Tumblr is one of the leading blogging and social networking platforms around today. In fact, as of late August, 2013, it holds more than 132 million blogs and consistently ranks among the top fifteen websites in the nation. That’s a pretty big audience, and it’s worthwhile to investigate if you want to leverage it as a platform to promote your business online.
So, why should you use Tumbr? Well, it’s extremely popular with younger audiences, but older demographics are getting more involved everyday due to the diverse content available and it’s ease of use. Tumblr received over 5.5 billion page views in May of 2013 alone. During that same month, Yahoo thought Tumblr was a valuable enough asset to pay 1.1 BILLION to acquire it. As the number of users increase, more small businesses are realizing that Tumblr can be used as an effective marketing tool to raise brand awareness.
To get started with Tumblr, you’ll need to create an account first. If you can, try to make your username an exact match to your brand name or primary website URL. To maintain consistency with your branding, use the same avatar image across your Google, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts (as well as any other social media networks you use).
Next up, you’ll want to pick out an eye-catching design for your page. There are tons of excellent free options out there, and there are premium options as well. Additionally, Tumblr allows for far more customization to the layout of your page than other social networks offer, and you or a web designer can spruce it up extensively if you wish.
You’ll want to follow other blogs as your next step. This can range from quirky things that interest you, to similar companies. However, keep in mind that you want these to remain consistent with your business’s image. You can also reblog other user’s content, if you wish. Tumblr is very visual, and more than half of all Tumblr posts primarily feature an image. You can use this to your advantage by including images of your product, services, or fun pictures of your employees.
It’s also important to remember that you can use hashtags on Tumblr, much in the same way as you can on Twitter. This is an important step to remember, as you want to utilize tags to make sure your content gets exposed to the largest audience possible. Make sure your tags are relevant, and remember to not go overboard. 7-12 tags is considered the optimum amount of tags to include, without looking too spammy.
As you continue to create new content, follow other pages, and interact with other users, your online presence will grow. Over time, this will build your audience and spread awareness of your brand. The secret to success in this area is to stay active. Try to post something new everyday. Try to create the type of content you’d appreciate seeing yourself. Know your audience – follow relevant companies and people, and reblog things you find useful or interesting. Others will do the same for you, and your message will reach a larger audience.
Source: Social Media Examiner