Digital Marketing and Modern Romance

Turns Out Modern Dating and Digital Marketing Aren’t all that Different

“OH, shit! Thanks for buying my book. That money is MINE. But I worked really hard on this, and I think you’ll enjoy it.” After reading those opening remarks from his book, Modern Romance, and seeing him perform live at INBOUND a year ago, Aziz Ansari hooked me into his take on the dating world in the 21st century and since, I haven’t been able to shake the connection his book has with the world of content strategy and digital marketing in general. Aziz effortlessly dives deep into analytics and pulls out inferences on the modern world of dating. And with his well-known comedy chops, Aziz is consistently dishing out some of the internet’s best content – podcasts, videos, and articles. Sounds like the perfect content strategist to me. And in making the connection to Aziz’s overall outlook on dating, it’s pretty apparent how his book relates to world of content strategy and Tribu’s mission of creating digital tribes. That’s why, from the first introduction to the decision to “settle down” we’ve listed out the ways modern dating relates to online branding (in terms of winning consumer loyalty) - who would’ve thought today’s dating world could be so insightful?

Searching For Your Soul Mate -AKA- Finding Those Consumers

“This journey seems fairly standard now, but it’s wildly different from what people did even just decades ago. To be specific, I now see that our ideas about two things —“searching” and “the right person”—are completely different from what they used to be. Which means our expectations about how courtship works are too.” Ask your parents or grandparents how they met and how they knew their partner was “The One.” Most will answer that they met at a local hangout, and ultimately chose that person (whether they want to admit it or not) because the options were limited. Well, the dating option pool is now pretty much endless and the same goes for consumer choices. Take these for a few examples of places you can find a plethora of options (or alternatives) that just didn’t exist before: (graphic from design) Match.com = Amazon OkCupid = Ebay Ashley Madison = Craigslist (because the things you see on those sites deserve a category of all their own) So with all these options facing customers and daters, how do you make a deeper connection with your target and convince them to make you their one and only? Simple answer: You be human. A robotic response on Twitter and a mass message received on your dating profile are one in the same - not convincing. So go that extra mile, be personal and establish a human connection - that’ll help earn you that soul mate, or if you’re lucky enough to be a brand, those soul mates (plural).

The Initial Ask - AKA - The Right Way to Say “Buy Me” to Your Audience

“Asking someone out on a date is a simple task that frequently becomes a terrifying conundrum of fear, self-doubt, and anxiety. It’s full of tough decisions: How do I ask? In person? Phone call? Text? What do I say? Could this person be the person I end up spending the rest of my life with? What if this is the only person for me? What if I fuck it all up with the wrong message?” Placing out feelers. It’s not easy. You’ve gotta warm ‘em up before the big ask. As it relates to dating: In 2014 we saw the rise of Tinder and shortly after daters all around the world learned they had to navigate around new cultural norms - there were new processes behind the “Initial Ask.” Well, that process isn’t too far off from brands asking consumers to give their product a try.. You can’t just scream “$9.99, Buy Me Today!” - it’s not sexy anymore. Take another reference from Gary Vaynerchuk’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, the art of “schmoozing” a potential client (or lover) isn’t simply jumping into the ask. It’s setting them up. Letting them get to know you, just as much as you get to know them. In terms of dating, you’re asking about their hobbies, common interests, so that you can schedule that perfect date for the two of you (if you find that you’re compatible). The same goes for digital marketing. Get to know your users. Delight them so they can learn about who you really are by sharing content that’s beneficial to them, and not necessarily all about you. Only after you’ve established a genuine connection should you hit them with that ask: point to an online form or a product that fits their interests. Brand’s these days need to recognize their higher calling. It’s not enough just to be “the hot chick” - you’ve got to have some personality, some substance that’s beyond your product, and the way you structure your content has influence over that (i.e. you don’t sell toothpaste for 99 cents, you sell healthy smiles and a lifestyle that people happen to purchase in the form of your toothpaste - and your consumers don’t care how much it costs because you timed “the ask” and you used the right platform).

Choice and Options - AKA - Choice and Options

Jumping back into just the sheer number of options available to daters and consumers nationwide - what exactly can you do to set yourself apart? Well with access to so many social media platforms out there, daters are dissecting your entire internet presence to learn about you before moving forward (because no one wants to be stuck on a first date with a serial killer, or a really crappy toothpaste). Clean up that Instagram feed and put your best foot forward - pray that your LuLu reviews are good (Lulu is a platform in which online daters can “rate” the guys they’ve dated. Update: as of this article LuLu is inactive, guys everywhere are celebrating). So with all of these digital options for your industry, where do you start? Well for one, keep up with your reviews. Get your Yelp account in check. Ask your best customers to review you and raise those ratings. Optimize your Google Business account. Most daters would be sketched out if you didn’t have a Facebook page (so get one) and it’s no different when it comes to showing up on Google. If you don’t pop up on those search results or on the map, you might as well not exist. Remember, you’re one of many options out there now, so make sure you show up and look pretty (online).

Settling Down - AKA - Consumer Loyalty

The stage every dater and content marketer hopes to get to – settling down. You’ve found that perfect somebody and want to spend the rest of your life with them (or even better, have convinced them that you’re their brand). But as with all marriages, there’s got to be a give and take (trust me, there’s gonna be some push back if you don’t take the trash out once in awhile). Come up with a referral reward program. Give them access to better review your product or service. Delight them with giveaways or creative content (educational or comedic, but most of all, human). The best way to make this relationship last is to make sure you’re still providing value to your customer/lover and in the end, they’ll reciprocate. Modern Romance focuses on creating a personal relationship in the now complex digital world. At Tribu, we strive to build Tribes originating from genuine human connection felt through the brands we manage. If you’re looking to take a leap of faith and build a Tribe of your own, give us a shout.

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