Edited by Sophia Savva
When thinking about building your name and brand, where do you think you’d find people who want to buy what you’re selling? Facebook, perhaps, or maybe through a Google search.
But what about a dating app that’s become the foundation of one night stands and transient dating?
Going to Tinder to sell my art and photography wasn’t my immediate thought when I started to pursue them as a side hobby, but honestly, I’m surprised no one has made a LinkedIn version of Tinder (hey, Tinder if you need a marketing person, I’m ready to go).
Since going to university, I’ve started to slowly build up my brand as an artist, and while I haven’t made a LinkedIn just yet, I’ve been astonished at some of the responses I’ve received since advertising my work on Tinder. Don’t get me wrong, the 85% success rate dates are great, but from time to time when people ask me what my rates are for photography or how much it would be to get a piece commissioned, I have to stop and think that I’m literally advertising on a dating app.
Tinder can 100% be seen as a space to not only meet new people, but a place to build up your brand and get your name out there for future employers. In a world where interactions increasingly become and stay online, one can advertise themselves as both ready to be mingled and ready to be employed. Here’s how and why:
Finding People Outside Of Your Social Circles
More often than not, people cite networking as one of the most influential ways of getting hired. From simply making friends to receiving advice from those experienced in your field to finding the friend-of-the-friend working at your dream job, meeting people outside of your social circles is one of the few ways to both find different kinds of people as well as let more people know about your brand. As interactions increasingly become more digital, articles that give advice on networking also mention how to network online.
Alison Doyle from The Balance cites that one of the top ways to network as a university student is to “make a point to follow [your dream company’s] social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest. Not only does this imply your interest in a future opportunity, but it’s a good way to keep track of job openings.” J. Kelly Hoey, author of Build Your Dream Network, also mentions that different social media act as different “physical spaces” for interaction, such as LinkedIn being the professional office and Twitter being the cocktail, while Facebook is for friends and family.
“The key to long-term social networking success is to always remember there are people using the technology,” says Hoey in her book. “People like you and me, with messy, complicated distracted lives.”
Now let’s apply this social networking logic to Tinder. Yes, I understand that Tinder has a reputation for quick flings and men saying top-tier trash to women, but I wouldn’t have written this if I personally didn’t have any experience meeting people who have access to potential employers.
I went on a couple of dates with a product engineer for Tumblr who gave me his business card and offered to forward my resume to people at Tumblr if I was really inclined. We had also went to a bar which was apparently a hangout spot for others working in the Flat Iron District in New York City (if I really wanted, I could probably go to that place now and meet some people, but I kind of ghosted the guy so I don’t want to accidentally run into him again).
In addition to already being seen by different kinds of people, Tinder gives new users a boost that lasts for a couple of days, where their profile is shown to a very wide audience and featured prominently in different users’ “decks”. After this, your Elo score, a score in which a method of calculating skill level (in this case, attractiveness level) is used, will be calculated which determines which profiles you will be shown to. You can increase and influence how many people are shown your profile by paying for a boost or periodically changing/swapping your photos for a “free boost”. You can also obtain the free boost by resetting your account and starting all over again, but I’m not sure how much you want to be investing your time in doing that. The point is Tinder gives you access to a wide variety of people, so whether you’re looking for a job or looking to get laid, the Tinder world is your oyster.
Multiple Photos For Your Profile To Make A Portfolio
Tinder’s simple “swipe right to like” mechanics means that users of Tinder often look at another person’s profile very briefly. The average Tinder user will log in eleven times a day, however it was found that each of these sessions were 8.5 minutes for women and 7.2 minutes for men. This means users often do not engage with the app for a long time, and probably don’t spend that much time brooding over one profile. This kind of quick viewership is well known to those who work in the art or design industry; being successful means getting a reaction from your viewers the second they see your work. There’s even an app that applies the Tinder mechanic but for buying art, where users can swipe right to save a particular piece they like and intend on purchasing later.
The app’s ability to add multiple photos to a profile means can users can utilize the same strategies people use when their building a portfolio. For those working in the art and design industry often hear the advice that less is more. A general rule of thumb for portfolio seems to be to have at least 8-10 pieces when showing a portfolio to a potential employer. Tinder allows you to add up to six photos in one profile, so hey that’s pretty much your full portfolio right there. Additionally, you can link your Instagram so people can see more of your work, but we’ll get to linking your social media in the next section.
Articles also mention making portfolios more personal and having at least a two-sentence introduction, which is where your Tinder “About Me” section comes in. Additionally, if you’re a photographer, consider advertising to your other social media that you can do personal and/or professional headshots for their Tinder profile. No one can resist having good photos for their Tinder profile.
Linking Your Social Media
Tinder allows you to connect your current workplace (if it’s listed on your Facebook profile), your Instagram, and your Spotify. For musicians, Tinder’s “anthem” feature puts a song of your choice as you “anthem”, and will refer users who share similar music interests, similar to the app’s “common” or “shared interests” recommendations. If your music has been uploaded to Spotify, you also have the option of choosing your music as your “anthem”, which allows you to both give you profiles similar to your music as well as a chance for users to click on your anthem to view/listen to it.
On average, Instagram posts tend to get ten times more engagement than Facebook posts and is a great option for generating brand awareness and site visits. When connecting your Instagram, Tinder will display 34 of the most recent pics on your account. Towards the end of the 34 photos or on any individual photo, users can click to open and continue looking through the person’s Instagram. As mentioned above, having your Instagram linked to your profile means that users can see more of your “portfolio” if you have your work displayed on your Instagram. Otherwise, linking your brand’s Instagram gives a chance at users to open your profile and engage with your content.
Basically Free Advertising
As we begin to interact and engage with content more online than in person, brands and industries are spending considerably more on online advertising. Budgets for social media doubled world-wide in the U.S, from $16 billion in 2014 to $31 billion in 2016, and is likely to exceed $35 billion when 2017 is over, representing 16% of all digital ad spending globally. Conclusions from this can be made simple: in addition to the money spent on your business cards, your domain name for your website, as well as other materials you need to spend for your individual brand, you will eventually have to consider online advertising in order to get ahead.
But how much will it cost for someone who’s just starting out? When you pay for Facebook advertising specifically, although you are setting the budget for your ads, you are actually entering into a bid to claim space in a user’s timeline. Facebook limits the number of ads a user sees, and marketers are in direct competition with not only their industries but with the industries of the person’s interests. So, the more you pay, the likelier you are to get a better spot on a person’s news feed.
For Instagram, purchasing an ad is usually slightly higher, where one could be paying over $5 per thousand impressions (cost per impression, CPM) due to the fact that more people interact and engage with content on Instagram more than they do on Facebook.
So what does this mean? Someone who is just starting out their brand and seriously wants to get their name out there can spend a ton on advertising, in person and online. This is where the Tinder boost can come in. In the event that no one is interested in picking up when you’re throwing down your brand, Tinder gives you access to a lot of people who have the chance of viewing and engaging with your product. It’s unlikely that your competitors are advertising there (unless this article goes viral, in which case I deeply apologize) and you never know who’s out there waiting to hear about your brand.
Whether you’re networking and advertising in conventional or unconventional ways, always do your research and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Now go out and get yourself employed!