dating site covergirls (and very occassionally guys) - part one
Dating sites are competitive. They all have their niche, their audience, and their own specific flavour. They have to convey this quickly, within 2 seconds of you seeing their ad or visiting thier homepage. And as we know, a picture is worth a thousand words. So what are the pics the big dating sites use in their ads telling you?
mate1.com
All about the ladies. The homepage girl is as close to the ‘pammie’ as any of the broad range dating sites get. Blonde, cleavagey and beautiful. Not subtle. But when was dating subtle! Ads use a range of shots of different models, this is a more sophisticated, brunette, joyous spring afternoon picnic type.
perfectmatch.com
An enthusiastic scandinavian looking girl. Very wholesome! Perfect teeth. And potentially compatible with me too - as proven by a test. I gotta do that test!
Sugardaddie.com
This is about as blatant as advertising gets. Guys - want a gorgeous girl? Girls - want a rich guy? This is the site for you. All in a photo! Even has the chi-ching highlight on the shades!
matchmaker
A different take, all in silhouette. Subtle, EVERYONE can identify with having a silhouette. So no chance of alienating a potential single. Also do a range of more traditional ‘happy couple’ pics.
Datingdirect.com
Wow - thats a big forceful smile! And I’m guessing those teeth were photoshopped just a little. Another with no guy in sight though…
lavalife
I love this one. Polaroids of a succession of dates - nice idea. If it’s not moving below then refresh or visit the site to see it in full glory, as it pauses on the sign up message after a while.
date.com
Now this one kinda shows why it’s not usually the guy at the centre of the pic. He looks like he’s going to bite a chunk out of her fave - and actually she looks a bit like a lion. Not sure…
Ashley madison
It’s not just the slight ‘adult’ look of the pic, it’s the line. This is pretty in your face stuff. But then dating for cheats is going to be in your face, but behind someones back! I think its the eyeliner that seals it!
single solution - dating site
Single solution is a premium real world meet up speed dating and web dating site. Looking at their homepage today they have around a dozen events happening in the London area over the next 4 or 5 weeks, which is way ahead of some others.
It’s always worth checking who they expect to sign up when considering a new dating site - to make sure you fit the bill and won’t be too unusual. Unusual can scare people! “Our typical members are in a profession such as accounting, law, media, design, or run their own businesses and most are graduates”. So better have a degree then.
They’ve been around since 2002, so must be doing something right. Look at the party / event overviews and you get a feel for the level of detail they put into organising these. Strict age group limits, themes, and a schedule for the evening to let everyone know what to expect. Free drinks to discourage latecomers should make sure of a quick start.
shirt dating
Wow. This has to be the wierdest way EVER to get a date. The basic concept is simple enough, you register on this site, they send you a tshirt with your nickname and their domain name, people who see you in your shirt can then look you up on the internet to get your number.
If you are going to use this remember, you have to wear your nickname on your chest. So don’t pick anything too fruity unless you are happy to be seen as a ‘foxbunny69′ in walmart on your way home.
The funniest thing? They even do undies! There aren’t that many situations where someone seeing your undies doesn’t know how to contact you, and even if they don’t, will they be looking at your name and writing down a domain name? I don’t think so.
Of course! It’s for you to leave behind! lol
build your own dating website
Always be the landlord, never the tenant. Lender not a borrower be. Own the infrastructure.
Wow - I sound like my old economics tutor. But if you spend enough time on your profiles trying to find love might think that it would be simpler to just start a dating site yourself, earn a million, and put THAT on your profile along with a photo of you standing alongside your Aston Martin DB9. Hmmm I wonder if THAT would be a better profile pic.
So there are a lot of sites offering a quick start for new dating websites. eMeeting dating scripts is one site which seems to place customer service higher than sales - which is unusual. The clearest sign of this is the extensive knowledge base and support features which are available to anyone - not just customers. Being confident to show this stuff publicly is a great sign.
While the dating space seems crowded, I’m sure there are gaps in the market. Maybe you are a gardener, and want to hook up with another gardener. Register ‘ilikegardeners.com’ (it’s available, I checked!) and buy the dating scripts, spend some time with photoshop and a day later you have a business. Assuming of course that there are enough gardeners sharing your liking for gardeners.
The video tutorials on setup, using your site, and the various other aspects of managing the business are pretty comprehensive. They take you as far as most people will need to go, and if you need to go further the feedback sections indicate that the company is helpful in pointing you in the right direction and even making changes for you.
We’d love to hear from sites out there using eMeeting - we’ll link you up and hopefully do a quick interview about your experiences. Get in touch below.
Credits for the pics used in the ilikegardeners mockup go to http://flickr.com/photos/ubookworm/244736087/sizes/l/, http://flickr.com/photos/herlanieship/2608670317/ and http://flickr.com/photos/emoore/2502912373/