(Note: This story appears in the May 2022 issue of ED Magazine)
Sammy Shayne and ED Publisher Dave Manack detail social media dos and don’ts for the industry ahead of the Social Media Management Certification at EXPO.
Sammy Shayne cut her teeth at a large experiential marketing agency, recruiting for clients including Porsche and Audi. From there, she worked as a streamer, model coach and social media manager for the likes of CAM4 and LiveJasmin before moving into full-time non-adult streaming.
“That’s how I discovered talent representation on streaming apps, and all my experience with marketing and camming led to what I am doing now, representing over 1,700 live streamers on multiple platforms,” says Shayne, founder and CEO of Fame Talent Agency.
In addition to helping manage ED Publications’ social media accounts, ED Publisher Dave Manack has also worked as an adjunct professor at the University of Tampa, where he taught a social media course and learned quite a bit himelf as he heard Gen Z discuss which platforms they use — and which ones they don’t.
ED Magazine spoke with Shayne and Manack, who will both helm the Social Media Management Certification seminar at EXPO 2022.
ED: For gentlemen’s club owners that may see social media as a necessary evil — how do you persuade them to ‘see the light’?
SHAYNE: They can see the light shining from the cash register. There’s a reason that Deja Vu and Spearmint Rhino do it, and it’s because it makes money. It’s awareness marketing. Let’s say a feature entertainer is coming. What club would fill more seats: the one that promotes her to five thousand local followers, or the one that just puts her on the billboard outside? All business-to-consumer companies can mine value from well-managed social media.
MANACK: I understand their pain, because social media platforms present several roadblocks for any business deemed “adult” that wants to promote itself. That said, it can be done; but you need to know what demographic you want to reach, because that may determine the platform you concentrate on.
ED: For clubs whose dancers are hesitant (if not completely resistant) to allowing themselves to appear on a club’s social media (for privacy reasons), what alternatives would you suggest to flesh out the social media content?
SHAYNE: If some of the dancers in your club don’t want the promotion, then give it to the dancers that do. If you only have one dancer willing to, then make them the face of your brand online! Consumers are looking for that personal touch when it comes to social media; they want to feel like they are getting a behind-the-scenes view of your business.
MANACK: It’s so interesting how, in urban clubs, some entertainers have massive social media followings — they have no issue telling people they’re a “stripper.” But in other clubs, entertainers try to stay as anonymous as possible. I agree with Shay; you have to find the handful of girls who are fine with being featured on your club’s social media, and then promote the hell out of them. And get creative! If they don’t want to use their face, get a good booty shot and use that.
ED: Which social media platform have you found to be most conducive to gentlemen’s clubs’ content?
SHAYNE: Twitter is an obvious choice as it allows some adult content, therefore it has a large audience base looking for adult content, but it can vary by local market and the type of content the club is producing, so clubs are best served testing multiple platforms and focusing on the one that drives the most engagement. Pretty often I have had to completely change my social media plan for a company because the content I thought would do well on a certain platform isn’t but it’s thriving on a platform that I would have never expected. You must put yourself out there to see what sticks, and once you find something that works for you, stick to it.
Let’s say a feature entertainer is coming. What club would fill more seats: the one that promotes her to 5,000 local followers, or the one that just puts her on the billboard outside? All business-to-consumer companies can mine value from well-managed social media. — Sammy Shayne
MANACK: Again, know the demographic you’re looking to promote to. For example, very few people under 35 spend any time on Facebook. Gen Z genuinely thinks Facebook is only for “old people,” so if you’re trying to lure 20-somethings as dancers or customers, you’re better off on Tik-Tok.
