Business Strategy

Match.com, with 1.8 million paying subscribers globally, has decided to go retro and take dating offline.The company recently announced plans to host 2,000 to 3,000 offline events in 40 countries around the world for paying subscribers. The new service will be called "The Stir," and come in two varieties: Free events, like casual drinking evenings, and Paid events, like bowling or cooking lessons. …

Not satisfied with its 1.8 million paying subscribers and estimated online revenues somewhere between $300 million and $700 million, Ancestry.com has found a new way to capitalize on the exploding interest in genealogy and DNA testing.The site will begin an invitation-only offer to paying subscribers to get a DNA test for a one-time fee of $99. The information from that test will then be incorporated into their Ancestry.com account, allowing them to see if they're…

F+W Media recently launched it first eBook subscription site for enthusiasts -- Artist's Network eBooks Book Club.The idea combines several profitable revenue streams in the digital space -- niche marketing, subscription sales and eBooks that are platform neutral (i.e., available via a computer, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Android mobile device -- no word yet on the Kindle or Nook versions). The first site offers beautiful, full-color eBooks for an annual subscription price of $199.The…

Matchmaking sites for consumers are a growing multi-billion dollar industry -- but B2B trade directories have had a much harder time profiting online, particularly because they must compete with Google for ad budgets. But AgencyFinder, a matchmaking site for ad agencies and their would-be clients, has a clever, profitable business model that beats the odds. Find out the details in our exclusive Case Study.

Last week I attended iDate's Startup Event, an intimate gathering at the Seaport Boston Hotel. Organized by Marc Lesnick and hosted by Mark Brooks, the event had a number of dating site marketers and owners sharing their expertise and predictions for the industry.During an informal discussion, many agreed that dating sites gain more revenue from subscriptions than advertising. But Paul Folzone, CEO of elove, added perspective by speaking about how the real dating site dollars…

We often feature ideas that are working in the subscription industry, but today I thought we could pause to consider two ideas that are likely to fail.The first is the move from Merriam-Webster to implement a Freemium Model, making it possible for you to find a definition of "trilobite" but not "poaceae." When you look up the latter, it takes you to a conversion page with a free 14-day offer and then a monthly subscription…

In this case study, Founder and Editor of RFID Journal, Mark Roberti, discusses how he played to his strength by creating a cornucopia of content around radio frequency identification (RFID) and then made more money by hosting industry-specific events. This is a great read for anyone interested in hybrid business models and managing multiple revenue streams. Of particular note is the journal's ability to convince 25% of its paying members to commit to a three-year subscription through the strength of its content, as well as the different options they offer advertisers.

Need to shut up a friend or colleague who insists subscriptions will never be a significant portion of your revenues? Well, here's some good news out of the U.K. that may just do the trick.The Financial Times (FT) just announced on Monday that it expects its subscription and cover price sales to overtake its print advertising revenue this year. According to Reuters.Digital subscriptions currently make up only 30% of subscription sales at FT (I suspect it's…

While the erecting of a paywall is surely a serious business consideration for local newspapers, NetNewsCheck reports that newspapers are coming up with other innovative ways to boost their digital revenues. At the Suburban Newspapers of America's publishers' and advertising directors' conference in Phoenix this week, news organizations presented case studies on the following digital experiments: The Augusta Chroniclerecently launched a Web reputation monitoring service for small to medium-sized businesses. TheArizona Daily Star has had success in…

This week The Boston Globe launched BostonGlobe.com as an addition to its current site Boston.com. This is all part of the newspaper's new online paywall strategy: BostonGlobe.com will start charging $3.99 per week in October for a digital susbcription (free for print newspaper subscribers) and feature content that runs in the newspaper and other hard journalism. Boston.com will remain free, supported by advertising, and feature event listings and e-commerce. "What we noticed was that there were…