Quick Insights From Zoosk's VP Of Marketing In Gaining Widespread Visibility For Your Startup

In this time where an abundance of new dating platforms are on the rise, how does Zoosk stand out and attempt to remain dominant in this space?-Zoosk is one of the few digital dating companies that is both growing and profitable: we are in a position to constantly invest resources in our technology and product, while many other businesses struggle for survival as they still haven’t found a monetization strategy that works for them.With the success of mobile dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, has Zoosk restructured in any way to adapt to the popularity of this tech?-Zoosk was a pioneer of mobile dating apps: we’ve launched our iPhone app seven years ago, in early 2010, then other brands like the ones you’ve mentioned followed.What value propositions do you predominately embed in Zoosk's branding to garner continued growth?-We were the first large dating platform to launch user photo verification: this feature continues to be one of the most loved by our customers, as well as one of the most effective selling points for our marketing team.Is there one specific marketing strategy that worked exponentially well in growing the brand and if so, why do you think this was?-Marketing a digital dating platform requires sophisticated targeting: 50% of US adults are in a relationship, so not even eligible for our service. We make use of all the marketing technology we can get our hands on to refine the targeting of our ads, and ensure that we reach our potential customers with the right message, in the right place, at the right time. Inevitably, a significant percentage of our marketing mix is made up of online campaigns.What would you advise startup founders attempting to gain widespread attention initially? What are the keys, in regards to marketing and visibility, in getting a new business off the ground?-I cannot emphasize the importance of data engineering enough. Marketing is essentially one big exercise of tying price (of ads) to value (of users): a strong business intelligence infrastructure is necessary to track value and determine where to spend marketing dollars accordingly. Too many businesses fail because they don’t invest in such a system and find themselves unable to make data-driven decisions when it comes to allocating marketing budgets.Any updates with Zoosk we have to look forward to?-I know our employees can’t wait for our company trip to Vegas: we are taking all employees (with a plus-one) to Las Vegas for a weekend in February to celebrate a very successful 2016. You will have some product updates to look forward to later in the year…