4 Tips for Tumblr Beginners

There are certain best practices Tumblr beginners need to be aware of in order to take full advantage of the social blogging network.

Tumblr beginners might not know exactly how to use the network; it is not the most familiar territory and certainly does not feel or operate the same way most other social networks do.

Tumblr is a social blogging platform that allows users to share content that appeals to them on a customized, fully social blog. Sounds great, right? Well, in order for Tumblr to work for you, it is crucial that you follow certain best practices. Otherwise, your blog is just one of the tens of millions with little activity.

Tag Your Posts

Tumblr tags are an excellent way of increasing your post’s visibility. At the bottom of your post (shown below) you will find an area in which to add tags. Take advantage of this the same way you would tags on a standalone blog post. People can search for tags and categories on Tumblr, and the more well described your post in tag-form, the better the chances that people will find your content.

Diversify Your Content

One of the great features of Tumblr is the ability to share several types of content. Your posts can be as simple as a single image or a quote from your favorite author or as complex as a step-by-step explanation of functionality of a particle accelerator.

One key thing to remember, however, is that you should aim to share a diverse selection of content (all related to your blog’s theme and tone) in order to engage as broad an audience as possible. You might have a small group interested in the process of particle acceleration, but be able to broaden your reader base with an album of some impressive, research-grade particle accelerator images.

Social Sharing

You’ll notice in the image above (in the tags section) that there are small icons under your post for Facebook and Twitter. Now, this might not apply to all of your posts (you don’t necessarily want to duplicate other posts on Facebook or Twitter) but in order to streamline your social media marketing, you should consider sharing the content you post on Tumblr to your other social networks.

This is a great way of promoting your Tumblr blog and quickly building your readership.

Be Social!

Tumblr might be a blog, but it is as much a social network as Facebook or Twitter. You should be re-blogging (sharing other people’s content to your own blog) and commenting on other blogs the same way you would on Facebook.

Being social is the goal of Tumblr, and it is also a great way of increasing your own exposure on the network.

Though there is a lot more to Tumblr than these 4 simple tips, these are must-dos for Tumblr beginners in order to get the Tumblr activity off the ground.

Do you use Tumblr for social blogging? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!