You might be missing out on a $400 million market! If you are NOT missing this market, then I can show you how to double or triple your revenue, maybe even have a profitable newspaper web site.
If your newspaper does not have a singles or a personals section, you are totally missing a stream of revenue from a $400 million market comprised of 85 million singles in the United States, of which, nearly 65% have daily access to the Internet.
If you do have an online photo personals section, you probably link to a major site (which is exactly what we used to do). There are some things you need for success which your current provider probably
does not give you. For example;
- 55% of the revenue collected.
- 55% of any renewals.
- a site that bears a domain name that you chose.
- a site that has YOUR LOGO.
- a site that has your choice of layout and color scheme.
- a site with a shared database so that your customers can meet people from all over the world.
- a host that protects your members information, their privacy and has a zero tolerance for pop-up ads, spam or harassment.
- free membership for your customers and free setup for your newspaper.
- a host that really pays and they get the checks out on time!
Segments of the Internet services industry are still growing, rapidly. More singles are finding less expensive ways, besides bars and night clubs, to meet others. Who has time to sit in a dark, smelly, smoke-filled bar and wait for the perfect person to stumble in front of them anyway? More and more singles are "getting connected" via the Internet than ever before. Much of these recent connections are due to the ability for singles to meet others in online communities.
A few years ago, it was taboo to speak about a romance found by two people online. In the past couple years, the acceptance of online romance has increased substantially. Of 100 people polled in 1997, only 5% of them said they would entertain meeting their next romantic partner online. In January of 2001, nearly 34% of those polled stated that meeting others online is a better idea than meeting them in bars or night clubs. This is a vastly changing public opinion which is sparking tremendous growth in the online dating market.
Did you know?
The Internet online dating industry has doubled each twelve months for the past 3 years and is expected to remain at this growth level for the foreseeable future.
According to the NYTimes, more than 45 million Americans visited online dating sites in the month of May, 2003 and spending by subscribers is projected to rise to over $400 million this year.
Over 60 million singles will enroll in at least one online dating community by the end of 2003.
Nearly 55% of those registering at online dating communities have college educations.
Despite false claims by competing sites, the ratio of men to women using online dating services is roughly 2:1, yet the female sector is slowly increasing its share. Unlike other sites, our provider manages to maintain an average male-to-female ratio of 52%/48%.
The top 5 online dating sites pay over $1.4 million in affiliate commissions each month, combined. This is approximately only 15% of their combined revenue. Our provider pays 55-65% of its revenue to partners.
Background:
I've been the computer tech at our daily newspaper since 1989. We started our daily online version in 1995. Online dating web sites sprang up soon and we signed up with one of the biggest in the market. We made bold prominent links, banner ads, ran house ads in both display and classified advertising and people signed up. Unfortunately, the pay was never there. I'm not sure but I think our biggest check ever was about $18.00 Honestly, most affiliate programs on the web leave a lot to be desired because they offer low commissions and this one was no exception. However, about a year or more ago, I did find that exception.
How a partnership usually works with other providers:
I have reviewed many dating sites since we started the newspaper and most sites expect you to link to their site, with their branding, and you will be paid anywhere between 10% and 40%. The 10% is your reward if you make them a little revenue while the 20%-40% is your reward only if you are making them a ton of money and have the ability to send thousands of new members to their site. In a nutshell, you stick a banner on your site and hope that something happens. This does not work very well.
What I found!
I found a provider that pays 55% of the revenue collected. Cha-Ching! More importantly, you will also receive 55% of all renewal revenue generated for the lifespan of each premium membership. Not only that, you get a web site with YOUR choice of domain name with YOUR LOGO and the site is CUSTOMIZED with you choice of layout and color scheme. Something you can brand and market. I know you know how to do that. You work at a newspaper and have an advertising deptartment! The membership database is shared between all sites in the network so you'll have hundreds (thousands - hundreds of thousands) of people for your customers to meet from day one. The network probably has people in your area already. The network was pretty well established when I got started in 2001. Check it out for yourself.
Real World Results:
We're not getting rich overnight here. It took several months for our small town and small circulation newspaper to get a good sized membership group signed up. Now we're seeing a steady and increasing revenue. We've long past the pennies per month average we were earning with the old provider. We've more than tripled the revenue from the old provider. IMPORTANT: We advertise the service in every issue using a simple three-line daily classified ad and occasional display ads (2x2 2x3) and naturally, we have links at our web site to our own branded service. I'm going to show you the steps which I learned over the years that will get you jump started in the process.
Step by Step: What you need and what this will cost you to get started
This will cost almost nothing.
Our provider will set you up for free.
And I think you can complete the entire process in under 15 minutes.
- You will need to purchase a domain name. You'll have your own domain name which is used exclusively for your new computer dating service. You'll want to think up a creative brand, like SpringfieldSingles.com. Talk to a couple of people in your advertising dept. Brainstorm and have some fun. You can purchase a domain name cheaper elsewhere or try Register.com if you simply like to spend money ($70 for 2 years). I've setup a shopping cart that defaults all the complex settings to activate your dating site, so all you have to do is select a domain name and pay for it. $25/yr or $45 for two years. Pay with major cardit cards.
Click to Get Your Domain Name
(this link opens a new window, close it when you are finished to return here and go on to step two.)
- Now, apply for your membership in the the dating network. Click and signup at LuvRhino.net, it's free. To preview the signup screens, click here.
(You'll need your companies US Tax ID number, go ask your company accountant, or your SS# if you want checks to go to you. This link also opens a new window)
- Setup your site by choosing your layout and color.
- Visit your classified ad dept and have them run this three line ad every day. Box or color it, it's a three-line house ad. What's it cost? (Almost Nothing!)
Photo Personals - Free Membership
No Spam - Privacy Assured
http://www.(your domain name here).com
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- (optional) Design your own classified and display ads, run them and watch your statistics to see what works best. If you create an ad that works better for you, please return the favor and share it with me and I'll add it to this page.
- Sit back and watch the numbers go up. Your $25 investment will recoup quickly, depending on your circulation.
Full Disclosure
This is making some nice extra money for the newspaper where I work. My motivation to tell you about our wonderful experience is that I'll get a tiny percentage from any memberships that are paid from your site. This %-age does not come from your 55% commission.
Help?
More Details!
You can also check our FAQ (frequently asked questions)
To preview the signup screens, click here.
Terms and Conditions
If you have additional questions or need help with creative or setting up your domain name, email me or pick up the phone.
I'd love to hear from you and help you get started!
Guarantee
Still skeptical? If you follow our procedure and register with us and setup a new site with LuvRhino, and you have advertised in every issue of your publication for six months and you still have not made your $25 back, I'll pay your publication $35!
