The marketing game—just like the dating game—has gone digital.
Of course, in-person social skills are still critical. But in this day and age, technology makes finding the right match—in both love and business—a more informed, strategic process.
What This OkCupid Admin Can Teach You About Digital Marketing by @dacontentking
I have no shame in admitting I’ve tried some—okay, all—of the popular dating sites and apps out there. I’m even an OkCupid Admin. And over the past year, I’ve come to realize just how similar the worlds of online dating and content marketing can be, and how my knowledge of the former can be applied to the latter.
Call it interdisciplinary education.
Like searching for a partner online, seeking the right prospects requires an understanding of your own goals, asking right questions to ask to see how well you’re aligned, and—most importantly—building interest and trust through your communications.
So if you’re dipping your toes into the digital marketing pool, I have some valuable advice for you, gleaned from my experience at Kapost talking to the world’s top content marketers and, of course, the labyrinthine world of online dating.
1. Know Your Goals
Honesty is big in a relationship—and it starts with being honest with yourself. When online dating gets complicated, it’s often because people haven’t done the necessary soul searching to know why they’re online dating in the first place. For example, some people want a serious relationship. Some don’t feel ready for a longterm commitment. Without your goal established, you’ll have a hard time finding that person who’s needs and interests align with yours.
For the Love of Content Marketing
Define your goals for your content marketing strategy. Are you trying to drive brand awareness, or are you a revenue marketer who needs to tie all your efforts to lead and revenue results? Understanding your goals will help you focus your efforts on things that will actually drive the right results.
2. Define Your Audience
Once the goal is set—for me it was to find my next girlfriend—the next step is to define key characteristics you’re seeking in your future partner. Online daters should be thinking about the lessons they’ve learned from past relationships or dating disasters. What worked well? What didn’t? What did you learn about yourself in the process? Once you know the kind of person you’re looking for, you’ll be able to narrow the pool and focus on people that are most likely to be a good fit for you.
For the Love of Content Marketing
Remember that headache of a customer that simply wasn’t a good fit for your products or services? That’s what happens when you don’t know who will be a valuable match for your company. To effectively attract and retain the right people, you need to understand the type of people and/or companies that will make good longterm customers. To do this, start by creating personas based on your ideal customer profile.
3. Research Your Options
There are a lot of different dating sites out there. You’ve got Match, Just Lunch, Christian Mingle, JDate, OkCupid, Tinder, Craigslist…and many more. Some of these have more specific audiences, such as JDate and Christian Mingle. Others are more casual, such as Tinder or Match. It’s important for online daters to review their options with both their goals and their audience in mind.
For the Love of Content Marketing
With your goals and your audience defined, the next step is to find out where those people are hanging out online and go after those channels. For example, Stanford used Tumblr for their blog, which tends to have a younger audience. Why? Because they’re looking to reach college and grad school prospective students. These are the kinds of channel investments and distribution strategies that get your brand in front of the right people.
4. Build Your Brand
Now comes the branding—who are you and what do you represent that’s going to bring the right prospects to your online dating profile page? You might have to get a little edgy to separate yourself from the masses. Here, your strengths and personality should shine. Avoid arrogance, incorporate funny quips and humor if it fits with your personal brand, and don’t forget to include an attractive photo or two. Also, active profiles are generally viewed more often because they appear in different feed locations.
For the Love of Content Marketing
Have you defined your brand personality? Do you have a content and communication style guide? Get on it. And don’t be afraid to test new ideas and ways of sharing information. Building your brand doesn’t happen over night, and constant reevaluation and A/B testing will help you to truly see what’s driving the best results.
5. Add Some Outbound
Finally, you have all the pieces in place to attract the right person, but you still have do some outbound work. They probably won’t ask you to be in a relationship without a little effort—well, that happened to me once in the 4th grade but not since, and I digress. Read their profile, and personalize your message based on something interesting about that person. Then, get communicating. And remember, you’re probably going to have some competition, so the more you’re able to tailor your message to that person while staying true to your own interests and goals, the better.
For the Love of Content Marketing
You can’t just publish content and expect it to deliver right away. You’ve got to find and reach out to the right people, and show them that you’re paying attention. Either this can be through interest-based nurture campaigns, email personalization based on name, actions taken, or other fields, or outbound sales efforts. Tailor your message so they know you’re not only interested, but paying attention to their needs.
There you have it. Content marketing tips from an OkCupid Admin. Go forth, marketers, and be successful in love and business.