Social media marketing has taken over platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, but what about Tumblr? Tumblr is one of the less explored platforms, in terms of marketing, but, if utilized properly, can provide a company a huge audience at its disposal. The format is very different from that of Facebook or Twitter, and becomes a little more difficult to find all its features and the potential of each feature.

I could go on for days about every single feature of Tumblr, and how to utilize each to their utmost potential, but let us focus on the most basic features needed to achieve the beloved Blue Tag.

What is the “Blue Tag?”
First things first: what IS this Blue Tag?

Well, the official name of the “blue tag” is actually a Featured Tag. Receiving a Featured Tag gives you a huge advantage. Based on personal experience, you get a minimum of 300 notes when your post is featured – which, in turn, gains you a bunch of followers!

The way in which a Featured Tag is chosen is actually part content and part luck. The reason being, Tumblr’s Tag Editors and TumblrBot are the ones that decide if your post is worth being featured. But how do you get noticed?

 

    1. Content

 

Tumblr is a very visual website. I personally know that many users just scroll through their dashboards without really reading, and only stop when they come across a compelling image that they connect to in some way.

Use visually appealing content that is relatable to the general Tumblr audience. Tag Editors like diverse content – nothing that this one-sided in any way will be chosen for the Featured Tag. If you are unsure about what kind of content would appeal to the Tag Editors, search the Featured Tags for ones that are most related to your company and content.

 

    1. Tag, Tag, TAG!

 

If you are not already tagging every relevant post, you should really start.  Tags are the only way for the public to find your posts.  Using various tags widens your chances of your post being seen.  But to get the Tag Editors to see your post, you should use one of the Featured Tags.  An updated list of currently active Featured Tags can be found on Unwrapping Tumblr.

If you run out of ideas for tags, try using the related tags, which come up as you start tagging your post.

For more information on how to tag posts, you can use Tumblr’s guide on How To Use Tags.

 

  1. Source ALL Posts

 

In order to gain followers and be qualified for a Featured Tag, you need to stay consistent and keep your blog updated.  And although the Tag Editors prefer original content, sometimes you come across interesting articles, photography, videos, etc. that are relevant to your client.

There is nothing wrong with using another’s content! Actually, a lot of the posts found under the Featured Tags are from outside sources. However, be mindful of citing the source website. Tag Editors will not feature any post that is not properly sourced.

If you do not know how to source on Tumblr, here is a brief tutorial.


This is all you really need to know about achieving the Blue Tag. If you have any more questions or insight about the subject, feel free to leave a comment below!