Author: Pamela Lugten

  • Mingle the Single Planning an Eventful 2022

    mingle the single

    Global Love Report – December 22, 2021
    A review article by Pamela Stephanie


    Mingle the Single, a Dutch company that organizes events for singles around the Hoeksche Waard area (located south of the city of Rotterdam), is organizing a number of different singles events next year.

    One event is a brunch in the Euromast, the tallest tower in the Netherlands, which they plan to take place on the 16th of January. Participants will be divided into age groups and each age group will have their own table at brunch.

    They also have additional plans for 2022, including a speed dating event planned for February and their “Walk & Talk” singles tour, where they lead a group of singles in a walking tour around a city.

    Mingle the Single organizes events for singles between the ages of 25 and 88. Their previous singles events tend to do with a specific activity around the South Holland region, such as, canoe trip, powered bicycle rides, sailing, etc.

    Originally published by Hoeksch Nieuws.


    (Image source: Unsplash, Samantha Gades)
  • Sydney-based Dating Coach Expanding Her Business

    dating coach

    Global Love Report – December 15, 2021
    A review article by Pamela Stephanie


    Sydney-based dating coach Anna Swoboda has expanded her business into matchmaking. Aside from being a Global Love Institute certified dating and relationship coach, Swoboda also has plenty of experience with regards to dating.

    In fact, before she met her fiancé, she has actually gone on more than one thousand dates!

    How did she manage that feat?

    According to her, there were times where she would go on a date five times in a week. There were, of course, periods where she didn’t date because she was in a relationship. She also refrained from dating for a few years.

    Her dating experience has been varied, with some “dating disasters” in the mix.

    However, Swoboda noted that if she had the knowledge and experience that she has now back when she was still dating, she would have said no to a number of them. Now, of course, she understands that about preferences and compatibility. She also knows what she’s looking for in a relationship.

    Originally published by 7News.


    (Image source: Pexels, Lisa)
  • Dating Apps Using Real Matchmakers

    dating apps

    Global Love Report – December 15, 2021
    A review article by Pamela Stephanie


    Tech companies that relied on algorithms have realized that they’re not the end solution to everything. Instead, some of these companies are looking to add humans to their automation.

    And online dating companies are among these companies.

    One particular dating app that is doing this is The League, which is selective when it comes to picking their members and only chooses “successful singles”. They’ve now added matchmaking to their list of services and have employed “Ivy League educated” matchmakers.

    Even Match is joining in. In fact, Match has been testing human matchmaking since February of this year. And, as covered in a previous news article, they now provide two matches that are “human picked” at an extra cost for users each month.

    Furthermore, they are also testing using dating coaches as matchmakers to help matchmake users. And Match has reported that more than 30% of members have said yes to this. What’s more, the expert picks for the users were eight times more likely to like each other.

    Originally published by Wall Street Journal.


    (Image source: Pixabay, Solenfeyissa)
  • What Can You Do with Linktree?

    Linktree

    Global Love Report – December 15, 2021
    Written by Pamela Stephanie


    In our previous article, we’ve listed Linktree as one of the useful marketing tools that a matchmaker can use. Linktree is a place where you can consolidate your important links. So, instead of trying to remember links to your website, your LinkedIn, your Clubhouse, and other accounts, you just need to give them your Linktree.

    But if you’ve never used it before, you may be wondering what Linktree can do. So, let’s give you a brief breakdown on Linktree’s features—aside from adding normal links!

    1. Social Links

    As a matchmaker, you may use several social media channels in order to promote your brand or to find potential clients or matches. Keeping track of those links may be a hassle, especially if you have separate accounts for your company and for yourself.

    Best of all, social links are displayed at the bottom of your Linktree, with their own icons so they won’t take up space from your other links.

    2. Group Your Links

    If you have a long list of things that you need to link to, you can also group your links together using Linktree’s headers. Do you have events coming up? Create a “Current Events” header and place the link to your event underneath it.

    Or maybe you have a current promotion for Christmas or an end of year special? Create a “Promotions” header and add a link to your promotions!

    3. Gated Links

    Do you have links that lead to sensitive content or perhaps one which is designated for a certain age group? Then you can use gate links. For sensitive content links, anyone who clicks on the link will have to acknowledge that they’re aware that the link may contain sensitive content that’s not appropriate for all audiences.

    For date of birth links, you can specify that only users who are over a certain age can unlock the link. You can even add a short description about what the link is and why it’s age restricted.

