Facebook previously copied the stories from Snapchat (via Instagram). Now they've done another app very well. We're not talking about YouTube or Twitter, we're talking about TINDER! Since the beginning of this month, Facebook Dating has been a thing* and we've been researching exactly how this works.
What exactly is Facebook Dating?
Your Tinder profile is also connected to your Facebook profile, but Of course Facebook has a lot more data. Think about your interests and the things you do on Facebook. Based on this, you will be matched with others who have installed Facebook Dating. And just like on Tinder, you can like someone or not. There is also an option to like messages from them, just like on tinder's activity screen. Anyone aged 18+ can create such a dating profile.
What's the matter with you?
But if we already have Tinder, what good is Facebook Dating? What is the added value? As we mentioned briefly before, Facebook Dating is much more extensive. Think of groups, for example, where you can see which other people are in the group who have a Facebook Dating profile. This also works the other way around: you can turn this on and then other people in the group can see yours. So what's the use of you? It's much easier than setting up a whole new Tinder profile and offers more possibilities and integrations.
Responding to it as a marketer
Of course, you can use Facebook Dating for which it was developed and find the love of your life. But did you know that companies also took advantage and still use Tinder? A small-scale example is a surf teacher and Airbnb owner in Bali. She filled her profile with beautiful photos of her house and surf photos. In her bio she explained more about the accommodation and the possibilities for surfing lessons. Men and women in the area (those are her settings) see this then. Whether they like it or not, it works for her name recognition. And some people liked it and sent her a message asking about possible dates for the house or a surf lesson!
A larger example is that of Domino's UK. They posted an image of a romantic pizza on Valentine's Day with the text "fancy a date with Domino's?". Everyone who matched them on Valentine's Day had a chance to get free pizza and got a discount anyway. Here we thought very cleverly about the phenomenon of "being alone with Valentine's Day" and the role that a nice fat pizza can play in this. The result was that the campaign had a social reach of more than 230,000 people.
In short, Facebook Dating isn't just there to find your loved one. As a marketer, there are a lot of opportunities. For example, do you have a webshop? See how you can come up with a fun campaign around your products. Let's say you sell handmade pillows, do something with pillows on a bed or promise discounts or other exclusive content when someone matches you. In this way you make the most of this trend.
* = Facebook Dating is unfortunately not yet in the Netherlands, which doesn't happen until early 2020. Currently, this feature is available in the Americas and a number of countries in South America and Asia. However, that doesn't mean you won't look at it until early next year. You can already think about how Facebook Dating can get a place in your social media marketing strategy! Meanwhile, updating your knowledge about Facebook marketing and advertising? Download our free e-book about Facebook Advertising!
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