Message for Arlo

[RSL]

1) Describe your product in no more than 50 words (provide links to further info / website) - Who's for dinner is an exciting new dinner dating company based in London. www.whosfordinner.com

2) What is the target audience for the product or service (as much detail as possible e.g. age / socio-economic group / geographical location.) "5-35 year olds, professionals, London, majority of dates are for heterosexuals from mixed backgrounds but there are group specific dates

3) What is your objective in communicating with this target audience? (Sure, increase sales. Any other objectives?) I would like to increase confidence and awareness in this service. Giving people the opportunity to know that there is more than one form of dating.

4) Do you have a preferred method of communication? (Internet / Public Relations / Events / Direct Mail) Or would you like us to recommend the most cost-effective for your marketing brief? Public relations and the internet are probably the best forms, I'm going to be drafting a press release soon!

5) What budget do you have available for this project? I've spent about £250 already I have around £750 left

6) Any other information. Its an exciting new business which I'm sure will succeed, I've already paved the way for marketing and am purchasing banner space on relevant sites and ads in London independent mags. Just wanted to brainstorm more though I know this comes at a price and I really appreciate what you're doing here!

I'll then put it to the team, and we'll come back with our answers within two business days.

[Magsite]

Its such a nice offer I think you should put all replies in a pot and then choose. (I spend quite a bit of time at home during the day) Makes it fairer!

1) Describe your product in no more than 50 words (provide links to further info / website)

www.promotelotto.com

An Lottery Syndicate Company based in The UK offering members worldwide the chance to play the UK National Lottery and Euromillions as part of a Lottery Syndicate. Gives members who wish to join as affiliates the opportunity to earn an income from referrals

2) What is the target audience for the product or service (as much detail as possible e.g. age / socio-economic group / geographical location.)

World Wide Lottery Players. Age 16 Plus. (Must obide by their own countries laws regarding gambling)

3) What is your objective in communicating with this target audience? (Sure, increase sales. Any other objectives?)

Objectives are to increase the overall sales and residual income and promote the lottery syndicate way of playing the Lottery

4) Do you have a preferred method of communication? (Internet / Public Relations / Events / Direct Mail) Or would you like us to recommend the most cost-effective for your marketing brief?

Internet, Direct Mail, Adverts on boards. I alreasy have access to banners, beer mats, brochures

5) What budget do you have available for this project?

Intially £500 Then £150 per month (Depends on income from my sales

6) Any other information.

I’m thinking!

[Arlo]

OK - thanks for those ... and we'll now work on them the same way as if you'd consulted via our website - then you and others can see what you make of our services!

All the best

Arlo

[Arlo]

OK – RSL, here are the fruits of your consultation!

Our first impressions on looking at your website were that you have a great domain name, and an interesting proposition for the target audience (as you say on your website, it’s a more relaxed way of meeting people than the one-on-one experience, but it also appeals because your chances of striking lucky are six times greater at a dinner party for 12 than they are if it’s dinner for two).

Having said that, we see a number of challenges that need to be overcome.

Firstly, you describe the service as unique on your website, without explaining what makes it unique. Without too much trouble, we found another company that seems to offer a very similar service as yours: http://www.dinnerdates.com. And to be honest, dinnerdates has a more polished website (albeit with a slightly less personal and more corporate feel).

The other challenges that need to be overcome are those which would affect any dating service. The very act of going on a blind date says something very personal about oneself: “I’m single”, which in turn beggars the question “Why?”. Of course, as the demands of people’s working lives have increased and they marry later, so this question has become less important, and the likely answers more acceptable. Nevertheless, some element of stigma persists.

Then there are the fears that a) I’ll end up going on a date with someone I don’t find remotely attractive, b) worse still, I won’t even like them, c) worse still, they’ll turn out to be an axe murderer on day-release from Broadmoor. These fears are reduced, but not eliminated by going on a blind date dinner, as opposed to a one-on-one date.

Bearing all this in mind, our overall recommendation is that you should concentrate your marketing efforts on public relations (both on and offline), in particular in securing word of mouth recommendation (which is key to allaying residual fears that people may have about using a dating service).

