(Online Dating Industry Journal) A new online dating service called Reach4Romance is seeking to bring together parents of special needs children.
The service was recently highlighted in an article appearing in the Oxford Mail. From the article:
"Jane Stooks, 43, of Clifton, near Bicester, said potential partners were scared off when she revealed her nine-year-old son George had severe autism...
So she and two friends set up a new dating website with a dedicated section for parents of youngsters with special needs..."
Click here to read the full article.
Joe's Comments
While it's always nice to hear about the inspiration behind how a new online dating service was started, the reality of the oversaturated marketplace has already predetermined this service's fate. Unfortunately this isn't like the movie Field of Dreams - build it and they will come. There are several dating services, like this one, started out of what the person thought was a genuine need and desire. But the marketplace doesn't respond to perceptions - only to reality. Thus, without a really good business plan, venture capital funding, and a model for securing mass amounts of users, this service will end up like 99.9% of other online dating services - on eBay or a historic memory in someone's mind.
I implore people to really research the marketplace before opening a new online dating service. In this case, the people were able to at least get some publicity, but their niche focus is so small that it will make little difference.
Now if they have a strong advertising plan that targets children with special needs Websites and offline events for the target group, and a city-by-city growth and advertising campaign, then they may be able to see some limited success... a word very many people don't hear within the industry. If the owners of this site want to email me, I'll share a few specific ideas (which will require a lot of time and hard work) to increase the chances of success.
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