Facebook Dating, Mark Zuckerberg’s ‘Tinder’

September 24, 2019
Antevenio
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Do you know what Facebook Dating is? After the latest Facebook updates, which included stories, reinforced the power of chatbots, or emphasized gamificación  to create ads that are more fun, it was to be expected that the platform would surprise us again.

For this reason, it has launched Facebook Dating, a dating service within the application. But the service has not yet become available to the whole world. Right now, Facebook has launched the Facebook Dating service in Colombia, which means that users over 18 years old can create dating profiles and find matches.

However, the social network is working to turn Facebook Dating into a more complete service. For this reason, it has included two main features:

  1. Second Look. It is a functionality that allows users to re-evaluate someone who they previously said they were not interested in.
  2. The second feature allows users to pause their Facebook Dating profile. This is useful when someone wants to take a break from the service or when he/she is no longer looking to meet anyone.

With Facebook Dating, the most important platform of the moment has positioned itself as direct competition for Tinder and Bumble. But it has a great advantage from its beginning, as most people already have a Facebook account and do not need to download an app. Additionally, Facebook Dating does not require users to download additional apps.

Everything about Facebook Dating

Among the new features offers by the Facebook Dating service is the fact that it will also integrate groups and events. In this way, it will use the power and information already available to Facebook in order to turn this service into the most powerful possible service. Hence, the fact that it takes advantage of the platform’s other functions in order to invite other users to meet more people.

Mark Zuckerberg is clear about Facebook’s goal, to unite people. And he is not satisfied with you keeping up with your friends and acquaintances, not with being a key scenario for companies to grow. He also wants the platform to generate unforgettable experiences for the users, allowing them to find the love of their lives.

Facebook Dating will be integrated in the app you are currently using, although it will only be activated if you wish to do so and if you authorize it. However, the tool will only work successfully if you optimize your profile. Therefore, you must include additional information to the one already on your Facebook profile.

How to optimize your Facebook Dating profile?

The only information the social network transfers into the app is your age and your name. Therefore, you will have to include additional information such as an introduction about yourself, your tastes and what you are looking for. 

It is also possible for you to provide relevant information such as your height, religion, job, your training or whether you have children. On the other hand, you can edit your Facebook Dating profile and include up to nine pictures.

Additionally, Facebook Dating wants to help users start a conversation, so it will include questions anyone can answer. For example, “What is a perfect day like for you?” It is the way in which the app pushes you to participate, making the task of meeting others less hard.

Once you have created your profile, Facebook will use a unique algorithm so that the suggestions that will appear are based on your tastes, common friends or hobbies in common. In fact, it is design so that you will not see anyone with whom you are already a friend, or the users you have blocked, on the platform.

On the other hand, Facebook Dating restricts matches to people located less than 100 kilometers away. That is why you will need to activate the location feature. However, like other dating applications, you can also select the options to meet people who live nearby, have children, share your religion, or belong to a specific age or height range.

How does the tool work?

As Facebook Dating originated with the idea of being a completely interactive tool, it does not let you slide right or left to discard users. In this case, the user needs to click on “I’m not interested.”

But there is something very important; users will not be able start a conversation with a simple “Hello.” Those who dare use Facebook Dating will have to make a comment regarding one of the nine pictures or the questions mentioned above. For example, “Is that photo from Morocco? I’ve been there too.”

Additionally, conversations from Facebook Dating will be stored on your own Facebook Messenger inbox, although they will be located in a different tab. In them, you will not be able to send links, photos or payments. Therefore, to carry out this type of actions, you will have to provide your phone number or exchange messages using a different messaging service.

Facebook Dating will also be connected to other of the social network’s features. For example, you can choose to be matched with people who attend certain events or who are part of the same Facebook’s groups as you are. To do so, you will have to manually unlock those events.

These kinds of features are what differentiate Facebook Dating from its competitors. By using the user’s data already available to the platform, Facebook Dating has the ability to become the most powerful dating tool when compared to those of its competitors.

In fact, although many dating applications have relied on Facebook data for years, for example, when showing whether a potential couple has friends in common, etc., they have never been able to fully take advantage of them.

Facebook Dating overtakes its competition

Last May, Tinder stated they were testing a new feature called “Places.” This function would allow users to interact with people who hang out in the same places, for example, in certain bars, restaurants or discos. This information is based on Foursquare data instead of being based on data from Facebook.

Other dating applications, such as Bumble and Hinge, have stopped allowing access to them using Facebook profiles. Due to this, Facebook not only responded by creating a tool that is more powerful than Tinder. At the time of announcing Facebook Dating for the first time, Chris Cox, Facebook’s product manager, emphasized the fact that Dating would be designed to create meaningful relationships. For this, it would be more innovative than their competitors.

In this way, Facebook Dating provides users the opportunity to take advantage of many and varied aspects of a person’s personality. Thanks to its ease of use, the new Facebook service makes the user experience  entertaining and fun. In fact, much of the gratification the app provides is due to the app being easy to use and the gamification it offers.

6 marketing goals Facebook Dating meets

With the launch of Dating, Facebook manages to achieve the following 6 main objectives:

1.- It bets on creating significant relationships

Increasing the engagement with its brand is one of the most important objectives any company wants to achieve. And there are several ways to do it. In this case, Facebook Dating aims at positioning itself as a tool to create meaningful relationships, so that the time invested in the tool is not wasted time. 

That is why it is working to stay on the users’ top of mind as a professional app that goes beyond one-night stands.

2.- It is not an automatic app, it is opt-in

One of the key points of the app is the fact that users are the ones who decide whether to use it or not. To do this, those who want to try it and meet new people will have to give their consent to activate the tool.

3.- It is not a new app within Facebook

On the contrary, it is fully integrated. One of the barriers a user who wishes to access this kind of tool can find is the fact that he is forced to visit his app store, look for the app, register and create a profile.

Therefore, Facebook Dating helps to overcome the barrier that many users find when it comes to searching and meeting new people to go out.

4.- It cares about your privacy

As the app is integrated into Facebook, users may think that their own friends may appear among Facebook Dating suggestions.

However, the platform guarantees that the user will only be visible to friends of friends and strangers. He or she will never be visible for his/her current friends.

5.- Custom information

It is very likely that the user may want to present an image on Facebook Dating that is different to the one he/she shows on Facebook, as each tool is aimed to specific objectives.

Dating users have the option to customize their profiles. That is, they can make public information not shown on Facebook and vice versa. Or, they can show and hide information regarding sexual orientation. However, at a first glance, those who meet a user will only have access to his/her name or age.

6.- Messaging outside Facebook Messenger

By doing this, the tool guarantees that there is no room for errors regarding the users’ privacy.

As you can see, Facebook is becoming one of the most complete communication channels. And brands that keep up with the latest technologies know how to take advantage of all the functions the platform offers to obtain benefits. At Antevenio, we can help you design the best digital marketing strategy for your business, always aiming at getting more leads.

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