There are already so many social media platforms out there and the internet is chock full of guides to show you how to apply them to your business strategy. However, one which you may not have considered is the free micro-blogging platform Tumblr.

Tumblr blogs can be accessed from the web, whether you have an account or not. This means that they are indexed by Google and if you make use of it, it can benefit your online visibility.

Tumblr also boasts great mobile compatibility and allows you to customise your blog with a whole load of free and paid design templates. Tumblr enjoys a youthful user base, so if that is the target for your business then you may find that it can work for you. If not, however, then the other benefits of using Tumblr should make it worth experimenting with at the very least.

So, with all of that in mind, let’s take a quick look at some of the ways in which you can use Tumblr to boost your business.

Starting Out

Tumblr can feel restrictive in its blogging functionality at first, especially if you are used to tools such as WordPress and its ilk. You may struggle to begin with if you are accustomed to publishing longer articles, and its liking and sharing functions may appear idiosyncratic in the beginning. Take some time to acclimatise yourself to Tumblr’s form and function before you start posting on a regular basis.

When you first register a new account with Tumblr you will create your first blog at the same time. This initial blog can be a bit of a pain to remove once created, so take your time over it and make sure that the name etc. is relevant to your business or brand.

There are plenty of guides online to help you when you first start creating and posting content for Tumblr, so make sure that you avail yourself of these key resources to ensure that you come out of the gates in style.

Be Active

One of the great things about Tumblr is that posting content is very fast and very simple. This means that you can be significantly more active than you possibly could be using more conventional tools. As with all social media efforts relating to business engagement with your fans should be the overarching aim, and providing them with lots of great content for them to interact with is a fantastic way to achieve this.

Make sure to like and share the content that other people post as well as this will make you seem like someone who is actively engaging with the community rather than simply waiting for it to engage with you.

There are a couple of great tools available to make posting to Tumblr quick and easy. Use Bookmarklet to add a button to your bookmark bar that will allow you to create a Tumblr post about any website that you are viewing. Eliminating the need for copy and pasting etc. Also be sure to install the Tumblr app onto your smartphone or tablet, so that Tumblr is added to your list of sharing options on those devices as well.

Conversions

So, now that you are creating and sharing Tumblr content on a regular basis and building up a legion of engaged fans, what next? How do we take those fans and attempt to convert them into clients or customers?

Well, you do it in much the same way that you would through any other means – you find out what they are looking for and then you see if your business can fulfil that need.

You can do this through Tumblr by experimenting with sharing and posting different types of content on different topics. See which people engage with these various posts and engage with them as to whether they are just chatting or whether it is something that they are actually looking for.

For example you could share videos or pictures of products or activities that are related to the kinds of products or services that you offer. If your Tumblr becomes popular then you will draw likeminded users to it who are looking for content related to their interests.

This means that, instead of just having a fan base of random persons who may or may not be interested in or looking for the kinds of business that you provide, you will have a list of potential customers whom you know are interested in these things. Whilst this list may be smaller than someone who is attracting all and sundry to their blog, it will be far more valuable. As with all social media efforts relating to the number of fans that you acquire, quality beats quantity every single time.

So, there is our whistle-stop tour of using Tumblr to turn fans into customers. Do you use Tumblr and what degrees of success have you seen result from it? Please let us know.

Have fun.