In the fast paced world of online dating, marketing yourself correctly is the number one key to success. According to the census, there are 55 million single people over age thirty-five. Of those, 22 million are men and 33 million are women. Tough statistics if you are a single gal searching for love. Men have an advantage of sheer numbers over women looking for love. This statistic does not have to deter you from taking the leap to online dating and getting the responses you desire from the opposite sex.
There are numerous different ways to get into the online dating game. “According to a report published by Jupiter Research entitled, “US Paid Content Forecast, 2007 to 2012”, online dating sites are projected to increase from $900 million of revenue in 2007 to $1.9 billion in 2012, or an increase of 16 percent over five years.” The most popular sites include Match.com, EHarmony.com and free sites like Plentyofish.com.
One thing to remember about online dating is that you must become an expert marketer of you. Putting up a boring profile or posting unflattering pictures will only further devalue your self esteem when all you friends have plenty of hits and you don’t. As a professional matchmaker, I read hundreds of profiles a day. Most of them sound the same. Everyone likes good food, travel and new experiences. Fit and active are other buzz words. This may all be true about you but it sounds horribly boring to a potential mate who has read countless of these same descriptions.
Enlist the help of friends and family. Have them write a small description of who they think you are. Then take the main points, put it in your own words and you will be off to a good start. Describe your lifestyle. If you like to stay home and read put that. If you are social and love being in the scene, detail that in the profile. The more honest you can be about the way you live your life the less amount awkward dates you will have to go on. When posting pictures, make sure you only use recent pictures. There is nothing worse than showing up on a date only to find your potential mate is ten years older and twenty pounds heavier than their pictures. If finances are not an issue, spend the money to have professional photographs taken. Otherwise, grab your camera and a friend and have your very own modeling session until you have a few good photos. You should make sure to take at least one body shot and one head shot. What you put in your profile ultimately determines who you are going to attract.