Two possibilities here. You say in your brief that you are about to issue a release. From the information you’ve supplied, we don’t think that a press release that announced your service would, on its own, have much take up from journalists. We don’t see a strong enough ‘unique’, ‘new’, or ‘different’ hook for the story.

Our first recommendation, therefore, is to introduce a new element to your website that gives it a unique selling point, a hook for media coverage, and a viral mechanism for online word of mouth recommendation. The working title for this project is “Chain Dating”.

The rationale for the project is that lots of people organise blind date evenings themselves - from setting up a couple of friends for dinner, to organising blind date evenings for 20-40 people. But anything beyond ‘setting up a couple of friends’ requires a great deal of organisation and planning.

The principle of ‘Chain Dating’ is very simple. You offer a unique mechanism through which anyone can organise their own blind date event on your website. The system works as follows. I’m a single bloke called John. I visit whosfordinner. I select a date and venue. I enter my e-mail address and the e-mail address of one single person I know, of the opposite sex. She’s called Lizzy. Lizzy automatically receives an e-mail inviting her to join me for dinner. If she declines, I am notified and begin the process again. If she accepts, she must invite a single man that I don’t know (not because I want to meet the man, but because they in turn will invite a single girl I don’t know). Lizzy enters her e-mail address, and the e-mail address of that man, who is called Simon. Simon now automatically gets an e-mail inviting him to join Lizzy and, say, 11 other unknown single people for dinner. But he must now invite someone of the opposite sex that is not known to Lizzy. She’s called Mary, and because she’s a friend of a friend of a friend, it’s very unlikely I, John, will have met her before. The process continues till the party is full, and with each step, it becomes even more unlikely that I will know the invitee.


So, net result: a dinner party where somehow, everyone shares a connection, but each person will likely only know two other people in the room (the person that invited them, and the person they invited). A great ice breaker there whilst everyone figures out how they’re all connected. There’s the added comfort factor in knowing that you’ll know and like at least two people at the dinner party, and that your friends are there in case someone did turn out to be an axe murderer. Still no guarantee that you’ll find one of the guests attractive, but there’s no way round that.

And what have I had to do to arrange this intriguing dinner party at which I am going to meet the single girl of my dreams? Just enter my e-mail address, and that of one girl I know and like. That’s it.

This is a novel process that we are confident would generate considerable media coverage (would pique the journalist’s interest to try it out and see what interesting people they met). It gives you a unique selling point. Each time someone invites a guest, they are in effect recommending your service (each guest has to return to your website in order to accept/decline and invite another).

Furthermore, it could be developed to take the whole ‘whosfordinner’ concept well beyond the dating game. Indeed, it could serve as the platform for creating a dinner party for 12 people with any common interest (i.e. instead of saying that each guest must invite an unattached member of the opposite sex, they are told to invite a member of the opposite sex that is interested in, say, playing backgammon).

As regards the cost of this project, the basic database function that it needs to operate is very simple, and we think it could be done for less than £1000. You then write the launch up as a press release, and distribute to all lifestyle magazine publications, on and offline.

That’s an example of developing another angle to your business with the objective of giving it a strong news hook, and the basis for a viral marketing campaign.

It may be that you don’t want to take that much of a leap. So our second, alternative recommendation is that you carry out a survey of your customers to find out which is the most successful way of getting a girlfriend/boyfriend/husband/wife.

At the time of booking, you ask them to estimate the number of single people they have met in the last year through: a) introduction by a friend or family member, b) through work, c) through blind dates, d) as a result of self-introduction (say, at a party). Then ask how many of those introductions have led to a relationship (you wouldn’t have thought more than one or two in that time frame, but who knows in this day and age!).

Then, 3 weeks after the dinner event, you contact the guests with a customer satisfaction survey. Amongst other things, this asks whether the guest has formed a relationship with any of the other dinner guests. It also asks for testimonials.

