Having an internet-based career is almost like being at the top of a tall building and telling someone who’s afraid of heights not to look down. Through the excitement of building your brand, taking every professional opportunity you have to grow and gain experiences, sometimes you forget to look down to see how far you’ve come on the journey. Once you reach your goals, the sights you see no longer seem intimidating, until you really think about how high you are up on that building — especially when it comes to web stardom. Reflecting on that skyward path, I’ve learned many lessons along the way.
You see, while being a millennial has its perks when it comes to using social media and new technology, I’m one of the few who had never really used social media in my personal life to its fullest extent. So it was, that as a younger entrepreneur and brand builder, I had to learn the ins and outs of the internet and what it truly takes to expand on such a digital platform. And when I entered the adult entertainment industry two years ago through camming, it started to open many doors. For instance, I discovered the niche of cosplay and how much I loved it — my passion grew along with my following. That’s when I realized how important it is to build your brand around integrity and sincerity for it not only to thrive, but to cement its longevity.
Dipping my toes into more than one type of business has helped me create my own community of viewers, audiences and amazing fans that appreciate everything I do from cosplaying, to camming, to web designing, to filmmaking.
Dipping my toes into more than one type of business has helped me create my own community of viewers, audiences and amazing fans that appreciate everything I do from cosplaying, to camming, to web designing, to filmmaking. Creating such a community allows viewers from my multiple platforms to see all of the things I do and offer, enabling them to cross over into other avenues of “Catjira.” Having such positive feedback from all of the various communities I’m part of makes me feel less intimidated to share all the different aspects of my work on my social media platforms.
While I do tailor my social media according to the terms of service of each provider, I do try to make sure everything is all-inclusive while still focusing on a main topic. For example, Twitter allows graphic/nude content, therefore it is my best-bet-platform to sell pornography I produce and direct. Instagram is a visual platform that does not allow adult content and thus it is the perfect place for me to share all of my cosplay work. Live streaming and high traffic video sites like YouTube are an excellent way to show my personality, since they’re interactive in their own ways and are a great way to have dialogue, while people get to know me. Understanding the purpose of each platform you market yourself on is the key to actually achieving success on them.
It takes a lot to balance priorities, always trying to grow your social media presence while maintaining your income on various platforms. However, if I can do it, so can you! Stay on top of your game and have a schedule (which, by the way, if you work like I do, you get to create yourself, so do what’s best for you to maximize your time!) of release dates. Stay engaged with your viewers and don’t forget about them — they are people too, who care about you and your work, and it’s important to communicate your gratitude for that, because without them … your platforms wouldn’t be what they are. Always be hyped about what you’re doing because your work is awesome and your work matters. Take risks, don’t be afraid of newfound heights, think about that view and the journey it took to get there … and how you’ll be able to share a picture of that with your fans, because that’s what we’re here to do!