I only considered online dating as a possibility when I graduated college and was living in a new city. Hitherto, I was in the dating cesspool that is Northwestern’s “dating scene”- but that’s another story.
So when a friend suggested online dating, I was hesitant but not completely opposed. I immediately ruled out eHarmony and Match.com. One was reputed to being homophobic, and I had seen commercials for the other one, which was all wedding bells and finding “the one.” So there I was, 22, a recent grad, and just looking for a fun date.
I ended up choosing OkCupid. I felt more comfortable with it because I had a few friends on the site already in other cities. Within the first week on the site, I had already exchanged messages with a lot of interesting people (a few creeps scattered between- one person asked if he could be my “personal slave” *shudder*). Most of the dates I went on were also great. I was happy to be out exploring the city with other young people- and I was happy to have discovered online dating.
But here I am now, 6 months later, single and about to delete my profile. Why?- and that is what the people at OkCupid should be asking me. Except they aren’t, at least not in any meaningful way.
So what’s the problem? The problem is that OkCupid has not created a dialogue between itself as a brand and the people on the site. Besides providing a space for people to meet, they aren’t adding any more value to their members’ dating experiences. OkCupid should be constantly thinking of ways to improve my dating experience… and by “my” I mean “our.”
Don’t they know who their members (customers) are? We are single, frustrated, and in need of relationship and dating advice. Why else would we be online dating?
The first thing OkCupid needs to do is start asking the right questions:
ID personas: Who is on our site and why are they here?
Goal: Identify who is frequenting the website and their dating needs. This already includes basics like age, sex, and location (a/s/l – remember the chat room days? Good riddance). But they should also ask members about how long they’ve been single or if they even are single. They should also ask about previous challenges people have had with dating. They can get creative with these questions. If these questions sound invasive, they aren't nearly as personal as some of the match compatibility questions that already exist.
This information should be used to guide their SEM strategy. It can give insight as to what searches these personas are likely to be conducting on Google. This can inform them of the keywords they should be bidding on or keeping an eye on.
Blog and discussion forum: What questions are members asking? What topics do people want to read about?
Goal: The forum is a place for people to discuss and share their dating experiences. As a first time online dater, I would have loved to hear people talk about their experiences with OkCupid. The forum would be a place for people to discuss just about anything- dating with a language barrier? Dating with a large age difference?
Right now there’s OkTrends, which is great if you’re a sociologist and want to conduct a study with bad data. I can’t even begin to lament the flawed sampling and erroneous conclusions of causation. But it does make for a great headline- “iPhone users have more sex.” So are they saying that people with Androids should just give up altogether?
This blog adds no value to my dating experience. I want to know what relationship experts are saying about love, long distance relationships, cheating, break-ups, and dating across cultures. The list is really endless. Admittedly, I’ve Googled “why do girls like jerks more than nice guys?” It would have been great if OkCupid were there to tell me something about it. Instead I found the answer at Psychology Today (it's really a great article- and by an NU alum!).
The improved blog will be a place for OkCupid to build its brand as having dating expertise- not just data, which is all their blog is right now. Even people who aren’t interested in online dating will be drawn to the blog. And the result: OkCupid will be talked about by other bloggers, have more inbound links, and move up on the list generated anytime a person Googles “online dating.” I’m honestly stumped as to why OkCupid doesn’t already have a searchable blog with dating advice from experts.
OkCupid really needs to invest more time and energy in bringing in new members and member retention. After all, a dating site is only as good as the quality and quantity of its members. So here's my hint to OkCupid:
Dating doesn’t end after the first date. There's a lot that happens after that, and you should be there because it gets WAY more interesting. You have a wealth of information at your fingertips, and more importantly, members ready and willing to answer your questions. So do it!
Up until now, it’s not been a question that OkCupid has been a successful startup. In fact, they were just bought by Match.com for $50 million. But being competitive in the digital world isn't just about one-time visitors. It's about creating loyal customers, who trust your brand and turn to you for valuable information. I really do want to feel like OkCupid has my back after a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad date.
Looking for more love advice?
Check out LoveShack to answer your dating questions.
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