You would expect to find a higher rate of conversions from introduction to relationship via blind dates than other ways of being introduced. The interesting thing would be to quantify that effect. Headline: Blind Love. Story: A survey released today has found that when it comes to the search for love, you’re XX% more likely to meet a compatible partner during a blind date than through an introduction from a friend. Then you can talk about the number of people that everyone meets during the course of their single life, how they meet, and why blind dating is so much more effective than hoping you’ll meet someone down at the pub (primarily because love is a numbers game). All this gives you the hook to integrate messages that help to increase people’s confidence in blind dating and your service (which offers better odds than one-on-one blind dating).

The costs of surveying your guests would be very low, and we’d recommend that available budget be spent on having a psychologist oversee the questions being asked, and lending credibility to the results.

On a closing note, we’ve already said that we think your site needs a bit of polishing here and there. This, of course, is quite a subjective opinion. But for what it’s worth, the key areas we thought could be improved on are: Explanation of cost. We couldn’t find even a ballpark figure for what the evening would cost us, beyond the £6 booking fee. You state that the bill would be split, but what we want to know is what the likely cost for dinner will be. Formatting: for our taste, the text is too small. Copy: Needs to be tightened up. Some sentences are too long.

We’d recommend that this work is carried out prior to further marketing projects.

[RSL]

Hi Arlo,

Thanks so much for this advice!

I really do like the chain reaction idea, it builds on the level of confidence that singles need. I mean there is so much stigma attached to the dating game that who's for dinner is trying to broaden the number of choices out there. I had checked out a few competitors, some great like dinnerdates.com and dinnermates.com others not quite so polished like http://www.clubsix.co.uk. It all comes down to opening the ball park up whilst still promoting a USP. One thing I did find when talking to people and from the feedback I've had so far people are still very new to the idea and find it very exciting which is positive for me.

In terms of polishing the site, its all been happening...its awful when you think things are almost perfect and you notice things that need tweaking, funnily enough I had asked my webmaster to polish it before you pointed it out and he should get it done by the end of the day.

All in all its great to brainstorm these ideas and get some feedback on the site and the concept behind it . I'm determined on making it successful though I know it will take a lot of work.

Thanks once again!

RSL

[Arlo]

Thanks RSL. That was an interesting brief to work on, and one which we think perhaps (perhaps, mind you), the marketing solution itself might prove to be a bit of a moneyspinner.

Lisa, now to yours, which really was a challenge!

This may sound like stating the obvious, but we’ve assumed you’re an affiliate member of e-lottery yourself. For that reason, we make no comment on the website itself, which is clearly a very slick operation.

As regards the challenge of building your own business using a system like this, it’s invariably tougher than the marketing materials would have you believe. E-lottery has picked up on a key point, that there is an enormous marketplace for the product. However, although e-lottery claims ‘No direct competition’, that is slightly misleading. The reality is that competition doesn’t just come from other syndicates - you are also competing for sales against other forms of lottery entry (i.e direct from National Lottery itself, and via almost every newsagent in the land). And you’re taking that competition on with quite a limited budget (not a criticism, by the way, just a fact).

There are two propositions here: buy your tickets and join as an affiliate. We’d recommend that you concentrate your marketing efforts on the former, and allow that to drive the latter. In short, you’ll likely persuade more people to buy tickets than to join as an affiliate for the same marketing spend.

We are not entirely clear on the mechanics of how e-lottery works (the help pages were down when we visited). Someone (perhaps you?!) has posted on another forum saying that e-lottery gives them their own webpage. We’re not sure whether this is the case, or whether affiliates all share a common home page, and just have different back end management systems. Either way, it doesn’t change the fundamentals of our recommendation, just certain aspects of its implementation.

First of all, you need a unique selling point. Joining a syndicate should be about feeling part of something (like the office syndicate). But the website as is feels too ‘big’ to really convey that same sense of belonging that you get from an office syndicate.

We are not familiar with the laws concerning syndicated lottery entries (you would need to check this), but our recommendation is that you start: ‘The Syndicate of Syndicates’. This could be interpreted in one of two ways. Either literally, in which case, you form smaller syndicates based on geographical location (streets). Or more loosely, in which case you invite people to join a street-based lottery club. Perhaps one in which you state that if anyone wins big, they undertake to give the other members of the club £500 each (for example). With this model, though, everyone owns their own ticket, so it is not a ‘real’ syndicate in the accepted sense.

