Does Your Business Need a Tumblr?

If you are attempting to expand your brand online in a new way, you may have considered Tumblr. What is Tumblr, exactly? It is sort of equal parts a photo album, a video blog (vlog), a blog, and a bookmarking tool. Basically, it is the ideal place to re-post other blogs (or anything else that tickles your fancy online). If you are a business considering a move to marketing through Tumblr, you should think of Tumblr as a hipper kind of Facebook -- a social media-ish, blog-ish platform on which to connect with others and build your brand. Even though Tumblr can function in a beneficial way for businesses, it does not necessarily mean that Tumblr is the BEST way to produce online content. 

 

Is more always better? Being more places does not always provide you with complete control over how others perceive your brand. What are some things to consider, then, when contemplating the idea of posting content to a customized Tumblr for your business?

 

• Return on Investment. Using Tumblr correctly and effectively requires an investment of time and capital. In order to create a brand-consistent look, you'll need to customize the html code within your page. Additionally, you will need to devote time to thinking through posts and actually posting. If you are planning on spending the time and money posting content consistently to promote your brand, values, and products (which we certainly recommend), you will get more bang for your buck if you create an onsite blog and post regularly-updated content to that blog, rather than Tumblr. 
• Audience. Tumblr's demographics tend toward the younger set (56% of users are under 35), with a relatively high percentage of image-based posts (about 1/2 of posts). If your business utilizes images and plays to a younger set, then Tumblr may be right for you. Tumblr's dashboard (similar to Facebook's newsfeed) will show posts of blogs that users follow.  If you are not posting relevant content that the main demographic would want to follow, then Tumblr is not right for you. If however, you plan to post content in order to connect with this demographic, then Tumblr might be a great idea. 
• Growth. Tumblr is a very young company with a lot of growth potential, which means that the platform will likely change drastically in the relatively short term (two-three years). Take this into consideration when deciding whether your business requires a Tumblr.

In short, RT Design Group is of the opinion that an onsite blog allows for a greater connection with existing customers and potential customers, while presenting businesses with the opportunity to accomplish a high level of onsite SEO. Onsite blogs give businesses the opportunity to post relevant photos, videos, and other content to promote their brand AND focus on search engine optimization.