UK’s busiest social networking site for the over 50s creates dating brand to boost revenues for no additional cost.
Background
Launched in 2011, Gransnet is the busiest social networking site for the over 50s. A division of the UK’s leading parents’ website, Mumsnet, the site’s have over 11 million visitors per month, totalling to over 112 million page views. Gransnet offers a buzzing forum where users debate the hot topics, support each other through tough times and share a laugh.
Before joining White Label Dating in 2017, Gransnet were looking for an opportunity to enhance their users experience whilst at the same time, growing their revenues. Gransnet is a business funded mainly by advertising – expanding into dating was the perfect opportunity for them to boost revenues quickly for no additional cost.
Launch
White Label Dating supported the Gransnet team from the start. Our industry-leading expertise and their understanding of their thriving online community was the perfect pair. The White Label team took time to understand the online forum’s audience and provided Gransnet’s Editors with an enticing and appropriate domain for their mature online community – FindCompanionship.com. The site was to be targeted at over 50’s looking for friendship and love.
WhiteLabelDating.com over-exceeded the requirements that Gransnet were expecting to find. From the technology and infrastructure, payment processing, member engagement and support, to name but a few, the WLD offering meant that Gransnet only had to focus on one thing – getting their dating site in front of their audience. We took care of absolutely everything else.
In the first few weeks of FindCompanionship.com going live, we took it upon ourselves to ensure maximum uptake on the bespoke landing page provided by our internal design team by testing the landing page’s colour theme using Google Analytics’ split-testing tool. With two attractive versions – blue and purple – Gransnet’s Partner Manager set up the A/B test and monitored this daily, reporting back to their Editors with results and advice. After considerable data has been obtained by the test, the winner was set live and registrations continued to grow as promotion of FindCompanionship.com continued.
Expansion
Working closely with their Partner Manager, Gransnet expanded FindCompanionship.com to include a Divorced and Widowed niche offering, after conducting analysis to learn about their dating site’s demographic. Understanding their site audience was key as it allowed for niche site growth, offering members a more tailored service, resulting in a greater chance of consumers finding a companion. As a result their conversu While providing members with a more targeted service, they successfully tapped into an unfulfilled demand and attracted a large number of paying subscribers to their site, growing both brand loyalty and revenue.
| +300% total revenue growth |
platform leading conversion rates |
Our take
As one of the UK’s leading online communities, we were thrilled when Gransnet partnered with us in 2017. Running an online dating site was the perfect branch of expansion for their portfolio. With the advantage of having a vast loyal audience, Gransnet did not have to part with any marketing spend to grow their revenues.
Their portfolio saw an outstanding +300% increase in Total Revenue versus the first year. White Label Dating supported this with on-site banner and social media asset design and production to boost Initial Revenue (revenue coming from first time subscribers on their site), with our successful subscription model capturing recurring revenues, to boost Gransnet’s total profits.