Founded in February 2007 and later acquired in 2013 by Yahoo! for over a billion dollars, Tumblr is a microblogging platform and social networking site that attracts tons of eyeballs and can be leveraged for business by marketers. Perhaps its popularity is best explained by the fact that it is a mix of WordPress, Facebook and Pinterest. After all, it has WordPress-like blogging functionality, Facebook-like social features and Pinterest-like image management. According to a post on DMR by publisher Craig Smith, as of April 2015, Tumblr has a reach of 420 million users with an average of 120,000 daily Tumblr signups. There are also other interesting Tumblr statistics and numbers relevant for brands. For example:
– Tumblr is home to 217 million Tumblrogs (blogs), a number much higher than on WordPress.
– Everyday 113.6 million posts are made on the microblogging platform and social networking site and the average post is reblogged 14 times.
– Every month, Tumblr receives 199.1 million global users, 69 million of which are US visitors and 50% of which access Tumblr on mobile.
– The number of monthly page views on Tumblr is 5.187 billion and the average time users spend on Tumblr is 12 minutes, 1.5 minutes longer than on Facebook.
With stats like these, as a digital marketer, you have no choice but to leverage the platform for business. The key is to know exactly what you need to do.
How to Use Tumblr for Marketing | 7 Good Practices
1. Use Great Images
Tumblr, as mentioned above is a mix of WordPress, Facebook and Pinterest. Therefore one thing that you can safely assume is that Tumblr posts that are photos and other images do well. They are also ideal for reblogging.
2. Define your Niche
The top Tumblr viral blog of 2013 was Reasons My Son Is Crying. Other blogs that do well on Tumblr include Cats That Look Like Ron Swanson and Accidental Chinese Hipsters. In short, focus on a very tight niche.
3. Link your Posts to your Main Website
If you want the Tumblr community to engage with your company off the social networking site, link every post you make to your main website.
4. Link your Images to your Tumblr Page
The average Tumblr post can be reblogged a number of times. To increase the reach and impact of your company, link any image you share to your Tumblr page. In this way, no matter where your images go or how viral they become, users will always find their way back to you.
5. Follow other Tumblrogs
Tumblr is an online community and like is the case on Facebook and Twitter, if you want to have a successful presence on the social networking site, you need to build relationships and a community around your brand so people feel loyal to you. The way to do this is to engage with other Tumblrogs and show your support for and interest in the community.
6. Use Social Sharing Buttons & Hashtags
To encourage reposting of your content on Tumblr and also across the multiple other social sites, add social sharing buttons to your content to increase your business reach. Also use appropriate hashtags with your content because that’s what Tumblr users use to search for and discover new Tumblr content.
7. Respond to Comments and Comment on Other Posts
And finally, remember that Tumblr is a social media platform and if you want to earn the trust of your followers and increase their engagement with your content, you need to engage with them first. In particular, respond to comments made on your posts and always strive to give back to the community by commenting on other people’s content.
Successful Content Marketing on Tumblr | A Case Study
The Samsung GALAXY Camera is an Android-powered no gimmick point-and-shoot camera with mobile connectivity. It was marketed as an easy and practical way to share high-resolution photos on the social networks as soon as you take them and Tumblr was one of the platforms used to get the tech and photography communities buzzing about the new Samsung product. The campaign was centered around the idea of really letting the pictures do all the convincing so the camera’s real-world capabilities was showcased by enlisted pictures by 32 amateur photographers from around the world on Samsung’s Life’s a Photo blog. Visitors could then vote for their favorites by sharing them on Tumblr and the other social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. To jumpstart engagement, Samsung also posted some of the photos in Sponsored Radar placements. The result was incredible with a 43% increase in organic votes and a 70% increase in earned impressions.
The takeway: When it comes to content marketing, the flexibility of Tumblr is an asset. The social networking site and microblogging platform provides brands with both a destination for their content and a way to distribute it across multiple channels. The key to success is show people what your company is all about. Let your content do all the talking.
