trafficmansionThe dating industry survived 2020. At first, it seemed the pandemic would last for a couple of weeks – that it would blow over and we would soon return to business as usual. As you know that did not happen, and we are living in a hell called “the new normal”.
Emerging from any challenge always begs the question…
- Did we learn anything from it?
- What are the effects on the dating industry?
- Were new trends formed?
- What do affiliates think about the changes?
In any case, we are sure you too are thinking about this.
With face to face dating industry conferences canceled, networking has been non-existent, and ways we communicate and create deals had a major shift.
Instead of catching up face to face, we caught up with 100 dating experts in a survey conducted by us at Traffic Mansion. In our poll we talked about key insights from 2020 and rounded up the trends they are expecting for 2021 and beyond.
Later in our infographic, we share all the results with you, but first and with no further ado here are the top insights gained from 2020 and the top Trends of 2021 (as told by 100 dating experts).
2020 Revisited By Traffic Mansion Poll
As a whole, the dating industry weathered the dark encircling cloud that took set over 2020. From a business perspective, many did surprisingly well and not merely surviving but “exceeding expectations”. Tiers 1 & 2 countries thrived despite lockdowns… and free porn 😉
Forced To Adapt
In wake of dramatic lifestyle changes, dating products were forced to adapt to the global pandemic and offer users new ways to date. The dating business development model had to become more creative than ever. Some may say, the changes have been a long time coming.
Main Challenges
You’ll know yourselves that as the world shifted day-to-day lives, online everything became “unprecedented”. So we imagine it’s hardly a shock to learn canceled conferences and face to face meetings have been cited as the #1 major challenge for the dating industry in 2020.
Importance Of Being There
Here at Traffic Mansion, we believe that you should always strive for improvement. Naturally, we jumped at the chance to find out what the dating experts believe are good traits in an affiliate manager?
A staggering two thirds in our poll answered “responsiveness,”
More than anything, people respect when you are there for them, good or bad. If an affiliate is hitting you up, it is usually for a good reason, and being there is a must. We agree and offer this as a tip for anyone looking to make it as a good affiliate manager: be there for your affiliates and make sure you grow their business too.
What’s Next For The Dating Industry in 2021?
Best For Conversions
So, how is your content strategy shaping up thus far this year? Well, you still have plenty of time to turn things around. According to 70% of our pollsters, organic sources (i.e blogs, social media, and review sites) are expected to clean up in terms of conversions for 2021, and are becoming more and more important.
Personalization and Micro-Targeting
More than 40% are forecasting micro-targeting with verticals and GEO’s as the most important factor of success in the dating industry. With everything being shifted online, it’s more important than ever to not only know your target audience but use everything you have to reach them. For affiliates, money is in the details. Going wide is not the best route to follow, although it is easiest for newbies. Once you get the feel of what it is that converts, it is time to specialize and go to a micro niche approach.Personalized campaigns will ensure you have a better ROI.
Adopt a Healthy Diet of Data-Driven Strategies
Similar to knowing your audience, it’s important to learn early doors, what works, and what doesn’t in any marketing strategy. 14% of dating experts polled believe tracking campaigns and adopting data-driven strategies is number one factor for success in 2021. Detailed reporting is essential for both affiliates and affiliate programs.
Given our stance on testing and growth, at Traffic Mansion you should know, we eat data for breakfast Heck, we don’t even go on vacation before looking at how it scores. The whole point of using analytics is to gain crucial insights to grow and succeed, so we are all for this.
Next Big Trend
“Going granular with vertical and geo offering and targeting” is set to become the next big trend in dating, say over 28% of the dating experts. Do you agree?
2020’s Lasting Hookup Effect
We are also seeing the huge impact of video chats importance. Loads of first dates happen online, and video functionalities are becoming more and more important.
What’s more the pandemic has given everyone loads of time to figure out what it is they want and people are “going around the bush” way less now, which is also why hookup sites are blooming. Many marriages and long term relationships have broken off due to lockdowns, and people are looking for rebound hookups.
Traffic Mansion Dating Survey [Infographic]
To Conclude
Nothing says “evergreen vertical” more than a year of elbow banging, social distancing and lockdowns. Ordinarily, you would think these are juxtaposed to hooking up and getting down and dirty right?
Having got over that hurdle, worn the T-Shirt, our polled dating experts are expecting continued growth for 2021… and beyond. Almost half are predicting increased revenue and ⅓ expecting more accurate matchmaking through the use of AI technologies.
But honestly, are we surprised?
If you keep up with trends (of course you do) then you will know AI technologies have been set to become a major one. Pair that with the growing number of people expected to date online by 2030.
Given all of this, it was only a matter of time before the online dating industry would need to up its game and keep up with growing trends. The industry has been around for over 20 years – ancient in a digitized era. Think about it: globally everyone is expected to turn to the internet to find their partners or sex in the next decade.
So…
only logical to look to advanced AI Technologies to offer superior intelligence in doing so.
Ain’t nobody got time to complete lengthy questionnaires.
A change is coming, and we at Traffic Mansion are all for it. Are you?
*Stats collected from a poll conducted by Traffic Mansion and 100 dating experts in December 2020.
Add comment