    Now, that’s all for those who have a free account. If you have a pro account, you also have the option to set a code to the link so that only people with the code can access it.

    4. Analytics

    Do you ever wonder just how many visitors click your links? Well, Linktree provides you with some basic analytics for their free accounts. They also provide you with lifetime total analytics in terms of views—how many times your account was viewed—and clicks.

    While the data is quite basic for the free account, it will still give you an idea about what people are interested in.

    5. Payment Links

    Linktree offers two different monetary links but the one that is relevant here is the “request payment” option. For this type of link, you can list the services that you offer to visitors. For example, if you offer one-off coaching sessions at $200-300 or maybe image consultation, you can use this.

    Currently, Linktree only has 2 options for payment providers: Square and PayPal. Although their page did mention that a partnership with Stripe is “coming soon”.

  • Alcanda Matchmaking: A Matchmaking Agency in Spain

    alcanda matchmaking

    Global Love Report – December 8, 2021
    A review article by Pamela Stephanie


    Verόnica Alcanda previously worked as a manager for a large hotel chain. But she decided to establish her own matchmaking agency after seeing an ad for It’s Just Lunch on an English magazine.

    After that, she placed her career in the hotel industry on hold in order to create her own matchmaking agency.

    Why is her agency different from other agencies?

    Before Alcanda Matchmaking came to be, most of the matchmaking agencies in Spain were really marriage agencies. According to Alcanda, despite the fact that they’re calling themselves “matchmaking agencies”, they don’t actively search for matches for their clients.

    What they do is try to find a match in their existing database, hand a phone number to the client and the process is over.

    What Alcanda Matchmaking does is what she calls “sentimental headhunting”, where they actively search for a match based on a client’s preferences.

    Alcanda’s Clientele

    For her male clients, they tend to be businessmen or senior executives between the ages of 45 and 58 years old. Though she did mention that some of her clients are as old as 70.

    Alcanda mentioned that her male clients tend to look for a woman who is intelligent and beautiful. Although she added that recently some of the requirements have changed. When she first started her business, most of her male clients wanted someone slim. Nowadays, “curves have become fashionable.”

    When it comes to male and female percentage, Alcanda stated that it varies between 45-55%, sometimes she has more female clients and other times more male clients.

    In terms of marital status, most of her clients were married previously.

    Clients’ Stories

    Alcanda’s most successful story is the client who married the first person that she introduced to him—a match who lived in Madrid, whereas he lived in Barcelona. But Alcanda knew from the start that the two would be a great match for each other.

    There are, of course, cases where she hadn’t been successful. But for those clients, they had existing problems that they had yet to solve such as: not being over their divorce, not ready for a relationship or wanting a partner for all the wrong reasons.

    In terms of clients who have unreasonable expectations, Alcanda shared on particular story of a 64-year-old client who was looking for the impossible: a former or current model, someone who plays golf for at least 15 years, knows how to sail, studied in the US, and maximum 30 years of age. In the end, she had to tell the client, politely, that someone with this profile does not exist. And even if she did exist, the likelihood that she’d want to be with him is very slim.

    The Pandemic’s Impact on her Agency

    Alcanda mentioned that her business stalled during the pandemic. But after the lockdowns were lifted, she and her staff received quite the surprise. During the last quarter of 2020, she received a surge in clients. In that quarter, her business received more business than the entirety of 2019.

    According to Alcanda, being confined to their homes made people realize how important it is to have someone for the good times and the bad times. Some of her potential clients even told her that they didn’t want to be alone again if another lockdown were to happen.

    Originally published by El Mundo.


    (Image source: Pexels, Mikhail Nilov)
  • Useful Courses for Matchmakers

    useful courses for matchmakers

    Global Love Report – December 8, 2021
    Written by Pamela Stephanie


    Sales Course

    Sales and Negotiations Skills by Workforce Academy Partnership (on Alison)

    As a matchmaker, if you work solo then you need to have several additional skills along with your matchmaking skills. Arguably, one of the most important one is your sales skills. Now, if your sales skills are great then you’re pretty much set! However, some people could use some pointers about how to hone their sales skills.

    This course has three different modules: overcoming sales objection, communications strategies, and negotiation skills. It will help you get a “yes” after an initial objection from a potential client. It also teaches you how to view objections as opportunities and how to negotiate with your leads. And the Communication Strategies module will help you get over communication barriers and help you communicate more effectively.

