Published: 07/09/2024 by David Coggin
Think back to what dating was like in the ’90s. There were Dating agencies, lonely hearts columns, useless matchmaking with friends setting you up with their ‘amazing’ friend or even just picking someone up in a bar. There was a lot less stigma towards playing the field before eventually settling down with ‘the one’. Fast forward to the present day and the dating game and how we go about finding ‘the one’ has changed massively due to technology. We now have more control over our own dating destiny. Technology has made us more savvy, stylish and worldly. But on the flipside, it’s made us more prone to rejection, more anxious and a lot pickier.
With the emergence of multiple dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble and even Match.com we have been fooled into thinking that we have more options. But in reality, it just presents a bigger haystack in which we have to locate our needle. We now have the power to really finesse our searches, look at profiles, find things in common and essentially reject someone before actually having to talk to them.
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Nowadays there are so many things to consider when starting out dating and so many questions that need answering. Listed below are some of the initial hurdles people look to overcome when they start out on their dating journey.
There’s so much more planning that goes into dating these days and it seems as if that a lot of the decisions we make can be translated into how you should approach building your companies marketing strategy.
It’s time to get yourself out there on the dating scene; you know you have a “type” but where is this type hanging out? Where do they go? What do they like? Looking at it from a marketing point of view, study where your clients ‘hang out’. What platforms are they using, Facebook, Instagram, Networking Groups? Wherever your customers are hanging out, that’s where you need to be!
You’ve gone all out and bought a brand new outfit, you’ve spent ages trying this and that on, going back to the first one because you forgot what it looked like. Piece by piece you put together “the look”; creating the outfit to highlight the very best version of “you”.
In marketing, you want to create something that will get the customers attention and show them your best version of “you” and what you can offer them. This could be in the form of a pdf, a video or a case study about your customer. Create something that brings the customer in and entices them to learn more.
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Now comes the hard part, plucking up the courage to talk to them. Instead of standing around procrastinating about what food you’re going to get at the end of the night, (definitely McDonald's.) Smile, make some eye contact; offer to buy them a drink. Be direct and honest with them, cheesy chat up lines and pre-rehearsed stories will only get you so far.
The goal here is to exchange some digits. I like you, do you like me? In marketing, we want to impress them enough to get an exchange, click the link, watch the video and capture their email address so you can keep talking. It’s not time to call the wedding planner just yet, but you absolutely want a second date.
Now you’re getting to know each other better; texting, (accidentally) liking pics on social media, planning more dates and even going as far as introducing them to your parents and friends.
Once we have the email address of our potential customer we want to keep talking, keep showing them who we are and what we’re offering. We want to make sure we’re delivering them regular engaging content.
Dating, dating, dating and eventually you want them to put a ring on it! You’ve spent enough time getting to know each other and now you want to commit. Just like you want your potential customer to push the ‘buy’ button!
You’ve invested a lot of time in this customer, we don’t want to end up in divorce court! It’s not only painful, but it’s also expensive! You continue to invest in your relationship, make sure you keep on dating and making time for each other after the wedding and continue to celebrate the relationship. You work on making sure they continue to feel special and happy they chose you!
The end goal here is to retain your customers and instil loyalty by delighting subscribers with helpful content and awesome service. You want to make sure you’re giving them helpful and relevant information. You want your customers to be more than that, you want them to become fans and recommend you to their friends.
Who knew that dating and marketing had so much in common? By making sure you’re honest with your customers and providing them with valuable content you can ensure that your relationship with them is long and beneficial for both parties. What do you think? In what ways can you draw parallels between the complicated world of marketing and the confusing world of dating?
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