Coconut Headphones

A few years ago, I included a contributed piece on how Tumblr was becoming an absolute monster in the marketplace.  Since then, Tumblr was acquired by Yahoo and has grown even bigger since.  This contributed piece by Amy Williams is a great overview of how businesses can take advantage of Tumblr; also in the near future I will detail how she contacted me and convinced me to accept this piece – it makes a great case study of link-building done right. – Ted

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While Tumblr may not seem like an obvious choice for businesses, statistics would suggest otherwise. With over 50 million members and a  staggering growth rate of around 70 percent year after year, Tumblr is one of the most popular blogging platforms, with the distinct advantage of being loved and widely used by younger generations.

Young people may not love Tumblr for the reasons you think–while those unfamiliar with its popularity may assume it just to be a site for hosting funny images or curating weirdly niche content (“White Men Wearing Google Glass” was one of the 15 most popular blogs at the time of its purchase by Yahoo), as the site grows, it’s increasingly being used as a means of personal expression. Content posted to personal Tumblr blogs often reflects users’ interests that they are not comfortable sharing on more public, less anonymous social networks. In fact, youths have been shown to feel such a strong connection to content on Tumblr and similar microblogging sites as to have very real consequences in their lives.

For businesses, its clean and minimal interface can offer a great venue for photos and other kinds of visual content. Companies are able to provide illustrative and high quality images and videos, with the potential to strengthen both brand and customer service. For an example of a brand succeeding in new and innovative ways on Tumblr, look no further than Denny’s.  Their official company blog, hosted on Tumblr, looks like any other blog on the site, until their clever branding becomes apparent. As soon as breakfast food items start appearing in what may have looked like normal images, their strategy becomes clear: create content similar to what Tumblr users are already sharing, while promoting their own products.

The infographic below is designed to help newbies break down the otherwise seemingly-complex blogging rules of the site in a simplified manner.  Start with a clear understanding of what advantages Tumblr provides over other blogging platforms and you should be able to make strides in your online niche, whatever that may be.