With any career, it is important to challenge yourself and set new goals. Sometimes all it takes is a step back to identify ways to better your business and brand; the key is to not lose your core customers in the process. As for rebranding, it can be as simple as changing the times you would regularly broadcast, experimenting with different niches, introducing new kinks and fetishes into your shows … or as total as starting from scratch with an entirely new persona and camming name.
Is it possible to rebrand as a cam model without losing or disappointing your current audience? The short answer is “yes,” but it must be properly executed in order to keep your existing fans and attract the new. While these changes are taking place, it is imperative that you roll this action plan out carefully by making sure to loop in your current fans and tippers. Remember, business must still run smoothly during your relaunch for it to be successful.
Make sure you have a month’s worth of social content and promo materials gathered to effectively roll out the new you, so you can spark interest and generate buzz.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Think of your broadcasting name as your stamp or imprint on the internet. This is the easiest way to find you from platform to platform and the main thing associated with a broadcaster. Changing your previous username should not be taken lightly; careful thought and research should go into selecting your new name.
It is always a good idea to keep your cam name and brand consistent across the board. This means making sure you can lock in your new username not only on the platforms you think you may stream from, but across all social media platforms.
Make sure you comb the internet for your username before you decide on one, as a cam name similar to another model’s may create lots of confusion. And of course, ensure that your new name is easy to remember for fans.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND PLATFORM PROFILE REFRESH
In the beginning stages of one's cam career, attention to detail is sometimes overlooked. The easiest way to explain the importance of a clean, revamped profile and social aesthetic is to think of your social media accounts and profile design like a physical business card: you want to grab viewers’ attention.
Since you may have grown and matured as a broadcaster over the course of time spent on a given platform, your initial design that once seemed perfect could now look like it is in need of an extreme makeover.
A great tool that I recommend for a project like this is Canva, a free, user-friendly graphic design platform that offers hundreds of free templates for pretty much every type of social media, from Twitter posts and header banners to Instagram stories, Facebook cover photos, etc. It offers a wide variety of features that allow you to edit photos without extensive photo-editing knowledge or experience, and even a custom logo-maker. You can also use it to create a tipping menu for your broadcasts and bio to perfectly complete your profile makeover.
SOFT OR HARD LAUNCH FOR YOUR GRAND REOPENING?
Once you have decided on everything and are ready to put yourself back out there, it is time for your relaunch — your grand reopening, if you will. You can go about this in two different ways, with either a soft relaunch that changes your social @handles to your new name, or a hard one that means creating brand-new accounts and setting aside your old ones. By the way, I recommend deactivating rather than deleting those, in case you change your mind later.
Let your fans know about the upcoming change well in advance on all your socials. Utilize your Twitter bio and pinned tweet to ensure current followers are aware and redirected to your new accounts, if you decide to go with a hard relaunch. Also, ask them to help retweet your new @handle. Pro tip: make sure you remember to carry over any previously blocked users and muted accounts too, lest they take advantage of the refresh to antagonize you anew.
REINVENTING YOUR LIVE SHOWS
Now that the hardest part is handled, it is time to get back out there, and remember to have some fun with it. Try something new for a change on cam; you might be surprised. A successful cam model must learn to adapt to viewers’ ever-evolving niches, kinks and fetishes. Experimenting can help you gauge your viewers’ preferences, and therefore gain insight into what might be a hit with them. A fun way to elevate your new camming schedule is to start with themed days; this way you can target different markets and by doing so hopefully reach different audiences. Below are some ideas for themes that are sure to add a bit of spice and breathe new life into your shows.
- Role-playing: One of the most common kinks, role-playing involves pretending to be someone very different from yourself, or a made-up character. Playing an authority figure in a sexual role is considered top-tier roleplay. An officer, a doctor, a boss … there are many options, so learn to step outside of your comfort zone, as you may discover some new kinks of your own.
- Foot fetish: People who have a foot fetish are often submissive, and have a desire to “worship” at someone’s feet through kissing, lotioning, tickling, etc. Some enjoy humiliation and want to be stomped on or have feet on their faces. Consider offering to write the highest tipper’s name on the sole of your foot, so you can "walk all over them" all day.
- BDSM: Obviously this is a huge topic that deserves an article all its own, but briefly: This kind of show combines different kinks and is a blend of bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and masochism. The show should involve a consensual exercise of power over the viewer, which can be a perfect stepping stone to locking in a private show. Even though elements of BDSM may be a little too wild for some, because of the wide variety and different roles it encompasses, you may discover a role you feel comfortable playing within this dynamic.
- Orgasm control: Sometimes referred to as “cum banning,” this is essentially the act of controlling another person’s orgasm, with the submissive partner allowing the dominant partner to decide when they get to “finish.” Using this to your advantage, you can allow a high tipper or special fan to be in control and decide who takes on which role.
These types of shows all involve heavy engagement and interaction with your audience, in the end creating a special trust and bond. The more you make them feel comfortable in your chatroom, the more rapidly you will gain new connections and long-term fans.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although the idea of a rebrand may be scary, it’s totally natural to want to reinvent yourself over time. In fact, it is one of the only ways we can build longevity in this wild industry we call adult entertainment. As I always say, tomorrow is a new day. If you don’t make it in your 20s, you can make it in your 30s, and if not in your 30s, you can make it in your 40s, and so on. There is a market for everyone and room for all. Whether it’s your first, second or third time at the rodeo, just remember to have fun with whatever you are doing along the way.
Johnny Diamond is senior account manager at camming platform CAM4. Follow him @JDiamondXXX on Twitter and contact johnny@cam4.com for more information.
