There’s a new buzz-word going around at the moment – ‘sofalising’. According to an article I read today (Daily Record, 15.11.2010) more than a quarter of all adults in the UK do all of their socialising on the net or via mobile.
At a time when texting your friends or posting a status update from the comfort of your home is so much a part of daily life, online dating is part of this social phenomenon. Instead of taking the uncomfortable step of introducing yourself to a stranger in real life and facing rejection, it’s far easier and more convenient to meet people online and chat in the safety and anonymity of your own home.
Social media is such an integral part of communication in our busy lives, and online dating is constantly growing as part of this, with the popularity of instant messenger, live chat and social gaming.
As a society we are almost growing apart, living our lives in a virtual reality, but at the same time online dating can introduce you to a world of so many people and you can chat to someone on the other side world and it’s as if you are in the same room.
According to the survey, as a primary means of contact with friends and family, 71 per cent of adults said they use text, 31 per cent chose social networking sites, 27 per cent picked email, and 18 per cent use live chat.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Friday, 10 September 2010
Great things are happening
You may have already heard that we have started growing our niche dating portfolio with a couple of small acquisitions.
The addition of PlanetSappho.com to our dating portfolio opens up new opportunities for us in terms of reaching out to a whole new audience of femme lesbians across the world. We will be looking to grow this site and also learn from it to contribute to the success of our portfolio as a whole.
We have also added GranAmor.com, a Spanish language dating site for those who are serious about dating and who are more likely to be looking for a long term relationship in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries. Online Dating is really growing in Spain and we aim to be at the forefront of this growth.
This also means that our white label dating partners have more opportunities for growth.
There are still many open doors for entry into the dating market. Whether by picking up on a niche that is under-represented or by creating a niche of your own, the opportunities are there.
If you want to speak about setting up your own niche dating sites, speak to us at iDate Paris.
The Internet Dating Conference (iDate) is held on 16th-17th September 2010 at Hotel Concorde Lafayette, Paris.
Book your place at the iDate conference here.
The addition of PlanetSappho.com to our dating portfolio opens up new opportunities for us in terms of reaching out to a whole new audience of femme lesbians across the world. We will be looking to grow this site and also learn from it to contribute to the success of our portfolio as a whole.
We have also added GranAmor.com, a Spanish language dating site for those who are serious about dating and who are more likely to be looking for a long term relationship in Spain and other Spanish speaking countries. Online Dating is really growing in Spain and we aim to be at the forefront of this growth.
This also means that our white label dating partners have more opportunities for growth.
There are still many open doors for entry into the dating market. Whether by picking up on a niche that is under-represented or by creating a niche of your own, the opportunities are there.
If you want to speak about setting up your own niche dating sites, speak to us at iDate Paris.
The Internet Dating Conference (iDate) is held on 16th-17th September 2010 at Hotel Concorde Lafayette, Paris.
Book your place at the iDate conference here.
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
EasyDate plc
It’s been quite a month here at EasyDate HQ.
You may already know that our company listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market on 30th June.
Not only are we the first dating company to be publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange, but we are also the first Scottish company to list since 2007.
We would like to think that people will see this as a sign of the industry taking its place in the mainstream.
Thank you to all our partners and third party providers who contributed towards our success in making this happen.
It’s onwards and upwards from here…
You may already know that our company listed on the London Stock Exchange AIM market on 30th June.
Not only are we the first dating company to be publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange, but we are also the first Scottish company to list since 2007.
We would like to think that people will see this as a sign of the industry taking its place in the mainstream.
Thank you to all our partners and third party providers who contributed towards our success in making this happen.
It’s onwards and upwards from here…
Thursday, 3 June 2010
Come and see us at iDate Beverley Hills
If you are seriously interested in entering the online dating industry then you should visit the next iDate event in Los Angeles and stop for a chat.
The iDate events give you the opportunity to meet others in the industry and understand a bit more about how the industry works and what you need to do to be successful.
There is still so much scope in this industry and there are new sites being launched daily tapping into yet more unfulfilled niches, meaning there are still endless opportunities for newcomers. This is particularly true if you already have an existing source of traffic that you feel you aren’t monetizing to the max.
If you are going to attend, we look forward to seeing you there.
More info on iDate 2010 Beverley Hills can be found at: http://www.idate2009.com/innerpage-la.php.
If you want to pre-arrange a meeting then add a comment to this blog.
The iDate events give you the opportunity to meet others in the industry and understand a bit more about how the industry works and what you need to do to be successful.
There is still so much scope in this industry and there are new sites being launched daily tapping into yet more unfulfilled niches, meaning there are still endless opportunities for newcomers. This is particularly true if you already have an existing source of traffic that you feel you aren’t monetizing to the max.
If you are going to attend, we look forward to seeing you there.
More info on iDate 2010 Beverley Hills can be found at: http://www.idate2009.com/innerpage-la.php.
If you want to pre-arrange a meeting then add a comment to this blog.
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
What role will Social Media play in your business?
Social Networking sites have such a crucial role to play in the future of online businesses that it is now when you should be taking notice and looking at how you can use social media in your business. Whether it is just to create a facebook page for your company or interacting with your customers through twitter, the time has come to get started.
If regular interaction with your customers is likely to improve your business in anyway then twitter could be the way to tackle this. Check out my comments on Social Media sites below.
Facebook
There are several ways in which Facebook can be used within your business. Because of the huge, seriously active audience on the site, a page on your company and/or services is a great starting point and as long as you go about it correctly, this can really start to increase awareness of your brand.
