Ideas for my Speed Dating Business

[QuestionDate]

Hi there,

I recently launched a speed dating business in Belfast and our first event is coming up in a couple of weeks time, but uptake for tickets has been very slow. As a new company our seo ranking is still quite low although we've managed to get onto the first page of google results for certain keywords.

I've been marketing mainly on local facebook event pages, twitter, meetup.com and on pof but all my efforts seem to be having little effect.

I;m thinking of printing some leaflets etc and targeting gyms, bars etc but will this work any better than targeting singles on pof and meetup?

Any ideas/marketing advice on how to promote a local speed dating event would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards
Stephen
QuestionDate.com

 

[fisicx]

Are you sure there is a need for such an event? By that I mean has your market research indicated a desire for singles to do speed dating?

Where do all the single people hang out in Belfast - that's where you need to advertise. But it's not going to work unless they want to attend such an event. It was tried where I live a while back and failed because that's not how people wanted to meet potential partners anymore.

But you could pay for a Citibeat advert or bung something in the Belfast Telegraph.

 

[ethical PR]

Hi there,

I recently launched a speed dating business in Belfast and our first event is coming up in a couple of weeks time, but uptake for tickets has been very slow. As a new company our seo ranking is still quite low although we've managed to get onto the first page of google results for certain keywords.

I've been marketing mainly on local facebook event pages, twitter, meetup.com and on pof but all my efforts seem to be having little effect.

I;m thinking of printing some leaflets etc and targeting gyms, bars etc but will this work any better than targeting singles on pof and meetup?

Any ideas/marketing advice on how to promote a local speed dating event would be greatly appreciated.

Kind Regards
Stephen
QuestionDate.com

Stephen, unfortunately you are trying to set up a business without;

1. Understanding your market, competition and how you can differentiate your offer

2.understanding who you target customer is and their influencers - you can't just say 18 to 5o odd - you need to understand where they live, social class, what sort of work they do, leisure and lifestyle habits etc

3. You have decided to try and market your business without (according to your earlier thread ) having a marketing strategy or budget

4. You haven't left yourself enough time between set up and the event to build brand awareness or attract customers (assuming of course there would be a market)

I'm not sure what convinced you to go ahead, but I think until you do some research to see if your concept is viable and if it is,develop a marketing strategy based on a clear understanding of your customer with an decent budget for implementation then you don't have a business - just a pipe dream.

 

[Gecko001]

Do you have a female business partner that you can team up with? That I think will attract more people. One guy hosting such an event might put people off.

 

[guest_12]

I'd say you have priced it too high.

Why would people pay you £20 to go out for the evening, when thats £20 they could spend on drink?

The first event should have been free and you take the hit on venue hire etc

Free dating would create a buzz and would mean the customer has nothing to lose.

It would also build up a great customer database.

 

I was involved with a website a few years ago, similar in idea, and local to NI too. The idea was simple, but the uptake figures were a problem, and I think the business didn't survive. One good idea he had, which he never followed through, was to involve some clubs in planned nights, generally to get the initial numbers made up.

I think in NI we are a little less open to this type of thing, though it seems to be taking off in other places ok - we just take a little more time to adjust I think.

I'd suggest, in all seriousness, if you are planning something like this, you need to get a Marketing Expert in - they will see the big picture, assess your market, and provide some simple effective routes for you. I used one way back in 2007, and I'm still adhering to some of the main points of his marketing plan now. Money well spent focussing you, and they will be brutally honest about your market potential.

 

[Daxo]

I totally agree with ethical PR.

Hate to sound harsh Stephen but you don't actually have a business, you have an idea for a business which you wrote down in the format of a website.

Because you expressed your idea in the form of a website, you fell into the trap of thinking that 'having a website = having a business', it doesn't.

It appears you did no research at all into your target market, nor does it appear that you tested the demand for or viability of your offering. You have no cohesive marketing plan and previously you openly stated you have a "zero budget approach" to marketing, - go figure.

I wish you luck and hope you do succeed, simply because it benefits everyone when new businesses succeed, but I think you need to start over, - oh and find a marketing budget.

 

[QuestionDate]

Thanks for all the replies and a lot of what has been said is true. Just to clarify I did do as much market research as possible on my own - i surveyed 200 local singles and over 80% said they would be happy to attend such events if advertised in their local area.

Yea i realise speed dating hasnt taken off in NI the same as in the rest of UK, but we have sold some tickets but only when it's been face to face selling and were i can explain the concept because i think people here still see a stigma attached to speed dating. It's just i cant meet every potential single and convince them and was trying to figure out an advertising method that's as convincing.

Thanks again for the feedback

 

[QuestionDate]

I understand what you mean and i thought a lot about the pricing. However simply underscoring the oppositions prices doesnt always work and can give the idea of a less professional event.

 

[guest_12]

The problem is that most events like this have a huge marketing budget and huge client database.

The alot of pubs and clubs are running these type of events for free to get people in the doors drinking.

Why not do something that the competition isnt doing like themed dating - superhero nights or zombie dating, that sorta thing is fun and quirky