Data analyst Amy Webb was looking for a mate. A Jewish husband, to be precise. She was searching JDate and Match.com, but as she writes “What followed was a series of bad dates worthy of a romantic comedy.”
Enough was enough! Amy decided to apply her data analysis skills. In other words, she began thinking like a professional marketer. She analyzed the most popular profiles which are easy to identify because they come up earlier in the search. Here are some of her conclusions:
Popular women don’t wait to be asked. They reach out with informal short messages: “Hey, there …”
Lead with your hobbies – but skip the black belt in aikido and others that are hard to explain.
Being funny can backfire. You can come off sounding sarcastic and obnoxious.
Most revealing were the tips on writing profiles. Shorter is better – about 500 words. The most popular profiles are “easygoing, youthful and spontaneous.”
While some advice doesn’t translate readily (curly-haired women are at a disadvantage), and some would be ill-advised to follow (lie about your height), I found some surprising similarities with writing copy, especially “About” pages.
A surprisingly wide range of people like an informal, breezy style of communication. Amy calls the style “youthful,” which will make some of us want to hurl the newspaper across the room. I would prefer to say “energetic,” “lively,” and “fresh rather than jaded.”
What can we take away from Amy’s story?
Professionals like me have a hard time getting used to being informal. As Amy noticed, she had become “too stuffy and professional.” Today the word “professional” doesn’t mean stuffy, aloof or impersonal.
Reaching out to your market via social media can be very effective when you’re looking for clients and jv partners.
Instead of using “resume-speak,” paint word pictures. Amy describes herself as “an outgoing and social world traveler, who’s eqully comfortable in blue jeans and little black dresses.”
What impressed me most was Amy’s ability to recognize the importance of writing to sell. Many people recoil at the word “marketing,” yet we engage in these activities in so many areas of our lives. It’s refreshing to get a perspective on writing promotional copy from an entirely new and (for some of us) unexpected source.
Marketing works! Amy’s photo shows her with her husband, Brian. Success!
By the way, if you’re ready to get serious about promoting yourself to your ideal target market, I’d suggest you consider an Espresso consultation –
I could have guessed you’d give me a scoop of your good advice. 🙂
Oh, and I’m far from the only person whose profile has been rejected by a dating service. I won’t name the “harmonious” (hint-hint) service that found me to be a bad fit. But I will tell you that’s the very reason a service called Chemistry dot com came into being. They were more than willing to assist the “rejects” from the other service.
I work with two ladies who found wonderful partners via online dating services. But I’ve decided to do things the old fashioned way. I’d prefer to meet someone through personal introduction.
Happy 2013, Cathy! Keep crankin’ out the good stuff.
Melanie, I’ve never heard of this! From a marketing perspective, it might be a good idea to analyze the reason and maybe try another service!
If Amy thinks she’s had frustrations and disappointments in dealing with the foibles of her (alleged) matches …
Let me say your life hasn’t gone full circle, Cathy, until your dating service profile gets rejected. Talk about feeling the sting of defeat. At least Amy landed a few dates. Nothing like receiving a notification that reads, “Sorry. You’re not a good fit for our service.” I guess some of us (odd balls) don’t look so good on paper. Sheesh.