Tinder’s tag line is MATCH, CHAT, DATE.

Very much like what you are using Facebook for. You are looking for potential clients with common interests, you need to attract them so that you can chat, and once you are chatting you can then engage their services. It is dating for business.

1. Your Pic

   Your profile picture is respectable, clear and recent – It needs to be recognisable as you. When someone is searching for you and your business they need to be able to firstly recognise you and secondly feel comfortable contacting you. If you have a name that is in common with many people then it is particularly important that your face is recognisable. Remember that even if your profile is on private your picture is still public and you can still receive messages from people who are not your friends or followers.

   My daughter recently left her wallet on the bus, a lady picked it up and found my daughter’s name printed on her bank card and searched for her on social media. She found her on Instagram and sent her a DM (direct message). This lady then gave the wallet to a male friend of hers to return as he lived closer by. This guy then started messaging my daughter for info on where to return it.  Very kind of them however it prompted me to have a look at my daughter’s profile picture. It was of her in a bikini – totally inappropriate as the entire world can see it. This guy could have been a not so nice person and he was making arrangements to meet up with a 15-year-old girl. It all turned out well this time, but not everyone on social media has good intentions.

   Potential clients judge you by that profile picture; it is a reflection of who you are and whom you want potential clients to see. Potential clients do not want to see a picture of your dog, they want to see a person so they can decide if they are willing to build a relationship with them or not.

2. 3 sec to swipe left or right and be gone for good 

   Facebook is very much like Tinder. When someone is scrolling it is the first 3 seconds that count if they are not attracted by your profile picture they will simply move on to greener pastures. The algorithm will pick up that they looked and were not interested and you will not appear on their screen again. When a potential client stops and looks then the algorithm knows they are interested in you and what you do.

3. Feelings 

   A good Facebook profile needs to have feelings. What I learned on Tinder is that people put up these inaccurate and impersonal profiles using pictures from 10 years ago. People are naturally attracted to genuineness, who YOU are today, the real YOU. Nobody is perfect, it’s the imperfections that humanise a person and it’s the imperfections that people can relate to. The real YOU is what will warm their hearts. Don’t misrepresent yourself. Potential clients don’t want a surprise when they eventually meet you. Be real.

4. Stalk and be stalkable

   The name is just as important as the profile picture. Use the name that you are known by in business. If you have a nickname that only your close friends know you by don’t use it. Use the name that your clients and potential clients know you by. I have a client named Atlantis Recovery Centre. They often use the acronym ARC but now some people are putting @ARC to tag them instead of the full name so it does not come up in their notifications.

   Try stalking your own profile, use someone else’s computer who is not a friend or follower and stalk yourself so that you can see what the public is seeing and then make adjustments, make things private that you do now want to be seen.  You can also search using a cell phone number, so ensure your profile is correctly set up. Familiarise yourself with your privacy settings and know what the public can and cannot see. It is also a good idea to stalk potential clients using their cell phone numbers to assess if it is a genuine lead or not.

5. Know what you are in for

   Always be prepared for the crazies and the not-so-nice-stalkers. Know how to block and report people that make you feel uncomfortable. Sometimes someone will message you and you are unsure if it is a genuine lead o犀利士
   r not. Don’t feel compelled to respond but if you are uncertain know how to respond tactfully. Once you are sure they are dodgy block them, you don’t need toxic people on your profile or page. If it is not worth having a conversation then don’t, rather say nothing at all.

6. Get them off Tinder

   There are some people who pose as potential clients but they are just bored and looking for conversation. As with Tinder, you get the ones that just want to chat and have no intention of ever actually meeting up. Know how to assess if they are genuine potential clients or not. Your time is valuable and you don’t want to waste it on someone who is never going to engage your services. Move on. Save your time for the genuine leads and then get them off Facebook. Get their email address or cell number and contact them outside of social media.