Tumblr has a bit of a reputation. A lot of marketers write it off because it doesn’t have a clear monetization policy or a dedicated “for business” section. But, dismissing it is a bad move.
With over 700 million unique visits a month, Tumblr attracts a steady stream of people.
Tumblr’s largest user group in the US are between 18-24 but it does enjoy popularity across all the age groups. In fact, 33% of Tumblr users in the US are over the age of 45.
Think of Tumblr as the child of Twitter and WordPress. Users reblog each other’s content and share cool stuff, just like on Twitter. The blogging interface resembles a barebones version of WordPress. After both parents died in a tragic accident, the kid was raised by aunt Instagram. Tumblr favors visual content with a bit of text but, being a bit of a rebel, tends to avoid the sunsets and back of the head shots that Instagram loves.
Blogging on Tumblr is a little different than writing for your company’s blog and needs its own unique strategy. Here are a couple of tips you can use to blog like a pro, build a community and make Tumblr a successful part of your marketing strategy.
Make the blog your own
When you first create your blog it’s going to look something like this. Nice and bland, with little sizzle and no pop.
You can change that! To personalize its appearance, click on the little figure in the top right hand corner and then select Edit appearance. From here you can:
- Add an avatar and a background photo. Create a cover that lets people know what to expect. Show off your personality, tease your brand and set the mood for your channel. Make sure people can recognize you across your channels and use the same avatar you do for your other social media channels.
- Choose a name for your blog and write a description. Let visitors know what you are all about.
- Pick a relevant username: Pick a username that reflects your brand, like your name or your business’ name.
- Choose a theme that reflects your your brand: While Tumblr doesn’t have quite as much flexibility as WordPress, you can manipulate key elements and make your theme your own.
After taking my own advice, here’s the finished product.
Yes, I am using a username Tumblr recommended. I feel that valiantbasementgentleman is a great representation of my personal brand.
Engage with the community
Tumblr is all about social blogging. Users comment on each other’s posts, reblog posts and discuss the things that matter to them. Don’t just focus on the stuff you want to write about. Instead, scroll through the explore section and check what’s trending. What topics spark the best conversations?
Jump in and engage. Tumblr users can smell a marketer a meme away. Reblog a post that caught your attention, add your spin and ask a question. If Chrome is your browser of choice, you can re-blog using the MavSocial Chrome extension.
You can even use Tumblr to promote blog posts from around the web! Share tasty excerpts from your company blog and tease readers in the call to action, then link back to your original post.
Get content inspiration
Coming up with great post ideas isn’t always easy. Tumblr is filled with potential inspiration! Check out the trending section to see what’s popular right now.
If you want to dig deeper, search Tumblr for specific topics, check out the staff pics or browse the blogs based on post type. On the right hand side, you’ll see popular searches for what’s currently happening on Tumblr and what matters to users. Use those as a starting point or search for stuff your audience would love!
Plus, exploring popular posts is great for community building! As you scroll, comment on relevant posts and add them to your repost schedule (more on that in a bit.)
Experiment with different blog post types
Don’t just stick to one type of post! Play around with everything that Tumblr has to offer, from audio files to quotes and plain old text.
This is your chance to dust off that personality you’ve been hiding and show it off. Let your experimentation flag fly. Other platforms try to put you in a box….
Not Tumblr! Share funny GIFS, Youtube videos that matter to you and your community and images that spark a conversation. Can’t find what you’re looking for? MavSocial’s stock images tool has over 130 million images and GIFS to help you find one that fits the bill.
Type in your term and pick the image that goes with your Tumblr post.
Use tags
Tags let both the Tumblr search engine and the people looking for fun new content to read know what your post is about.
Not sure how to find the right tags? It’s customer research time! Can I get a YAY? No? Just me then….
Anyway, it’s time to pull out your long tail keyword research. Search for those words using Tumblr’s search engine. Experiment with different variations and build a list of popular and relevant Tumblr tags, then add them to your posts so the right people can find them!
Don’t go in without a plan
With great freedom comes great responsibility. If you want to use Tumblr to promote your brand, you need a plan that fits in with the rest of your goals.
Plan out a basic content marketing strategy and schedule posts in advance. You can schedule posts and even schedule reblogs from inside the platform.
Find a post you’d like to reblog, add your caption and tags, then click on the arrow next to reblog and choose an action.
Don’t ignore the analytics
Analytics and marketing go together like cheese and carbs. They bring out the best in each other. You can link Google Analytics to your Tumblr account. To do that, click on Edit Theme in the Edit appearance menu.
Add your Google analytics ID and link up your accounts. This can really take your Tumblr blog from something you do for fun, to an integral part of your marketing strategy.
MavSocial can also help out on the analytics front. When you connect your Tumblr account to the dashboard, you’ll get access to our in-depth analytics. To see them, just head to Reporting.
You’ll be able to track the most engaged people and your best posts- both are pretty handy for building out your content calendar and growing your community.
Using Tumblr for business
You can use Tumblr to build up your blogging brand and market your content. It’s a surprisingly flexible blogging platform with an easy to use, intuitive UI that offers everything you’ll need to create a blog and share your content with a different audience.
If you think you’ve got a natural audience on Tumblr and feel like engaging in some experimental marketing, this platform has a lot to offer. Why not give it a go?
