Lesson #12 The Paysite Member Area
Written By Titmowse

In your perfect scenario, you'll have hundreds of surfers so impressed with the quality of your paysite tour; they readily tender the fee to become a member. It would be easy to assume you've done your job and now is the time to sit back and let the money roll in. Hopefully by now, you've read enough Cozy Academy lessons to realize nothing in the adult Internet is easy.

The member's area of your paysite is no less important than any other element of your web. Some webmasters are new to business in general and do not understand the concept of repeat business. They do not realize that the customer who has already paid for a membership is your absolute surest route to more income. Your site member has proven they are willing to spend money. Keeping your current members happy should be your highest priority as a paysite owner. When the time comes for membership renewal, you want your customers to happily add to your rebill reserves. What steps can you take to make sure that your new members become your reliable regulars? Here's a checklist of considerations you should ponder in the effort to make your member's area the best it can be:

Delivery of the Goods

If you advertised 5000 images of hot, sexy coeds, you better have 5000 images up and ready when your member logs in. You simply cannot promise content in your tour that is not in your paysite's member's area. Not only will it make your members angry; it is also considered false advertising.

Ease of Navigation

Once your member logs in, they are ready to go find the goodies. A sloppy or hard to understand interface will only frustrate and displease a paid customer. Take into account that different people look at webpages in different ways. Some click graphic links and some click text links. Make more than one menu for your paysite and put them in different locations on your front page. On pages further in your member's area, make sure to include a menu with links that will lead them back to the front page or to the head of categories.

24/7 Access

Various time zones and lifestyles insure that your members will be visiting their accounts at all hours of the day. You need to insure that your site is up and running when any of them log in. Make sure your host has the servers and backup facilities to handle your traffic. Check your paysite several times a day to see if all is well. Incorporate special software to alert you of site problems and check your support emails. Sure, there will be unforeseen problems that cannot immediately be fixed, but not self-policing your site at all is foolish. Paying your host up front for extra bandwidth and leasing good servers will save you losing current and potential members.

Update Update Update

It doesn't take a porn hungry surfer long to see all you have to offer, especially those with broadband connections. By giving them new images, video and games, you help to insure they renew their membership each month. Some paysites update daily. You don't have to go that far. Just keep in mind, if you're not using exclusive content on your paysite, it's likely free sites will begin to carry some of the content you've got behind a protected area. Add new content. Add new features. Keep redesigning the look of your page. Let your customers know that your paysite is fresh and always updating.

Customer Service

Customer service isn't just about receiving bitchy emails and whiny complaints. In case no one has told you, you are not only in the adult entertainment industry, you're in the service industry. There are two kinds of unhappy customers: those who never complain and quietly never come back. Then there are those customers who are willing to receive your remedy and tell you so with support emails. Read and promptly answer all emails from members and potential members. No matter how rude their missives are, be courteous and diplomatic in your response. An added benefit of your customer emails is they give you invaluable suggestions on how to improve your paysite. While fellow webmasters think they know what the people want, your customers ARE the people.

You will also want physical ways for your customers to contact you. You may find it necessary to hire an even-tempered and knowledgeable person to man your company's telephone lines. You will definitely want to post your office phone number and contact email addresses in a locatable place on your paysite.

Being a paysite owner is a complicated job. Some of the adult companies with networks of sites hire staffs as large a 20 people. If you open a paysite, you are beginning what usually turns your one-man operation into and incorporation.

Your member's area needs constant love and care. A good one will result in repeat customers, which are the bread and butter of any business.