    Active Listening

    Active Listening Skills for Beginners by Kelly Fidei

    This free course on Udemy is a great way to improve your active listening skills. Active listening is a great skill to add to your repertoire as a matchmaker and as a business owner. Not only will it help you understand your client

    This course is very easy to follow. It’s divided into 15 modules that are about 3 to 6 minutes long and includes interactive activities. So, you will get more than just the theory aspect of active listening. The course will also teach you the “how” through these interactive activities.

    Looking for a powered-up course? Then check out the Active Listening Masterclass course by Everett Bowes, a top-rated paid course also available on Udemy.

    Recruitment

    Human Resources: Recruitment and Selection by OpenLearn

    If you’re thinking of scaling up your business, then you’re probably also looking into hiring new people. Recruiting capable employees can be a daunting task. Fortunately, The Open University’s OpenLearn has a course on recruitment available for free.

    This short course will teach you how to handle assessment of candidates: how to select a candidate effectively and how to ascertain if a person will fit with your company. It also teaches you about creating a job description and even gives you ideas on how to attract applicants.

    While this course won’t turn you into a recruitment expert overnight, it does teach you some great skills you can use to make the recruitment process much easier.


    These are just some of the free useful online courses for matchmakers that you can take. For our next series, we will be covering the (free!) digital marketing courses that you should take in order to help promote your matchmaking business!

    (Image source: Pexels, Vlada Karpovich)
  • 79-year-old matchmaker in Indonesia

    79 year old matchmaker

    Global Love Report – December 8, 2021
    A review article by Pamela Stephanie


    Sanusi, a 79-year-old man in the district of Blitar, in East Java has become a viral sensation.  A TikTok user originally posted about Sanusi’s services in early November, attracted by an advertising banner. And by the 12th of November, the post had already received over 403,000 likes and over 4,000 comments.

    Sanusi had put up a large red banner in front of his house that advertised his services, stating that he had only done so two to three months ago. However, he revealed that he has been an informal matchmaker for some time now.

    His method is quite simple. He asks that clients give him a copy of their ID card and a picture of themselves. On the back of the picture, the client needs to write their name and phone number. He shows the photographs to singles who are looking for a match. And if they’re interested in the person, he tells them to jot down the phone number at the back.

    In the last two and a half months, this 79 year old matchmaker revealed that he matched five couples. And these five couples ended up marrying. Of course, there have been more couples who ended marrying after he matched them but this happened well before he put up his advertising banner.

    Currently, he has seven clients that are still unmatched—two women and five men.

    Sanusi revealed that most of his clients have been male, which he finds baffling. Though he did state that there were times that he received only female clients for a couple of days and then after that, he will get only male clients for days and days.

    According to Sanusi, for the most part, women don’t want to be too obvious that they’re actively looking for a partner. He also stated that those who came to him tend to be widows and widowers.

    Originally published by Kompas


    (Image source: Pexels, Tom Fisk)
  • Marketing Tools for Matchmakers

    marketing tools for matchmakers

    Global Love Report – December 1, 2021
    Written by Pamela Stephanie


    Marketing can be tricky but the right tools can make things easier for you. That’s why we’re sharing a list of the best (and free!) Marketing Tools for Matchmakers with you!

    1. Hootsuite

    Setting a schedule for your social media posts is a good strategy—especially when you know when your audience will be online. That’s why timing is crucial. However, life does get in the way of things sometimes.

    Maybe you have prior commitments when it’s the perfect time to post. Or maybe you’re meeting a client. At any case, manually posting your social media posts can be annoying or even downright impossible.

    That’s why Hootsuite is such a great tool to have and one of the most important marketing tools for matchmakers.

    Hootsuite is a social media management platform that you can use to manage your social media accounts in one place. But the best thing about Hootsuite is that you can use it to schedule posts.

    You can choose the date and time for your posts and it gives you the chance to create a content calendar for the entire month or more! This gives you time to think about your content strategy and experiment with what types of posts your audience likes.

    Tip: Are you only on Facebook or Instagram (or both)? Then you can also use the Planner feature on Facebook Business Suite.

    2. Mailchimp

    Are you thinking of starting a company newsletter? Well, then you should consider Mailchimp for your email marketing automation needs.

    Mailchimp lets you design and create your own newsletter—though there are limitations on the free plan—so you’re able to create one that caters for your needs. It also gives you a sign-up form that you can add to your website.

