Why Promote Dating Sites?

Simple. It is a lot easier than selling sheep. Seriously, online sheep-selling is a hard sell.

Right, have a nice day!

What follows is some filler because - while the above post is accurate and definitive - I’m afraid the wordage looks a tad lame.

Human beings need relationships to be happy. (honestly, they do . . .)

People are social animals. The average human being wants A) a loving relationship and B) plenty of sex; not necessarily with the same person, it should be noted. Dating sites satisfy that basic human need - which makes them an easy sell. If the Sahara desert were a dating site, and chilled Diet Cokes were memberships, would it be blindingly arduous selling them to dust-spitting, travelling nomads? Alrighty then . . .

Online dating is a hugely popular growth market.

One in twenty internet users will pay each year for internet dating services. Lots of nomads! In the U.S, 5% of all users are paying for dating services (JupiterResearch), 6% in Europe (1 in 16 users!). And the market is growing : 6% a year in the U.S and 9% in Europe. Online expenditure for dating is predicted to rise to $932 million in the U.S and 549 million euros ($742 million) in Europe by 2011.

Photos to Widgets

We saw dating agencies emerge shortly after World War 2 in the form of personal ads in newspapers and magazines which catered to the 22 to 44 age group. In the 1950s, Bob Hope said, “I once sent my photograph to a Lonely Hearts club and they sent it back saying, thanks but we are not that lonely”. Computer dating took off in the late 1960s and in 1995, thanks in part to Mr. Gore, there emerged the first dating site, Match.com.

Today, internet dating is a mature, technologically-sophisticated market. It has lept from the primordial ooze of delivering personal ad photos to your inbox, to virtual communities, personality profiling software with advanced algorithmic analysis for matchmaking, the integration of video and mobile telephony, and the latest trend (see Facebook.com) being widgets.

What does this mean for the marketer? Advanced dating services have advanced affiliate programs.

High payouts

With a little knowledge - and free hosting - almost anyone can earn an above-average income by promoting dating from home. Affiliate sponsors offer payment on clicks, impressions, free profiles, sales, and have been known to give 100% recurring revenue-shares. Affiliate dating payout rates range wildly from a cent a click to a dollar, 25 bucks a sale to $100.

Tools and support

Promotional material comes in geo-targetted links and banners, video landing pages, content syndication, wordpress themes, custom ad generators, mini sites and galleries. The larger sponsors assign new affiliates with a personal rep and all offer responsive email, telephone, instant chat and sometimes forum communication.

So, to conclude . . .

Selling dating is a lot easier than selling sheep.

And . . .

The marketing of dating sites is attractive for 3 main reasons :

1.  People have an inborn need to form relationships.

2.  The life-cycle of internet dating has reached maturity, meaning widespread acceptance, and advanced affiliate programs for marketers.

3.  Ebay point-blank refuse the sale of live sheep.