If there’s one thing the Internet has allowed people to do, it’s “hook up.” Almost since the dawn of the World Wide Web, folks have utilized the Net as a substitute for the bar scene in order to connect both online and off. As a result, the traditional concept of “dating” has undergone a revolutionary change to reflect the advancements in technology.
“People are becoming more aware of online dating sites and just more comfortable with the process,” says Allen Henning, chief executive officer of affiliate program DatingGold.com. “I think it allows them to be themselves more comfortably without having the whole nervousness of the first date. They can get to know someone better before they even have to meet them. It’s kind of like researching a car on the Internet without having to be hounded by the car salesman.”
Comparisons to inanimate objects aside, Henning’s assessment of the increasing popularity of dating-themed sites and programs among surfers is accurate. What’s more, dating has become a lucrative industry for webmasters, as well. “Dating sites out-convert almost anything else around,” Henning observes. “The surfers seem to stay longer than they do on regular sites.”
The rise of the dating site has meant success for many affiliate programs dealing in the market, DatingGold among them. Launched in 2002, the program was the first—and remains the only—affiliate program to offer a three-tiered webmaster-referral program. Additionally, webmasters are paid $2 per free registration and an additional $5 when the customer becomes a member. Such generosity has endeared DatingGold to a hearty legion of affiliates eager to share in the wealth. Says Henning, “DatingGold.com has become a central source for affiliates that want to promote many of our sites but access all of the tools in our area. Affiliates will be able to promote not only our dating products, but also our cam and mobile products.”
DatingGold has come a long way since its inception a little more than four years ago, when Henning—a former new media director for a California-based publication who made the leap to adult dating sites after achieving some moderate success with a few mainstream dating platforms—corralled $15,000, a “pretty extensive computer background,” and “a very small number of affiliates” into a program that would house his portfolio of sites. The flagship of the program was AmateurMatch.com, a unique hybrid of dating and amateur porn content in the form of X-rated user profiles. “When we started, there was just me and a programmer and a person to help with the customer service,” he recalls. “We all had many roles. I even did server administration on my own!”
After hurdling past the unreliability and high fees from third-party billing companies and locating site developers who would work in house, DatingGold eventually began to fall into place. “I had set up my phone to [text message] me every time we got a sale,” Henning says of the program’s early days. “In the beginning, we were happy to get five SMSs in one day. The number of SMSs just kept increasing. I knew then that this was going to be successful … and that I had to turn those alerts off.”
In addition to AmateurMatch.com, DatingGold since has catered to more specific markets by adding a number of similar sites, including AsianAmateurMatch, GayAmateurMatch, LesbianAmateurMatch, EbonyAmateurMatch, and BeeMatch, a randier site described as “adult dating gone wild.” Users looking to hook up with like-minded thrill-seekers can upload racy pics of themselves into the “Naughty” and “Explicit” photo galleries or participate in live chat. Additionally, each site in the DatingGold program features extras like advice forums, message centers, and erotic stories.
“All the content is being updated in real time with several new users being added to the site every minute,” Henning says. “AmateurMatch goes beyond just porn: Users see other real people naked and—even better—can possibly meet them. Our service offers more than just a fantasy, and the fact that these are not models makes it all the more exciting for the user. It’s more exciting and real. In many ways, it’s the real reality porn.” Still, Henning understands that, while the everyday ordinariness of the users remains the biggest draw for the sites, the lure of global “exposure” offers a bit of extra incentive for frisky folks to sign up. “I think every guy wants to be a porn star,” he posits. “They can go to AmateurMatch and perform all they want, and it allows women to be more adventurous but still be safe and choose their audience.”
Obviously, user happiness converts into webmaster revenue, and Henning says it has become the company’s mission to offer its affiliates up-to-the-minute tools and resources from which to profit. “We strive to support our affiliates better than any other dating program,” he says. “We have very high regard for our affiliates and the hard work they put into promoting our program. We like to provide the most innovative promotional tools that set us apart from our competitors.” Those include, he notes, a “very reliable” geo-IP iFrame, newly added RSS feeds, and the usual banners and galleries. “I feel we do a very good job of keeping our affiliates happy and earning them good money,” Henning says. (Another notable feature is DatingGold’s anti-spyware policy. “We were the first dating company to have an anti-spyware policy,” he notes, “and we feel this reflects our long-term dedication to our affiliates and the industry as a whole.”)
“We cater to our affiliates because without them we wouldn’t have the program,” he continues. “We always have to listen to our affiliates, because their feedback is the most important measure of our performance as an affiliate program. To be successful in this industry, you have to meet the demands of the large affiliates and the small affiliates. You have to think long term and not try to make quick money. Just like any large corporation, you want to make sure your program is stable, reliable, well-funded, and accurate.”
In keeping with that, Henning says he has learned that “running a successful business takes a lot of hard work and smart decision-making. I don’t think any business can be greatly successful unless it becomes a part of your life. Because of that, one of the most important things to do is learn how to manage not only your business life, but also your personal life. You have to keep both healthy, otherwise neither can function nor prosper.”
For Henning, the adult industry represents the perfect opportunity to stay one step ahead of the mainstream—and to celebrate some of life’s more fun vices. “I think adult is one of the leaders in marketing and creativity,” he asserts. “I have always been fond of the adult industry, because of the whole philosophy that no matter what [shape] the economy [is in], everyone still wants their sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll. Even in a recession, spending on porn, alcohol, etc. isn’t really affected.”
Although Henning says he is very happy with the success of the DatingGold sites, he is looking forward to launching the upcoming Romancer.com, a (gasp!) “cleaner” version of the established portals. “We want Romancer to fill the void between DateMatch and AmateurMatch,” he offers. “AmateurMatch is an adult site, and DateMatch is more of a looking-for-love site. We want Romancer to be more of a sexy dating site—but no nudity. We want to expand our portfolio to cover sex, love, and naughty.”
Other future plans include entering the live-cam niche with the custom-built WebCamClub.com, as well as some mobile development projects in the works. “We want to continually improve our products and empower our affiliates to earn the most money they can with our program,” Henning states.
When asked if he worries about the increasingly crowded dating site market, Henning defers to a quote he gave in April to this magazine: “The niche took off because people are always looking for love and sex. Online dating offers something that porn never can, and that is getting laid.”
Among other things.
As Henning proudly boasts, DatingGold has led to matches of all kinds—even the more permanent ones. “We have always had a good response from users in regards to their success in dating and relationships from using our websites. It’s always an extra pat on the back to hear from a customer that they hooked up last weekend with another member, or perhaps set their wedding date. Nothing beats that kind of response.”
