Building Two Niche Dating Sites in Record Time—One for the Political
Left and Another for the Right
Building Two Niche Dating Sites in Record Time—One for the Political
The year was 2012. The United States was in the middle of another presidential campaign, and political tensions were high. Democrats strongly supported President Barack Obama while Republicans had rallied behind his challenger, Governor Mitt Romney. And within all the chaos, a small group of entrepreneurs saw an opportunity—niche dating sites based on political affiliation.
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The founder of Political Matchmakers believed the time was ripe for two politically orientated dating sites, one for those who leaned right and another for those who leaned left.
Since political views are not always binary, each website would ask users daily straw polls—questions on hot political issues—placing them at a specific point along the political spectrum. It would allow, for instance, moderates to match with other moderates on either site. It also allowed people to match based on their stances on specific issues.
The real challenge? The founders knew it was essential to get the sites live well before the election. That way, they could capture the attention of the media as well as a potential user base that was fired up. In short, there was no better time to launch than at the height of campaign season.
Could they find the right partner? One that both understood the American political landscape and could deliver on time?
The founders quickly shortlisted candidates based on their profiles and their initial response. Net Solutions stood out because they demonstrated an intimate understanding of the U.S. political system, despite being headquartered on the opposite side of the world.
In the initial consultation, Net Solutions suggested mitigation strategies for unpredictable traffic the sites were likely to experience that also aligned with the founders’ vision and made sense to their technical advisors. Most importantly, Net Solutions was confident they could launch the sites within the aggressive timeframe the founders had set.
Convinced they had found their right partners, Political Matchmakers signed with Net Solutions, and the team got to work.
Creating two separate platforms in short order was no easy task. To beat the deadline, Net Solutions took a strategic approach, with the following groups working in parallel.
These multiple threads worked efficiently, and in four months the two distinct websites were ready for launch.
Important features for each website included:
Net Solutions also designed the backend for easy management, with features like:
The websites also integrated well with all relevant social media channels, creating an entire ecosystem for marketing and brand engagement.
The founders launched the websites with a powerful marketing campaign, and they received coverage in national media outlets throughout the United States. As a result, the two sites saw a huge influx of new users.
Anticipating a rush of new users, Net Solutions designed a system set to scale. The scaling measures worked seamlessly, solidifying each website's position in the political dating niche.
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