    Additionally, Mailchimp also provides you with data: it tells you which of your subscribers are interacting with your email and how many of them actually opens the email.

    3. Linktree

    Do you have a lot of links that you share with your audience often? Then you should consider using Linktree.

    While Linktree’s free option may not have plenty of options in terms of customizing its appearance, there are still plenty of things to like about the free account.

    Linktree

    Linktree consolidates all of your important links in one place. What’s more, it’s very useful for Instagram, which only lets you have one link on your profile.

    Earlier in the year, they rolled out embedded video links and commerce links—where you can direct potential clients to pay. Currently, only Paypal and Square are integrated, however.

    Another new addition is Form link which lets you obtain information from visitors. Form links can also be used to sign up for newsletters.

    4. Canva

    Are you interested in posting on social media but aren’t confident with your creative skills? Here’s where Canva can help.

    Canva provides all kinds of templates that you can use to create various marketing collaterals. From Instagram stories to novel covers to short videos! They even have free (and paid) elements that you can use to create banner ads or even email templates.

    canva

    The good thing about Canva is it’s relatively easy to use. You don’t need to be a Photoshop master to create something nice! It also gives you the option to save your file into different file types, depending on the type of content you’re creating.

    For example, you can save a presentation into a PDF, an image file or even MP4 video file—with more options available on Pro.

    Canva is one of the absolute must-haves in terms of marketing tools for matchmakers.

    Tip: If you’re trying to create new marketing materials or social media posts and trying to find free pictures to use, check out Pexels or Unsplash for free images that you can use. Looking for free illustrations? Pixabay has that and more.


    (Image source: Pexels, Pixabay)
  • Rejuvenation for Matchmaking Agencies in Bordeaux

    matchmaking agencies in bordeaux

    Global Love Report – December 1, 2021
    A review article by Pamela Stephanie


    Singles in Bordeux are turning to matchmaking agencies in Bordeaux to find long-term relationship partners.

    These singles include Sandrine (45). They are lonely and looking for a life partner. And discouraged by online dating. Sandrine explained that misleading profiles on dating sites and apps have been disappointing for her. Especially because she’s impatient in terms of meeting and connecting with someone.

    According to Valérie, the co-owner of Unicentre, one of the matchmaking agencies in Bordeaux, her agency is getting a lot of younger people who are disappointed with online dating.

    Her agency, like other matchmaking agencies, verifies each client to make sure that they’re really who they say they are. Valérie explains that the first time she meets with a potential client will be at their home. This is to check if their standard of living matches with what they’ve stated. She also asks for a copy of their livret de famille or family record book or a proof of their marital status.

    What’s interesting to note that before 2019, 80% of her agency’s clientele were over 60 years old. Today, however, the over 60s represent over 60% of her clientele. She also revealed that now she also has clients under 45 now (15%), which she didn’t have before.

    Originally published by Actu.fr.


    (Image source: Pexels, Monstera)
  • Sunmarie offering support for single parents

    support for single parents

    Global Love Report – December 1, 2021
    A review article by Pamela Stephanie


    Marriage agency Sunmarie, part of IBJ’s group of matchmaking agencies, has opened a “Single Parent Support Center”. The main purpose of the center is to provide support for single-parent families. Additionally, they are now offering a “single-parent family special plan” which offers lower matchmaking agency rates.

    The IBJ group saw that that single-parent households have a much lower annual income compared to other households—slightly more than the average (55%). Furthermore, the poverty rate of children in single-parent households is more than three times of other households. And these are all numbers before the Covid-19 pandemic, which has worsened conditions.

    Sunmarie’s agency has put together a group of specialists who will help ease the “financial”, “time”, and “mental” burdens for single parents at the Single Parent Support Center. This will leave single parents who are looking for marriage with less things to worry about.

    To address these three issues, Sunmarie will have 3 experts to help: a legal counselor who is a board member for a children-focused non-profit, a professional matchmaker with a background in law and a family mentor license who has successfully matched 500 married couples, and the last is a mental health counselor who use to work for a project with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This new team are there to provide support for single parents.

    Sunmarie is offering a special plan for single parents who are beginning their journey into their matrimonial search. For example, while normally the starting fee is ¥187,000 (around US$1,600), it will be reduced to ¥55,000 (around US$470). The monthly fee will also be reduced from ¥17,600 (around US$150) to ¥11,000 (US$95).

    Originally published by PR Times.


    (Image source: Pexels, Ketut Subiyanto)