7 Ways Businesses are Using Tumblr for Content Marketing

Tumblr is making headlines this week as they have been acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion. This (hopefully) will mean lots of good changes are in store for the social blogging platform. But unlike the traditional corporate blog, companies are using Tumblr in a whole different way in an attempt to gain a share of Tumblr’s 29 million unique visitors per month (Digiday). Let’s look at how some businesses are using Tumblr as a unique part of their content marketing strategy.

Highlighting Fashion Photography

Lulu Frost uses Tumblr as their main blog to announce their latest collections through beautiful fashion photography. Photos go beyond just their accessories to include images from their travels to fashion and trunkshows. They also insert the occasional inspirational quote and share humorous vintage photos on Fridays.

Appealing to the Target Customer Base

Scribner Books uses Tumblr as their main blog to appeal to the literary lovers who buy books published by their company. Their posts include announcements for upcoming book releases, quotes from popular books, and shares from other blogs with images of movies made from books.

Sharing the Stories Behind the Recipes

Boqueria restaurants use Tumblr as their main blogging platform to share the stories and recipes behind their popular menu items. Their posts range from the culture behind a special dish, how their chefs select meats and ingredients, and detailing the history of their wine collection.

Getting Creative

eBay uses Tumblr as one of several blogs they maintain. The Inside Source features interviews, creative uses for items sold on eBay, inspirational quotes, brand mentions that link to eBay’s current auctions of their products, and much more. The goal is to keep eBay users up to date on current trends.

Teaching About Health

Sherpaa healthcare uses Tumblr as their main blog to educate individuals and businesses about the latest health-related news. They share videos, posts about their company from other blogs, interviews, and real-life health case studies (with permission from the patients). They occasionally break up the seriousness of their content with cute images of dogs wearing their logo t-shirt.

Showcasing Products

Sephora uses Tumblr as their main blog to showcase their latest products and videos on how to use them. They have celebrity appearances by Kat Von D and Jennifer Aniston who talk about how they use Sephora products and the results they achieve. Their posts also include animated graphics, infographics, and behind the scenes footage of photographers capturing their products.

Integrating Instagram

Shapeways uses Tumblr as their main blog mostly to share their latest Instagram photos along with occasional features pointing back to their main website. It goes to show that you don’t necessarily have to create new, unique content for your Tumblr. Integration with Instagram can go a long way.

Key Takeaways

So what are some common denominators between all of these very different businesses and how they use Tumblr that you can apply to your own Tumblr experience? Here are the most important ones.

• Tumblr content is generally visually appealing. Images and video are included in almost all updates.

• Be sure to include a link back to your main website along with links to your other social profiles.

• You can support for your Tumblr community by publicly displaying a list of the Tumblr blogs your business follows.

• Add social sharing buttons to your Tumblr using Add This or Share This to get more exposure for your posts.

• Connect Instagram to your Tumblr so you can share your photos with your Tumblr following.

Connect Tumblr to Your Analytics

Last, but not least, be sure to connect Tumblr to your SumAll account (sign up for a free trial here) to see how it affects your overall business in terms of traffic to your website, increase in social engagement, and ultimately sales.

Kristi Hines is a freelance writer, professional blogger, and social media enthusiast. You can follow her on Twitter and Google+.