Recent changes = Less Visability + More Cost

[Guest]

I would love to hear from the ladies and gents about your thoughts on the recent closure of Craiglist and Backpage ads.

 

Here is a bit of honesty that's hard to admit ...

So far I find it has decreased my business and increased my advertising costs because now I am having to pay for ads from a number of other sites to get a fraction of the bookings I used to get from the two big guys.

I have even considered raising my rates. I don't want to have to .. but ad costs have increased. Still undecided at this point because I try to keep it reasonable.

 

Time spent screwing around with ads has also increased because now I am posting on 4 or 5 sites rather than 1 or 2.

 

I finally had my website finished and things were finally really good and steady but now things have slowed right down and I am worried. I feel as if the potential clients are just not finding my ads.

That brings up another good point ... do clients even know where to look anymore ? Everyone knew Craiglist and Backpage but do the guys feel lost now also ?

 

Are others feeling the impact ? Are the guys feeling frustrated with trying to find decent sites ? Would love to hear your thoughts and know I am not alone.

[Jabba 18389]

I would love to hear from the ladies and gents about your thoughts on the recent closure of Craiglist and Backpage ads.

 

Here is a bit of honesty that's hard to admit ...

So far I find it has decreased my business and increased my advertising costs because now I am having to pay for ads from a number of other sites to get a fraction of the bookings I used to get from the two big guys.

I have even considered raising my rates. I don't want to have to .. but ad costs have increased. Still undecided at this point because I try to keep it reasonable.

 

Time spent screwing around with ads has also increased because now I am posting on 4 or 5 sites rather than 1 or 2.

 

I finally had my website finished and things were finally really good and steady but now things have slowed right down and I am worried. I feel as if the potential clients are just not finding my ads.

That brings up another good point ... do clients even know where to look anymore ? Everyone knew Craiglist and Backpage but do the guys feel lost now also ?

 

Are others feeling the impact ? Are the guys feeling frustrated with trying to find decent sites ? Would love to hear your thoughts and know I am not alone.

 

I'm not sure yet what to think TBH.

 

BP seemed to be the home for fakes. I didn't have any confidence in it. Seemed to me that TERB reviews on SOME of the so-called legit BP providers were also sketchy (B&S), so I just generally avoided and stuck with my trusted regulars. TERB is my go-to advisor right now. I will reach out to providers that have consistent & positive reviews though. I weed-out review flames (mostly from competitors & dick heads with an agenda) and see those who offer an honest deal.

 

CL was ok to monitor but I didn't use it. Occasionally, something new would pop-up that grabbed my interest. Usually turned out to be something dodgy. It was mostly spas that advertised too but since I'm an indie kinda guy, I didn't indulge.

 

I really don't know what to make of LL yet. I've heard rumour that's loading up with fakes & scams now (sorry Lyla - I'm just repeating what I heard). From my experience, some of the ads really do look questionable though. For example, see this classy gem: https://www.leolist.cc/personals/dom-fetish/central-ontario/barrie_come_me_right_in_the-3652320

 

VIPFavours is really painful to use. Slow & tempermental. I gave up. It's dead now too, isn't it?

 

Conclusions -

I go (went) for the brand-name sites (when available)

I'm pretty much in the dark like you are.

I skim the review boards for educational purposes.

I'm a social media hermit & I don't screw around with stuff like Twitter, FB

All the so-called Adult match-up sites are scams

 

Last words:

I'm willing to explore. Are there other worthwhile sites out there? If so, I'm up for learning the new landscape.

I've learned to equate all adult advertising websites with scams. All of them.

I like providers who put up videos on YouTube - I think that's cool.

[RachelNicole 1209]

A good article. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9kggwe/how-the-us-sex-trafficking-crackdown-is-hurting-sex-workers-in-canada

[BigBud 1165]

I frequent one private MA club in Ottawa exclusively, and I've seen several hostesses from there posting on LL - so I can vouch for the legitimacy of those ads. Many other posts on LL appear legit, but I can't say for sure as I've not pursued them. As for other sites, this has always been my go-to site for the industry - so I guess I'd say Lyla and LL would be the ones I as a client would trust most. Not sure this is very helpful, but it's my two cents.

[1963Kennedy 10698]

Even during the very early days on CL, I was able to sort thru the ads to find the reputable ladies. I never got stung. Same pretty much for BP. Cowboy helped a lot. I usually look here in Lyla and am now enjoying LL because I can sort thru there for the 'reps". A feature I really like about LL is the ability to sort by age. I'm not interested in the 18-22 yr olds.

