Facebook, Twitter, and now Tumblr? Companies around the world now use a social networking site daily to promote and advertise deals. And companies that advertise on Tumblr are becoming increasingly more common, especially media companies. According to the New York Times, Tumblr is adding 25,000 new accounts every day.

So what’s so special about this new social networking site? What makes Tumblr any different than its competitors? Well for starters, Tumblr is much more visual than either Twitter or Facebook. A tumblog (the blog maintained on Tumblr) allows postings of images, text, video, and questions and compiles them onto the tumblog. Each tumblog is very customizable with each layout and it is especially easy for those comfortable using HTML. Tumblr’s visual aspect is also very different than either Twitter or Facebook.

Tumblr is also a great means for media companies, such as magazines and newspapers, to interact with readers. Viewers to a tumblog can “heart” a posting, similar to the “like” feature on Facebook, except that once a post is assigned a “heart” it is saved and easily accessible for future use. Viewers can also comment on posts, and even reblog it so that the post is now included on the reader’s own tumblog. Companies on Tumblr can interact with readers in ways never before available.  

Also, Tumblr is yet another means for your company to advertise to thousands of people quickly and effectively. When a company post is reblogged, the link to the company’s own tumblog remains attached. Then, through the power of exponential volume increases, the post can be reblogged indefinitely. The potential for free “viral” advertising is amazing, powerful, and free.  

There are more and more companies on Tumblr lately, such as the Huffington Post, Life Magazine, New York Times, and Rolling Stone. It’s only a matter of time before Tumblr becomes a common name like the other social networking giants Facebook and Twitter. And as Tumblr is one of the fastest growing sites out there with over 10.5 million users (according to Newsweek) it can be a great marketing tool for your company.

Author: Liza Rutledge