Why Tumblr Still Matters

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By: Christina Gaines | @stinaegaines

Tumblr has generated more than just “Poot Lovato”* in recent months. *(Haven’t had the pleasure of meeting “Poot”? A quick Google search is a sure-fire way to brighten your day.)

With monoliths like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram constantly thrusting themselves into the limelight, I believe we often forget the significance of our old friend. There is no doubt that businesses should put the above to use if applicable to their brand and voice, however, one mustn’t ignore the quality of a smartly pieced blog.

Tumblr is a unique social platform – the way it presents itself is more creative, open-ended and freedom-of-expression friendly. It’s the social platform of the artsy, the “cool kids” if you will.

Why should the CMOs of the world care? Last year, with over 247 million blogs, Tumblr was the fastest-growing social media platform. As of October 2015, it made the Top 15 list at #6- quite an upset if you consider that Instagram made seventh place.

Tumbr not only skews to the younger, more affluent consumers, but acts as a modern focus group for marketers like us. It’s truly everything we could ever dream of.

It’s no secret that people may act differently when arranged in a room with a particularly inquisitive and mildly invasive researcher, versus when they are in the seemingly more private confines of social media. (A large God-awful human error, yes, but existent nonetheless.)

Monitoring your followers allows you to track visual mentions- how is the customer using the product? Where are they and in what circumstances are they using it? This information is valuable in developing consumer-targeted advertising- the possibilities for creative license here are endless.

The same method can also be applied for identifying influential partners and complementary interests. Are your publics drinking your pre-workout concoction while playing a specific sport or wearing a certain line of active wear? What does your customer’s lifestyle look like? Tumblr is a glittering hive of marketing data.

With new updates such as a mobile GIF-maker, a messaging app and an amass of new unlocked usernames, now is as good as a time as ever to see if your brand and Tumblr are a match. If all components pass, missing out on this one-of-a-kind platform would be forgoing a goldmine of consumer behavior information.