Now you have a product that offers the possibility of winning lots of money, together with a sense of being part of something in your local community. If you are running a real syndicate, the odds of winning increase further. You all share in the successes.

For you, this method of marketing your product makes it easier to sell (you have something in common with your target audience: the same neighbourhood). It also gives a much greater chance of word of mouth recommendation (neighbour’s discussing: “Have you joined Lisa’s XXX Street Syndicate”). And whether you offer a formal syndicate, or more of a club, if anyone wins remotely big, you’ll likely have people queuing at the door (don’t forget the media loves the sort of story when everyone on a street wins).

As regards getting people enrolled. It’s tough, but you’ll need to produce some more localised sales materials (perhaps take and adapt e-lottery’s own material) and go knocking on doors. Having said that, you should be met with a warmer response than most doorsteppers. After all, most people won’t turn someone away who has introduced themselves as living on the street, the next door street, or even ‘round the corner’.

If you’re opting for the ‘club’ route, you’ll need to think about what else you might offer people in addition to the idea that they might get £500 if someone else wins. Perhaps a very simple website with a list of members and winnings. A free drink/party at the local pub from time to time? You might have a better feel for what would work in your neighbourhood.

Enrolling 100 people from the immediate neighbourhood should be achievable, which according to e-lottery would generate £4700 a year. Not enough to retire, but a worthwhile source of secondary income. And if you can start spilling over into neighbouring areas, who knows, you might double that, or more.

[Arlo]

Incidentally, if anyone else is following this thread that needs marketing and PR advice for their business, we'd really appreciate your feedback as to what you think of the service we offer (i.e. marketing tactics such as the above developed for your business for (currently) £130. Incidentally, that price also includes one opportunity to ask our team as many follow-up questions as you would like.

[daveashton]

Arlo

Not trying to stick a spanner in the works here but we live in the age of wanting things very fast, buy now pay later, fast food, faster this, faster that.

You chain dating idea could takes ages if the dinner is for more than a few people.

Not everyone logs in every night to emails or websites so it could take weeks to over a month to get this filled.

Sorry great idea , just could not be bothered with the practical side.

[Arlo]

Hi Dave

That might be true of a certain age group (not everyone logs in every evening). But for a large chunk of the young working population, e-mails are an integral part of their day-to-day working life.

And anyway, it would be easy enough (and in fact, necessary), to put in a feature that counted any non-response after 24 hours as a decline.

Arlo

[daveashton]

Even so Arlo in many cases it will still be the next day when they get the email, x this by 12 add a couple of declines because of your 24 hour rule and people not being able to make it. Add 2 weeks notice from the end of the exercise to insure that the last invites have a chance of attending and you get

12 days email invites
2 no answer days
14 days for the meal
total at best is 28 days to meet 6 people of the opposite sex.

Sorry still not sure and I think in practice that time will be longer.

[directmarketingadvice]

You chain dating idea could takes ages if the dinner is for more than a few people.

It could be simplified so that each person who signs up brings a single member of the opposite sex.

That way half the people who attend would have to be sign-ups but it would simplify things greatly.

But, of course, that knocks out the whole idea of a team of matchmakers creating a mix of well-suited individuals.

As for promoting your business, have you thought about putting on a charity event for singles? Something like "Singles for/against x" (where x is a cause). That could be good for PR.

Or events like "Salsa for Singles" where singles get a Salsa lesson and it's followed by some dancing. Or a wine tasting event... and so on.

The more different events you have, the more newsworthy you are.

Plus, by having something else going on, people can justify going along because they're doing something, they're not just hoping to meet someone.

However, these ideas go against your USP of matching profiles.

Have you offered inducements to your current client base to get them to sign their friends up?

Do the restaurants that hold these events advertise your nights?

Also, do they pay you for getting clients for them? If so, you could re-direct that money to pay other businesses (eg gyms) for each sign-up they get for you.

