done.
As you might know, almost all platforms prohibit explicit adult content including pornography, full/partial nudity, use of sex toys, offering sexual services, and images focused on genitalia. All of these actions can put your account at risk of being shadowbanned, suspended, or banned.
Before you start editing your bio, posting photos, commenting, or making videos, be sure you read the terms and services on EVERY platform you are using. Make sure you fully understand what can and cannot be posted.
Let’s look at the top 4 creative ways sex workers are promoting on social media:
- Being careful with language – This means being less direct about the services you’re offering. Try and use creative language in a way that hints or lets clients know what’s on offer without directly saying the service and price.
- Replacing letters with characters & symbols – To stop social platforms from detecting explicit words, you can replace letters for symbols as a hidden code. For example, instead of writing “sex”, try “s3x” or “s€x”
- Posting artful body photos – Although lots of visible skin is more sexually enticing, you can still post in the nude or close to the nude by being creative with props ( blankets and chairs work well). Since bikinis are currently not banned -go figure- clothing items that closely resemble bathing suits are also an option.
- Uploading softer videos – Instead of uploading graphic videos on social media, you can tease your clients by filming yourself in a romantic bedroom setting. You can direct them to your website where they can find more information about where they can find your erotic content on approving adult platforms, such as Twitter.
In closing, marketing on social media platforms is a staple for any business’ success. As these platforms become more widely used among businesses we are seeing terms of services change to censor sex workers. It is important before sex workers start an account on a new social media platform they are fully reading the terms of service, understand what benefits a platform can have for their business, and how to skirt around the banned words, phrases, and emojis that can get them banned.
Visit PROS.NEWS next week as I get into the PROS & CONS of each social media platform, and how it pertains to sex work promotion.
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