With so many online dating services available, some may wonder why anyone would try and add a new competitor into the mix. The answer is because an entrepreneur sees an unfulfilled need, or they don't feel the dating sites available are adequate. If this is how you feel, starting your own online dating business might be the right move to make.
The first thing to consider is what your dating site's niche will be. A niche is a specialization, such as Black singles, Jewish singles, military singles, etc. It is absolutely necessary to target a specific niche instead of just starting another general dating site. Why? Because the more specific the niche, the less competition you will face. However, you don't want to get super-specific with your niche. Creating a dating site for singles in Texas who like the outdoors is a feasible idea, but a dating site for left-handed people in Montana probably won't have a wide audience.
After you've figured out just who your new online dating business will target, you need to decide what type of dating service you will offer: a database, where users sign up and create profiles, or a matchmaking service, where you match users based on their compatibility. The advantage of offering a database style dating service is that it requires little maintenance, and your dating service will be more like a community. There is also software available that can help you build a database dating site, including DateRev, Dating Sitebuilder, and Dating Pro. If you opt to create a matchmaking service, you will definitely need to dedicate more time to maintaining your site and to communicating with your members -- keep this in mind before settling with a matchmaking type of online dating business.
Once you develop your niche and choose a format, you will need to come up with a budget and marketing plan. Marketing ideas for online dating businesses include placing Google ads, social media marketing (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, blogs, etc), and offline marketing. Where you market and promote your site will all depend on which niche you choose.
An important decision online dating business owners must face is what to charge their customers, if anything. You can even offer potential customers a free trial. If you are an adept marketer and can pull in advertising revenue, your best bet is to offer your site's services for free. Some of the most successful online dating businesses, such as Plenty of Fish and OkCupid, do not charge their members any fees.
Once you have launched your online dating business, don't forget that in order to maintain and grow your membership, you will need to provide excellent customer service. "Good service" won't do; in order to keep up with the competition you need to make your business stand out. Sending your members newsletters, starting a community-style blog, running contests for members, offering an affiliate program, and periodically adding new features and benefits to your site is a good way to build rapport with the members of your dating service.
It will take a good deal of planning and development, but starting an online dating business can be a fun way to make extra money. If you put careful consideration toward your venture, your online dating site can even become your primary source of income.
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