Due to the COVID-19 stay-at-home measures, many people are shifting their daily routines and hobbies to the online space – including their dating life. As a result, there’s an increase in people turning to online dating services. Business Insider predicted the number of dating app users in the US alone will reach 26 million by the end of 2020 – an 18 percent increase from 2019.
For this reason, many professional dating businesses are creating websites, which are easy to develop and maintain. Attracting clients, however, poses a bigger problem for today’s online dating business owners. To attract more customers, you have to understand them – the website features they need, the services they want and more.
Promoting your website is easy if you have the marketing funds. But when you’re working on a tight budget, it may not be as easy.
The Disconnect Between Budget and Marketing?
An effective marketing strategy is built upon a fundamental of creative decisions and careful planning plus a satisfactory (if not adequate) budget. If carefully implemented, you can bring in more customers. But if you’re struggling with one aspect of the planning – in this case, the budget – you may struggle with getting the results that you need.
Money is the driving force in many small businesses and startups. Working with a tight budget can limit your opportunities or make it impossible to create extensive and sound marketing solutions. For this reason, small businesses prefer to start marketing campaigns in-house.
Your dating service can still gain visibility online despite your limited budget. Here’s how you can do it.
Marketing Your Dating Website Within Your Budget
Plan Your Budget
Careful planning is the foundation of any successful marketing campaign. Despite the blinding promises of free advertisement and exposure on social media, avoiding costly marketing expenditures is tricky. You need to hire marketing experts or purchase some traffic to boost your dating website’s presence.
Be crafty and plan your expenditures to gain a better grasp of your marketing campaign. Set a budget for areas that need more focus. For instance, if you need better online visibility, allot more funds for your SEO campaigns.
Be Smart and Creative
The online dating industry is an oversaturated one with fatter wallets and tougher competition usually wins when it comes to gaining more customers. However, you have to be smarter than bigger dating businesses and focus on strategies that may seem “less effective” in the long run but offers long-term benefits. Think “obvious-non-obvious” solution like getting in touch with bloggers and news reporters.
Your dating website can be interesting news bits to news services. Make it more interesting by developing interesting new features and browse the internet for interesting dating stories that your current market may share with others. Think outside of the box to promote enticing experiences to potential customers.
Refrain from Over Chasing Target Customers
As mentioned, the saturation of the dating industry is incredible. But the dating market is also very responsive and guarantees huge returns on your investment, which means the smallest portion of your target audience can still yield significant financial results.
So, instead of bombarding your target market with endless ads on your website, evolve your website. Add features that simplify the “meeting people” aspect of your service. Get in touch with your current clients and get their feedback; ask them how you can improve your website. Implement these changes to elevate your service to a level where inviting new customers is easy as pie.
Do Not Ignore Time-Tested Techniques
Search engine optimization (SEO) is still the best way to put your dating website in front of searching customers. Search algorithms do not feature your website just for its cool features or attractive design; you must fill it with relevant content, too. Optimize your content with the top keywords your target market is using to look for your services.
Another thing to focus on: if your website has a dating app counterpart, focus on App Store Optimization (ASO). With millions of apps available for download in all stores, simplify your future clients’ selection by making your app easier to find.
Be Social and Go Viral
Never underestimate the power of social media. Modern marketing co-exists with social media; you’ll need Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to market your dating website to people who need dates. Have someone in your team manage your social media profiles to communicate with followers.
Also, creating engaging content can encourage followers to share your posts. Share quotable quotes, relatable videos or funny memes to entice followers to use your business.
Respect is earned online, which is why you’ll need an effective marketing strategy. The most successful marketing campaigns are a combination of paid services and your efforts. But you don’t have to spend a big amount to improve awareness on your website. All it takes is dedication and creativity.
