A Tumblr how-to for marketers

David Karp, the founder and CEO of Tumblr recently announced that users spend an average of 14 minutes per visit on Tumblr, which is over a minute longer than the average Facebook visit and a few minutes more than users average on Twitter. Despite this few companies, b2b, b2c or otherwise, have any presence on the blog.  With over 50 million distinct Tumblr blogs I can guarantee you that at least a portion of your target demographic is active on the site.

The platform can be intimidating to marketers because of the artsy inhabitants, the seeming lack of structure, and perhaps the largest hurdle – Tumblr remains a user driven ecosystem where users are exposed text and images based purely on the actions of their peers. This a departure from sites like Facebook and Pinterest that have taken steps to accommodate marketers with business pages, paid space and other marketing friendly features.

So how exactly can a modern marketer go against the current and use Tumblr to engage with customers and maybe even bring in new ones? Here are a few pro tips to get you started on your lonely journey:

1. Determine how many posts you need per week and designate a person to be accountable for fulfilling this goal. You are nearly invisible on Tumblr unless you are consistently posting relatively frequently.
2. Create a profile of your target audience on Tumblr. What are your customers on Tumblr interested in? What sorts of images are most likely to interest them?
3. Keep your focus narrow. The category of content that your Tumblr produces should be obvious at a glance.
4. Come up with a creative name. A clever name on Tumblr can go a long way, don’t be afraid to depart from YourCompany.tumblr.com

By Kevin Flaherty