I wasn't at all surprised to hear the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) announcer mention that some dating sites have reported up to 70% increases in paid memberships since the economic turmoil began in earnest a few months ago. Match.com (CJ and Linkshare) announced that November was its strongest in more than seven years and December saw a 22% increase over the same month a year prior.
The desire to pair up is basic human nature, so matchmaking will always be in vogue, no matter what the economy. But in tough times, building new relationships can become a necessity in order to cope either financially or emotionally.
“One of the hardest emotional feelings is being in the midst of bad news by yourself,” said Dr. Pepper Schwartz, chief relationship expert for leading dating site Perfectmatch.com (a Commission Junction merchant). “We are all generally better as a team and appreciate someone who shares our values, goals and lifestyle, and that's why we've seen increased traffic to top dating sites in the current economic climate.”
As to finding true love, a bad economy is actually GOOD for the dating set. Couples who can't afford to spend money on entertainment will actually talk more during their dates and thus build better, more intimate relationships. Talking intimately to build relationships – what a concept – and a great selling point too!
Dating Service Memberships are an Easy Sell
It's easy to convince the lovelorn that a dollar a day (and sometimes even less) to join a proper matchmaking site like Eharmony or Chemistry.com is a better investment in their future than wasting time trying find a needle in a haystack on a free dating site.
You don't need to start a completely new site dedicated just to dating to take advantage of dating affiliate programs — you can simple dovetail dating into your existing site. For example, a site for parents or moms would be remiss not to promote a site like Single Parents Mingle and a Mexican cooking site could entice their audience to find Latin lovers at Amigos.com. Use your imagination.
Get Those Dating Promos Out NOW
With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this is definitely the time to ramp up your dating promotions as most merchants are offering customer discounts and affiliate incentives.
Take advantage of the season by making gift products such as flowers, chocolates, jewelry and lingerie available to your audience as well — and be sure to focus on how the products you list will save your visitors money either through time-limited discounts or free-shipping.
- Amazon is offering an extra 30% off at check on Select Jewelry from the Amazon.com Collection until Feb. 14, 2009.
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Cheers,
