As one of Tinder’s first employees, I’ve had the good fortune of watching the company evolve from a passion project to a global powerhouse.
Although initially the app spread across the country through word-of-mouth recommendations, our marketing strategy has evolved to incorporate thoughtful, intentional campaigns that engage users and spark conversations around the world. Based on my experiences at Tinder, here are five marketing constants that can help every brand be successful, no matter how big or small.
1. Build a strong brand.
This goes without saying, but before diving head first into your marketing efforts, be thoughtful about building a strong, unique brand. A strong brand name, mantra and logo will be the foundation for all of your company’s marketing.
To build a strong brand, be clear and concise about how you define yourself, how you want to position yourself in the market and what you want your company’s voice to be. Once you’ve created your brand identity, integrate it into everything that you do, from your online presence to your social media efforts. At Tinder, we set out with the mission to create new connections that can turn into real-life relationships, and all of our marketing efforts tie back to this mission.
The name Tinder came from the idea that we were creating a spark between two users. This idea inspired everything that went into our branding, including our recognizable flame logo.
Once you’ve created a recognizable brand, it’s time to make sure everyone knows about it. Don’t underestimate the value of good public relations! Building relationships with reporters is a great way to strengthen your brand identity and reach your target audience. Reach out to reporters who are covering your industry and keep them in the loop on interesting announcements from your company.
2. Find your audience.
When you’re first starting out, it can be difficult to get your company off the ground and garner your first customers.
When we launched Tinder, it took off almost overnight. Our initial marketing efforts were very lightweight. We attribute a lot of this initial success to the on-the-ground work our team was doing at universities and college campuses. We knew we wanted to target a millennial demographic, so we found social influencers…