In addition to a permanent presence on Facebook there are some fantastic advertising opportunities. Because of the nature of the site it is possible to do highly targeted advertising campaigns. This can be very effective if you are running a niche dating site, which is maybe aimed at a specific age group.
Twitter
The popularity of Twitter has really taken the Social Media world by storm. This simple online tool which allows you to let people know what you are up to in 140 characters or less is just pure genius in its simplicity. For some businesses it could just be what you need to get your name in front of your customers more often. You can keep customers updated on new products, special offers or even just changes within the company.
Some of the most impressive examples of brands using Twitter to keep in touch with their customers include Starbucks (http://twitter.com/starbucks) who have almost 1 million followers and Zappos (http://twitter.com/zappos) with 1.7 million followers. These guys have such a loyal customer base and impressive customer relations that it probably wasn’t too huge a task to reach those numbers.
Other Social Networking sites such as MySpace and Bebo, which seem to have lost ground to the ones mentioned above can also offer up great opportunities for brand exposure and customer interaction. I may cover these another day.
Feel free to comment
If regular interaction with your customers is likely to improve your business in anyway then twitter could be the way to tackle this. Check out my comments on Social Media sites below.
There are several ways in which Facebook can be used within your business. Because of the huge, seriously active audience on the site, a page on your company and/or services is a great starting point and as long as you go about it correctly, this can really start to increase awareness of your brand.
In addition to a permanent presence on Facebook there are some fantastic advertising opportunities. Because of the nature of the site it is possible to do highly targeted advertising campaigns. This can be very effective if you are running a niche dating site, which is maybe aimed at a specific age group.
The popularity of Twitter has really taken the Social Media world by storm. This simple online tool which allows you to let people know what you are up to in 140 characters or less is just pure genius in its simplicity. For some businesses it could just be what you need to get your name in front of your customers more often. You can keep customers updated on new products, special offers or even just changes within the company.
Some of the most impressive examples of brands using Twitter to keep in touch with their customers include Starbucks (http://twitter.com/starbucks) who have almost 1 million followers and Zappos (http://twitter.com/zappos) with 1.7 million followers. These guys have such a loyal customer base and impressive customer relations that it probably wasn’t too huge a task to reach those numbers.
Other Social Networking sites such as MySpace and Bebo, which seem to have lost ground to the ones mentioned above can also offer up great opportunities for brand exposure and customer interaction. I may cover these another day.
Feel free to comment
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
Not all white label dating providers are created equal
If you are really serious about setting up a dating site and you are in the process of comparing the providers offering a white label dating solution, make sure you are armed with all the facts before making your decision.
What size of database do they have?
It is important that the members you bring to your site are able to find people ‘near them’. If they don’t they will leave your site.
- Easy Date has 15 million
Which countries do they operate in?
You will want to consider your expansion options, so make sure your white label dating provider covers other countries so you have the possibility to expand your portfolio.
- Easy Date operates in UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Spain, Sweden – and continue to expand the countries available to white label partners.
What is their track record like?
Have the white label provider any visible evidence of success either for themselves or for their white label partners? This is important because it will show whether their platform has demonstrated the potential to create a profitable, scalable business.
- There are 7 dating sites in the UK Top 50 (source: Hitwise March 2010) operating on Easy Date’s platform - that’s 14% of the countries most popular dating sites.
Good luck with your venture…
What size of database do they have?
It is important that the members you bring to your site are able to find people ‘near them’. If they don’t they will leave your site.
- Easy Date has 15 million
Which countries do they operate in?
You will want to consider your expansion options, so make sure your white label dating provider covers other countries so you have the possibility to expand your portfolio.
- Easy Date operates in UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Spain, Sweden – and continue to expand the countries available to white label partners.
What is their track record like?
Have the white label provider any visible evidence of success either for themselves or for their white label partners? This is important because it will show whether their platform has demonstrated the potential to create a profitable, scalable business.
- There are 7 dating sites in the UK Top 50 (source: Hitwise March 2010) operating on Easy Date’s platform - that’s 14% of the countries most popular dating sites.
Good luck with your venture…
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Traditional or Casual?
The traditional and casual dating audiences have gradually come closer together as many sites that are considered as being casual are accepted into the mainstream. Mostly because this is a better fit for real life and realists have concluded that we do not go out actively looking for a husband or wife as soon as we turn 21.
What we really want is to continue having fun with our friends and at the same time to make new friends and have a lot of fun along the way.
Of course this doesn’t mean that there is no room for traditional dating sites.. actually quite the opposite. They compliment each other very well and because of this reason it could actually be worthwhile creating both a traditional and a casual dating site and use the opportunity to cross promote your sites.
It is generally well known that casual dating sites can provide a higher income, mostly because they can convert better and the Average Revenue Per User can be higher. However, this doesn’t always need to be the case and it is very much dependent upon your source of traffic.
My advice would be to launch both a traditional and casual dating site and cross market them to get increased ARPU. What have you got to lose?
What we really want is to continue having fun with our friends and at the same time to make new friends and have a lot of fun along the way.
Of course this doesn’t mean that there is no room for traditional dating sites.. actually quite the opposite. They compliment each other very well and because of this reason it could actually be worthwhile creating both a traditional and a casual dating site and use the opportunity to cross promote your sites.
It is generally well known that casual dating sites can provide a higher income, mostly because they can convert better and the Average Revenue Per User can be higher. However, this doesn’t always need to be the case and it is very much dependent upon your source of traffic.
My advice would be to launch both a traditional and casual dating site and cross market them to get increased ARPU. What have you got to lose?
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