Daniel Offer, owner of the Facebook Messenger Chit Chat for Facebook, writes (Chit Chat is a Facebook Download that enables users to connect to Facebook chat from their computer’s desktop)
Many couples now meet through dating services. The premise is simple: a single person signs up, pays a regular fee, creates a profile, and then browses other singles in the area. Setting up your own dating service can be a very rewarding business prospect, but there are a few factors you should keep in mind.
1) Research the marketplace. Check out other dating services and websites to learn how they work. Do customers pay a monthly fee, or are they locked into longer contracts? Pay attention to the language used on the site and what might sound persuasive to potential customers. Note where these sites are advertising.
2) Brainstorm and form a game plan. Decide whether you want to start an online dating service or a professional match-making service. Who is your target audience? Choosing a niche market, such as a particular age group, race or religion, can help your dating service stand out from others.
3) Poll your single friends who use dating services. Take them out for lunch or a drink and get them to talk candidly about which features they like and which they dislike. Use them as a sounding board for your ideas. Your concept must be appealing to the average single in order to attract plenty of customers.
4) Establish a professional look. Order business cards, purchase a website domain and hosting services and hire a qualified web designer, if you don’t have the experience yourself. Whether your site operates as an online service or not, you should have a website to maintain credibility.
5) Advertise to attract your first customers. Post ads on websites that singles frequent, or at local clubs. Offer free memberships to your initial joiners, which will attract many more singles than a paid site that they haven’t heard of yet. Later you can switch to paid memberships once you’ve built up a buzz.
Tips
• Establish a budget before you make any plans. Start-up costs can be minimal if you do the work yourself, but you may need to hire professionals.
• Using dating software would be a great idea to structure your website.
• Network with local companies to host singles events as an opportunity to promote your dating website.
• Make the customers your number one priority. Consider offering free trials or refunds in order to stand out from the other dating sites.
• Be aware that this is a saturated market and only a few dating sites are truly successful.
