How to Start an Online Escorting Service - Assignment Example

How to start an online escorting service  The first thing that is needed to be considered while designing an online escort service is the marketing and the reach the service can render. Though the potential market can be considered to be huge but giving the right kind of information to the right kind of person at the right place is very essential. Making the business online gives a huge advantage, but also apart from that, advertisements in the Adult-service section or personal section of newspapers, may be yellow pages or in some instances referrals from regular clients would also provide the customer data bases. (Roberts, 23). Also the use of business cards can help in some regards. But when typically a business is set to market online, then there are few distinct categories in which they being divided. The first is the personal and individual sites created by an escort herself. (Roberts, 23) This can be regarded as only one point service connection, where only one escort is focusing on achieving the maximum business for her. However, when a third person tries to establish a business in where many escorts are involved, and the business typically tries to capture a whole lot of a customer, the dynamics of the entire marketing perspective changes. Many related issues come into the scenario like the costs and the legal factors etc. The other typical online services which are available in the market are “Mall & Directories” (Roberts, 24). These are the websites where typically a group of providers are available, providing an interface where the client gets the option of choosing the right escort according to his liking. Here there is two ways by which the online service provider (the website owner) can earn. Firstly, the business owner will provide space for individual providers in their website, there by demanding money in return. (Ditmore, 145) Also another way the website owner may earn is by taking commission on every client the escort gets. So the possibility of earning is always there. But the real smart work would be to incorporate the entire public relation of a provider (escort) under a single umbrella.  Some of the agencies which operate such businesses are highly organized in nature providing service in-house as well as out-call clients. (Ditmore, 145). Now those agencies have their problems too. There may incidents that when an escort creates her own database of clients, she may be willing to move out of the system and may continue the business on her own. (Ditmore, 145). The problem gets even bigger if she used to be the most popular service provider and so in one blow the business loses many clients. These situations are difficult to handle as the business cannot afford to render extra benefits to any of their escorts. But what is advisable is to bring in much similar kind of service providers and segment them in groups. In a mall kind of website, the owner necessarily divides the providers into groups of similar looking or similar type of service providers. (Roberts, 24)   The categories in which the escorts could be divided are blonds, brunettes, redheads, depending upon their physical features or in terms of age and social classes. This type casting helps in many ways. Primarily it gives lesser focus on the individual service providers, and secondly it helps in the segmentation of the customers. Identifying the taste of a customer is very essential for any business. Especially in this kind of services where the customer may be very sensitive and may have several other issues related to personality. The main traits of the client related to the business are to be measured. In online business it is always a certainty that people might not reveal their true identity. But some aspects related to the likings and the taste of the person should be retrieved. For this in the online registration form many personality tests can be provided, which can directly or indirectly ask the clients choice of escorts. So when an individual service provider tries to move out of the system, to start her own businessman, the system can provide the client with suitable backups. But the there is still an issue of concern here. As in most of the cases the client mostly comes in direct contact with the service provider and the services being more sensitive in nature the chances of growing personal relationships cannot be ignored. So these are the threats always there. There are other critical issues involved in the business process. The prime concern will be designing the entire operation like how the client will meet the provider through the owner of the business. (Roberts, 46).  It should be always kept in mind that for every possible transaction that is going on, the business owner should be well aware. The least precautionary measure that can be taken is that, the phone number or the cell number of the business owner is always provided in the website and the advertisements, not the personal contact number of the service provider. The next control measure need some bit of infrastructural set up. The business owner if can provide facilities for in house services, the clients will be somewhat under their control. The owner can monitor the exact number of clients exactly being served by which provider. To control the service providers from going in for individual business the owner of the online agency might go for some direct contracts with the escorts. When the question of starting a business comes, it should necessarily focus on the surrounding or the local markets. Localized solution is what the customers