By M.Christian

YNOT – Multiple SHAFTA Award winner Tanya Tanya has proven to be as versatile with social media marketing as she is with her on-screen performances. As evident in her video series Tanya Tate’s Sex Tour and her frequent appearances — in costume, no less — at comics conventions around the world, the Liverpool-born MILF enjoys reaching out and touching (so to speak) her fans on a variety of levels and through an array of channels.

YNOT sat down with Tate to chat about keeping customers happy while running a business and constantly on the move.

YNOT: You’ve had some great luck with using social media for marketing. Have you found a minimum amount of time one should spend on social media in order to be effective? What kind of return is enough to consider a campaign successful?

Tanya Tate: The time one spends on social media depends greatly on how it is used. If you are going to spend your time speaking at people, then it’s all a waste. The key is interaction. People are very savvy and know when they’re being spammed. You can’t throw a bunch of hash-tagged keywords at them and expect results. One needs to open communication.

Personally, I spend a lot of time communicating via message boards and social media platforms. My goal is to let people know I am real and I am listening. For example, I thought my fan base would be more interested in breast play because I promoted myself as a busty MILF, but what I have found is that they are also very interested in foot fetish. People want to see my feet. So, because of communicating with my members and the public, I was able to broaden my scope to incorporate more foot play into my site.

People want to be dialed in. They want to know what is going on. Give it to them. It doesn’t always have to be a sales pitch. Knowing you are there and listening can be vital.

What are the most common mistakes you see adult business people making these days, especially around social media marketing? What do you see the adult biz doing particularly well?

I mentioned how savvy people are now, and that has changed the way one should market themselves to the public. Someone can have 50,000 followers on Twitter, but how does that convert? I try to involve people in what I do in terms of my life, but with the end result aimed at promoting my brand, my website or whatever.

I see some people interacting with their fans all day long, but there is no direction. I’ll tweet pictures of myself from wherever I am all day long, but the images always have my logo on them. That’s just one way I try to make sure people know my name, so they’re not just looking at the picture of a naked chick.

One thing I see adult entertainment doing right is knowing there has to be change and looking for it. Asking questions. With porn being so readily available on the net, people have to be smarter and look for better solutions that fit their brand. There is no one size fits all. What works for me may not work for someone else, and that is an important fact to consider.

As a webmaster, actor and director, what part of what you do is the most challenging? What’s the most fun?

I like all those aspects. Each one brings its own challenges and its own rewards. Obviously I started as a performer, and I like what I do. Being in front of the camera is the first and foremost thing I enjoy. I love sex, and I love being watched.

As a director, I now have the freedom to explore the sexual situations and fantasize more in depth. As a webmaster, it’s about mentally putting together puzzles to make a website run, and whenever I am able to solve a puzzle to make something on my website work, that is very exciting. So all three of those offer their own unique rewards: The performer is the physical, the director is a combination of physical and mental and being a webmaster is all mental.

How has being involved in almost every aspect of production changed how you think about the business?

I’m more aware of numbers and what is the best way to utilize them for the bottom line. As a performer, I show up and do my scene, but as a director and producer I have to think more in advance. And not only that, but I also must consider how to promote what I’m doing. I have a great [public relations] team behind me that has gotten my name in places I would have never dreamed and raised my profile tremendously. I am very aware of all of this.

Where do you think you get the most valuable information about running your sites: from fans or from other industry leaders? Or do they play equal roles?

I think it’s the fans, because they are the ones who are paying for the membership to the website, so their input is invaluable. I do keep my eyes open and look at what other people are doing, but I’m not a big network. I’m just one person with one brand. That gives me the flexibility to change things on the fly and implement new ideas more rapidly. What Digital Playground or Wicked, Brazzers or Naughty America does, in terms of marketing, doesn’t really apply to me.

What are your thoughts on the mobile market? Is that an area worth exploring, or is it too problematic for adult businesses?

Mobile is something I keep my mind open to, but not something I have explored at any great length. I just don’t think people will need adult entertainment in a mobile situation. I think people will generally be at home with their computers and big screens when they are enjoying adult entertainment. I’m not ruling out the mobile market, but it’s not something I am investing my time in at this point.

What do you see on the horizon for the adult entertainment industry?

Change. I think the industry and its products will change and evolve in the way they are presented and marketed.

Find out more about Tate on her official website, TanyaTate.com.