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How to Open a Dating Service Business in Nigeria
Finding a partner helps many peoples' lives feel complete.
Sometimes finding the perfect date means seeking assistance from
an experienced matchmaker or relationship expert. If you find
that either one of those situations rings true for people you
know, consider starting a dating services business that helps
people meet potential life partners. You can open and operate
this low-cost start-up business from home, if you have a private
home office where you can meet with potential clients to discuss
their dating needs and preferences.
Research the dating industry to get an idea of the types of
services and products these businesses offer to people who are
navigating the dating scene. Discover why people date, whether
it's to have fun, enjoy new experiences, make friends, find love
or get married.
Figure out what your target market is and whether you'll focus
on a specific niche within the dating services industry. You may
elect to help recent college graduates find dates with other
recent graduates, your business could help women over 50 find
dates or you may set up a dating service that targets
professional men who own their own businesses. By selecting a
niche, or clearly identifying your market, you'll be able to
better target your advertising efforts to recruit clients.
Research your local market to see if there are other dating
services that target a similar market. Find out what services
they offer, where they advertise and their approach to
attracting clients. Come up with ways to differentiate yourself,
whether through pricing, offering varied services or creating an
exciting personality for your dating services business.
Use your research to come up with a clever, attention-grabbing
name for your dating services business. Contact your local
Chamber of Commerce to find out if there are special licenses or
permits you need before you open your dating services business.
Find out how to register your business as a legal entity in your
state and get your company registered.
Set up your private home office in an area of your home that's
away from distraction. If possible, opt for a location that has
a private entrance separate from the rest of your home. If you
don't have a home office, lease space in the area you plan to
target.
Hire a web designer and a graphic design to create marketing
pieces for your dating services business. You need a logo,
business card template, brochures, a website and a blog, all
appropriate to your business. Go for a light-hearted design
scheme rather than something ultra-serious.
Promote your dating services business to your target market
through online and offline advertising. Attend events that your
target customers frequent, whether business and networking
meetings, the library or coffee shops. Pitch dating stories that
include tips and advice to local print publications and blogs to
begin positioning yourself as a dating expert.
Because your business relies on online customers, it may be
worth investing N50,000 to start advertising online. Advertising
via Facebook, Twitter, and Google AdWords can help increase
brand awareness, and creating your own social media pages can
help you form positive interactions and relationships with
customers.
Goals
Define specific, measurable short and long-term business goals
and milestones. Break down larger goals into actionable steps.
With clear targets in place, you’ll be able to track progress
and make adjustments as needed to achieve your vision.
Your best customers will tend to be those between the ages of 25
and 35. This age group is less likely to have settled down in a
relationship. However, they may also be less likely to rely on
apps such as Tinder which facilitate “hooking up” more than
ongoing relationships.
How does a dating service make money?
A dating service makes money by charging clients for the use of
its services. The exact fee structure can vary, but it is
typically in the form of a monthly fee as well as additional
charges for entry to special events.
How much can you charge customers?
How much you can charge clients varies. Other dating websites
typically charge members between $20 and $60 a month. You may
consider offering discounts for clients who sign up for multiple
months at a time, or even offering different tiers of membership
in which the lower tiers are more accessible but the higher
tiers offer enhanced services.
How much profit can a dating service make?
The exact profit your dating service makes is completely
contingent on how many members your site has and how much they
are paying in monthly fees. For instance, if your site has 5,000
members that are paying $25 a month, then your site can generate
$1.5 million each year. However, it may take a lot of initial
investment in advertising and marketing to build your site’s
reputation so you can attract as many clients as possible.
As your site grows, you may consider creating a sister website
(using the same basic site architecture) to cater to different
groups or niches. Consider developing a separate app which will
allow you to compete with app-based services. Finally, be sure
to put your face into some of the marketing and website pages.
This helps clients feel like your site is someone they can trust
rather than a faceless website.
How to keep customers coming back
The best way to attract and retain customers is to predict what
they fear about online dating and try to make it better. Some
sites do special screening of clients before admitting them,
reducing the chances of online harassment. Others focus on
making it easy to send pictures and video so that clients aren’t
surprised by the other person when they finally meet. Despite
being online, these people are like anyone else trying to get a
first date: nervous and self-conscious. If you help them feel
confident about themselves and the date, they will keep coming
back and refer their friends.
Set up your business phone system
Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways
to help keep your personal life and business life separate and
private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make
your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy,
and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact
you.
What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a
successful dating service?
If you have not already done so, be sure to brush up on as much
research regarding dating as you can. Experience using other
dating services or sites is valuable because it gives you ideas
for what to do and what not to do.
What is the growth potential for a dating service?
Get out practical guide on how you can set up a lucrative dating service in Nigeria. Designed to be an indispensable resource, for new entrants who want to start their dating service business. It addresses business planning, operations, marketing, organizational structure, and finance and outlines how to effectively manage them.
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