Just some thoughts

Steve

[Arlo]

Morning all,

Dave, you are assuming the absolute worst case scenario here.

You'd make it clear that speed was of the essence on the website. That way, if I was using the system, I'd invite someone who I knew checked their e-mails, and if there was any doubt, I'd ring them (I know, you could then argue what was the point of the e-mail ... point is that it gives people a process to make it happen).

So I think that the reality is that you'd have plenty of situations where the whole sign up process took just 3 or four days. As I say, for many (most?) office-based young working people, e-mail is there, in their face, every minute of their working day.

The way you phrase '28 days to meet six people of the opposite sex' I think is misleadingly negative. I don't think three weeks (which is what I think we are talking about here), is too much notice for a dinner party. Particularly one where I'm going to be so intrigued to see who is coming.

However, I did say in a PM to RSL that the idea needs road testing. All the same, I'm confident the idea could be made to work.

[Magsite]

Hi Arlo

Thanks for your report/reply.

I've have read through it and you have given me some great ideas. I live in a small village, the only local shop does not have a lottery terminal hence this is where I'll start. The pub next door will be on my list too.

I will name my syndicate urpeth (name of village)

When members enter the site throught my new domain name www.urpethlotto.co.uk (just registered not yet online) they are greated with URPETH LOTTO SYNDICATE - LETS WIN IT TOGETHER.

I have purchased some stationary such as banners, flyers, postcards, beer mats (where the pub comes in)

I hoping this will have the desired effect you describe (feel part of something.)

If it does work I'll move onto neighbouring villages.

Thanks very much ARLO!!

Lisa

[directmarketingadvice]

Hi Lisa

If I were you, I'd find out what other affiliates have done to grow their syndicates.

If you discover how the more successful ones have signed people up and simply copy them, you've got a great chance to succeed.

After all, why try to figure it out from scratch when there are people who've succeeded before you?

Save yourself the trial and error, learn from their mistakes and copy their best ideas.

I know it's not very "sexy" advice, but it's the smartest way to go.

Steve

[Magsite]

Thanks Steve. I though about this myself and even put together with the help another affiliate a forum which was dedicated to affiliate members called www.vwdforum.co.uk

Basically a place to exchange views and ideas. We now have 42 members and although not recognised officially at this time by the company the joint owner is a member.

As with all multi level marketing approaches to business you get advcie from the person that introduced you. However all I've had from my referer is questions on how I go about it!

[directmarketingadvice]

Hi Lisa

That was a smart move.

If you take 42 affiliates, all pitching in their own experience - what's worked, what hasn't worked - everyone can cherry pick the most successful ideas (plus avoid dead-ends).

Make sure everyone on the forum understands the benefits of this and makes the effort to put forwrd their own experiences.

I was doing some sales training for a company last week and used this very approach. They had around 20 sales people and we:

(1) mapped out the sales process, identifying the key moments where sales were being lost.

(2) went around the table to find out exactly how each sales person was handling specific key moments.

That gave each salesperson a choice of up to 20 different ways of handling a particular situation and he could pick the one that he thought was best.

Even the top salesman got something from this. He was bowled over by a technique for getting referrals that came from a guy from his own office.

These guys have been working within 10 feet of each other for the last 18 months but had never gotten their heads together to share ideas.

It's not rocket science, but how many people do it?

Steve

[Arlo]

Hi Lisa,

If you're still following this, thanks for your reply. Delighted that you were pleased with what we developed. And incidentally, I think Steve is right on the money too.

One small thing - having looked at your website, it seems you ARE given your own page, which is great. A few things:

It would be good if there is any way that you can increase the prominence of Urpeth on the site. I see the personalised banner, and I guess there is a restriction with what you can do with it. But if you can, I would recommend you capitalise URPETH LOTTO SYNDICATE - LETS WIN IT TOGETHER, and then delete 'Welcomes You'. If you can't delete 'Welcomes You', then 'Lets Win It Together' has to go - the two just don't work as one sentence together.

Also, I don't know what flexibility you have to customise the offline marketing materials you buy from e-lotto, but again, would recommend that Urpeth is made as prominent as possible. ATB. Arlo.