[Seejayen1 1004]

It is a shame that BP and CL have changed. I think the recent censorship will backfire and cause bigger problems than the morons who enacted it (Trump & Co) thought they were "fixing".

 

BP and CL was a very valuable platform to both clients and MA/SP but also to law enforcement. I read an article which said Canadian police forces monitored these websites to identify underage girls that were being trafficked/exploited and being moved around to different cities allowing police to rescue them. Now you can't believe everything you read on the internet but if the article was true, it seemed like s good thing to help people being exploited.

 

As I said BP and CL was valuable for MA/SP and clients in bringing supply and demand together. Everybody wins. My own history with these websites is short. I only used them for 2-3 months before they were shutdown. Before that used Lyla because I didn't know these other sites advertised (it's not like you can ask many people) but I found with Lyla that most ads were for clubs and MA's that worked at clubs. No too many indies. It wasn't until I read a few different threads and saw references to BP and when I checked it out I thought I hit the jackpot. Plenty of independents and I had no idea there were so many. But I never understood why more don't advertise on Lyla. It seems like a good place to advertise to me.

 

Sorry to ramble, but to answer your question, I don't think guys know where to go since BP and CL changed. However promote yourself on Lyla and make it the go to place and word will get around fast. Same with LL (which by the way I never heard of until a few weeks ago).

[karamel 1000]

Backpage did not really affect me. But when Craiglist was gone .... oh Lord the difference became huge. LeoL, IS OK. I make less than 1/2 of what I did before now!

[Jesse854 100]

yes, I am male, very frustrated, I don't know where to look now

[Guest MontyChrista7]

Hello

 

Just throwing my 2 cents in briefly. I wanted to agree with nicolette about the bp site. Now its gone and so is cl which was the 2 main sites guys went to. Most of those users dont know about review boards or leolist or other sites that have popped up. That being said if you look at the advertising costs of bp 3 to 5 dollars per ad working 5 days a week for 1 post only that is 60 to 100 a month plus the 5 cl price which is also 100 to post 5 days a week for the entire month. Using a reputable site like lyla where the guys are also reputable is a win win. I am happy to have joined. Something i should have done long ago just never thought of it til recently.

[jackofhearts 1010]

What Hukupp said (sorry) " I would think with your good looks and your intelligence, things will balance itself out" is perfectly said. There's nothing perfect out there for the client or the mp (or sp). What you could do, B, is perhaps a video camera for the front door that records video as needed - even a cam that is not recording would put someone on notice. Strategically place items for self defense? Perhaps partner up with a buddy that might keep quiet in the next room? I realize that any of these ideas my not be right for you, but they have worked for other people and I thought I should mention it.

As far as Ads go, I don't know if the value is there, but what I could say is, I spend a bit of time looking at the photos that are posted, checking for looks fake and keeping track of it. On the flip side, the photos that are refreshed can help build more interest in your services and help maintain loyalty from your clients.

[Guest]

What Hukupp said (sorry) " I would think with your good looks and your intelligence, things will balance itself out" is perfectly said. There's nothing perfect out there for the client or the mp (or sp). What you could do, B, is perhaps a video camera for the front door that records video as needed - even a cam that is not recording would put someone on notice. Strategically place items for self defense? Perhaps partner up with a buddy that might keep quiet in the next room? I realize that any of these ideas my not be right for you, but they have worked for other people and I thought I should mention it.

As far as Ads go, I don't know if the value is there, but what I could say is, I spend a bit of time looking at the photos that are posted, checking for looks fake and keeping track of it. On the flip side, the photos that are refreshed can help build more interest in your services and help maintain loyalty from your clients.

 

 

jackofhearts .. your post has entirely misconstrued and misrepresented what I was discussing. In fact I would go so far as to say that your post gives a damaging and inaccurate impression of the level of screening I implement and require for my own comfort.

How I screen is by requiring a valid phone number and a call back when booking new clients. Are you suggesting that because some men are unwilling to provide valid contact information when booking (my original point about text apps) ... that I should pay for video cameras , hide weapons around my house , and have a buddy skulking in another room ?? Seriously ? Just think about that for a second... and then give your head a shake. lol.

A valid phone number and call back will suffice thanks.

And for the record, the onus is on the client to provide the required screening info, not on the lady to go to extreme lengths because the potential client is unwilling to provide proper screening info.