seek for. So primarily few specific areas and surrounding areas have to be sorted out for targeting. The areas near some exotic hotels or motels can be focused on. If necessary localized advertisements in the hotels can also be provided to the travelers who are settling there. For this tie up with some popular hotels is necessary. The design should be such that both the escorting business and the hotel business get profit. But it also has to be done with adequate care and precaution, as over emphasis on the escorting part may make the hotel lose its reputation. So information have to be passed in a very organized and structured manner, may be by providing leaflets with the general brochures of the hotel. Again, only those people have to be targeted who apparently look like prospective clients in that business. For example single male traveler or a group, but certainly not to a family for that matter. Special care needs to be taken while designing the appearance of both the website and the office. The website should be a mix of both flashy images and compactness. As different customers have different tastes and also the age range of the customers may vary a lot. It has to be kept in mind that this industry is totally unorganized so the threat from the competitors is always there. So the chances of losing out on profitable customers  are high. In fact almost every tourist spots through out the world have their own market of escort services. Keeping that in consideration the company can devise focused strategies like giving cheap hotel facilities to single travelers. It may not be a necessity for the customer to avail escort services but the company will earn anyhow. This may include a bit of infrastructural costs, but will gain profit in the longer run. Also the company to increase it value can organize events (mostly dance and music), which they might advertise in their website. By organizing events many customers can be targeted at once. But measures should be taken about the quality of  program selection and the cost of the tickets depending upon the class the company wants to target. If the ticket values are kept low on purpose to attract many people, it may dilute the brand the company holds. While designing the internet and while adding facilities the escorting company should be careful. It may create a chat room with video sharing facilities, where video images of some service providers or some willing models can be put. This will certainly increase the popularity. The escorting company can also make provisions like some of the videos will be available for free while for some they can charge dollars. This balance will attract customers as well as the persons who are not ready to spend a lot can also browse through the website, which will make the company earn anyhow. It had already been mentioned that the competition in this industry is high. But also are the prospects. Though attacking tourist spots is a good idea, but there the space for growth is very less. Alongside with those focused strategies the company might adapt different strategies where competition is yet to reach. The owner may access different community websites and spot out the members from the communities like “ single men”, “ lonely singles” etc. Firstly by identifying them the owner may send personalized advertisements of the services they provide. This attempt will cost the least but would be effective. Responses can be expected from these customized ads. Also various other communities could be visited with ease. Direct invitation to the office or for joining websites can be given. But all the ads must be well framed and well designed so that there is no legal obligation from the statements made while advertising over the net. If any profile creates a hint of suspicion about the legal concerns it should be excluded immediately. The major reason for taking precautionary measures is due to the legal hazards linked with such business. It is still prostitution and trafficking is considered as organized crimes. ( IOM). So anything linked with such matters also may be considered as crime in the eyes of the law. So precautionary measures have to be taken while dealing with each client individually. In fact all the marketing propaganda should be very focused on the niche segment which usually often consumes such services. New individual when dealt with should be thoroughly surveyed. The time and the meeting place of new clients should not be kept constant. This is due to the fact it would be then easier to trap. The company can deal with new clients with help of some existing loyal client to understand the motive, or  some escort directly approaching the client without the company’s name. Here the escort should also be well known and should have a good relationship with the owner. Otherwise there is always the threat of losing out on prospective clients in the hands of the escort. These are the major issues and concerns while one is starting an online escort business. The report tries to give comprehensive methods of establishing and expanding the business. The critical factors, which can be encountered while the operation of the business is also being discussed.     Works cited 1. Roberts John. The Business Side of Escorting: The Ins and Outs of Running a Business in Cyber Age for the Escort and the Sensual Masseuse Serious About her Profession: Bloomington, iUniverse, 2004 2. Ditmore Melissa Hope. Encyclopedia of prostitution and sex work : Santa Barbara, Greenwood Publishing, 2006 3. International Organization for Migration. IOM Research Series :  US, Oxford University Press, N.d. Read More