Bumble is Killing the Marketing Game. Here’s How:

Bumble — initially launched as a dating app where girls make the first move (great concept right?), has found tremendous success tapping into new verticals. Since its inception Bumble has thrust into becoming a global brand, now tapping into the professional networking and social connection space as well. (I’d argue no one was truly been able to tap into the social connection space, so I applaud their courage to try.)

The core of their brand messaging is simple: female empowerment.

And that is, well, inspiring to say the least.

Even more inspiring is their CEOs founding story. Whitney Wolfe, was a co-founder at Tinder before filing a sexual harassment suit against the company. This led her to founding Bumble in September 2014.

More often than not as brands scale, their initial messaging becomes diluted. However, led by an incredible marketing strategy, Bumble has maintained and even expanded upon that message that got them popular from day one.

Here’s how Bumble has found incredible success in social media marketing ->

1. Micro-influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing continues to take a foothold in every industry. But… micro-influencer marketing still has a long way to go in terms of effectiveness.

Bumble has managed to find success in micro-influencer marketing by setting up what is best compared to a social supply chain. Each campus has a campus director that has direct communication with regional directors (or whatever title they have). Under the campus director is brand ambassadors that work under the guidance of the campus director in order to ensure clear brand standards while equally organic enough to be popular on social media.

These brand ambassadors get awesome perks and merch from Bumble paired alongside exclusive opportunities. In fact, the campus as a whole has an easy time falling in love with Bumble -> as a college student Bumble sponsored every other gameday tailgate.

Free drinks on Bumble? Sign me up!

2) Organic Social Campaigns

Real humans will always outperform brands on social media. Bumble understands this, thus their campaigns are aimed at organic content pushed across social media through their ambassador, versus promoting their own brand agenda through influencers.

By doing so, they empower their ambassadors, letting them tell the story. This is social media as it should be.

You’ll often times see brand ambassadors ‘flexing’ their Bumble merch subtly on ‘the gram’, with an even more subtle Bumble tag in the bottom corner. The audience understands exactly what is up, but the content is so natural and organic that it’s not an issue.

You’ll never see a bumble ambassador photo blatantly staged or lacking a ‘natural’ feel, something that most brand ambassadors have trouble avoiding.

3) Nothing

That’s it, there’s only two.

Great marketing is simple. Bumble has built its business on this simplicity leveraging what they know works for them versus trying to do everything under the sun.

Thank you for the drinks my freshman year and thank you for rockstar marketing with an incredible mission.