Clearly you did not really read my post. I do not live in fear , nor do I act that way (as per your suggestions) . I do however use my instincts, and common sense combined with some basic information when booking.

Your post may have been well-intentioned but it is not helpful.

 

As for not knowing if there is "value in ads" ... how do you think we (sp's) generate business ?

Yes it is clear that you look at pics ,but there is something to be said for reading the content whether it be an ad, website, Lyla profile or a persons comments in a discussion before you reply.

As for client loyalty ... the ones who have seen me for years are the ones who appreciate me as a person. If T & A pics are a means to garner loyalty from certain types.. perhaps they are not the type for me. My photos won't tell you who I am but if you read the info on my site it will give you a sense of me.

With a little due diligence, you would see that I have been on Lyla for almost 10 yrs (in fact alot of cerbites may remember me as Mistress Pandora) and have a business website and am very much "real".

I would love to know how you determine if a photo "looks fake" bearing in mind that many of us do professional photo shoots. In fact it wasn't until recently that I finally broke down and starting posting selfies (which I think are very unprofessional - just my own opinion) but it seems some think that unless it's a selfie it must be fake. I also hate posting selfies on my website since it think it decreases the level of professionalism. Again just my opinion for my own business. But I do have selfies on my site and on here since that seems to be the new standard. Guys are demanding quantity over quality.

In fact photo's are a discussion for a whole other thread since there are two types of gentlemen. The ones who are intrigued by your photos and want to know you in person and follow through on an appointment.

Then there are the ones who like to wack off to your photos and try and get free dirty chat with no intention of coming for an appointment. We get contacted by the second type every day !!

So how often to post new photos as a means to actually generating income is certainly a topic for another day. Another good topic would be "pro shoots v.s selfies".

Incidentally, how does one "refresh" a photo ? lol. I have a (soft) background in computer tech -hence the previous discussion about social media privacy (and also biotechnology for that matter) and I've never heard it put that way. I assume you meant "post new content" ?

 

B.

(or in polite company Bonnie) but hey if we are using short forms does that mean I can call you jackof ?

[jackofhearts 1010]

BonnieScot:

 

I can see how my post went off context from your original post. The thread delved into some of the issues of personal safety and privacy and I blurred who said what --my apologies. My frame of mind was also with my interest in MP services, how I look up ads, look up referring websites and I thought that would be adaptable to this conversation. I did not frame the context of my response properly. Yes, I am new here to Lyla and I am new to Canada, learning as I go.

 

Regarding the topic of advertising, of course there are, a value in ads. To generalize what you said, Ms. BonnieScot, you are currently seeing diminished returns. I agree with you in that I don't know how much value there really is in paid ads and there must be better alternatives. Now, I can speak to how I look up ads for MP services and make appointments, but I don't want to waste time writing ideas that may not relate to you business. I will, however, answer some of your questions posted to me.

 

Regarding the topic of "posting new content". When I see profiles, pictures, posts or ads that are old, then I am questioning myself if I really want to waste my time booking a first time appointment. As you know, the lack of up-front communication is a peev for both professional and client, so I think new content is beneficial. Please lets be clear, I am not judging or criticism your profile or your services, just an observation of the other posts, ads or profiles anywhere on the world wide web. BTW: To create new ads is a lot of work. Typically, an advertiser 'refreshes' the ad's photos and promotional message and leaves the layout, logo and other design elements as-is. When you do that, your existing clients recognize your ads and aren't bored to look at them either because there is something new present. You save time and money.

 

On that note, doing selfies is a low overhead cost of doing business. Typically, repeat advertising is effective. If you have a budget for professional photography, go for it! In fact, I recommend it and I do believe it will garner a higher well paying clientele. Whatever works for you. I don't think selfies are all that bad for other people and I understand why they use them. More on that on that later.

 

Regarding fakes. I never suggested that your photos are fake. When I look at Asian MAs services, I've seen perfect stock photos that use hair & makeup artists, use a sharp wardrobe and perfect studio lighting in a beautiful home or downtown loft, but in reality, they are charging $45 to $60 an hour and are a located in the back of an armpit industrial park. Its not rocket science -its a stock photo. Your average selfie on the other hand, isn't typically perfect and has a sense of realism. What you see is probably what you will get.

 

I hope I clarified a few things and that I'm not that far from the course -this time around.

 

Regards, J