Match.com profiles are just like direct mail pieces

As many of you know, many years ago when I worked at AOL I was the spokesperson for love@aol which was the original Match.com play in the space. (Wow, that was soooo long ago!)  This past weekend I was helping a dear friend out with her Match.com profile and going through her “matches” to help her narrow options and write thoughtful responses to those that interested her.  Aside from being a great bonding and hilarious venture that kept us entertained for hours, it was also an interesting real-life lesson in personal branding and marketing.  What I learned: a Match.com profile is much like a direct mail piece. You have a few seconds to capture someone’s attention with your headline. If you get that far, then the design and copy become essential. And once you’ve secured that attention, then the subsequent choices you make in how to further engage your target audience becomes the final nuance/hook to the whole game.

One trail of consistency had us laughing and allowed us to create somewhat of a game to keep us entertained. Let’s say we call it “show me the picture.”  In 90% of all male profiles you find three of the same picture themes – regardless of age, location, desires, and match preferences.  Consistently, almost all profiles had these three pictures: a picture of said male in a sports outfit at a sporting event (yes, you are a manly man who likes other manly things – p.s. Do most girls like sports, really, or just fake it to seem more desirable to men,) a picture of said male hiking or doing something else outside (showing that you take care of your body, but not as offensively as showing us your naked abs – which btw, some guys also picture,) and finally, said male with a kid/baby – and in most cases, not HIS baby/kid, (I suppose to showcase his family/sensitive side.)  After that, picture number four seems to be a choice from three other categories: picture of said male with a group of other women who are scantily clad (which is a bit gross and offensive – and really just shows us that you are used to really abnormally hot girls that don’t want you and your expectations physically of women are just that,) a picture of said male and his buddies doing something that they really should have only done in college (like drinking a beer bong or playing beer pong,) or a picture of said male near a car, (one that is most cases not HIS car.)

At any rate, the picture selections also reminded me of direct mail that most companies choose from. Instead of being sensitive and consistent with their own brand, they take the easy route (in terms of choice and of price) and select from the same 10 or so stock photos that every other company does. And much like the standard pictures used in dating profiles, they tend to select pictures that aren’t really resonating their own differentiating factors or semblance of their offer or brand. They are just another piece that will be discarded in a sea of competition.

So, to all of you guys on Match.com and to all of you business owners – be more careful with your brand. Pay attention to what is uniquely YOU. You have very little time to capture someone’s attention and much like you clean your house before your first date comes over after dinner, clean up your message and brand to put for the best impression possible.

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Tagged as: branding your business, direct mail, personal branding, target audience