Social media alert! Social media alert!
Tumblr, the visual blogging platform, is on a path to monetization. It will soon monetize the traffic generated by its more than 50 million users via ads or as Tumblr prefers to call them—sponsors.
According to a report from the Internet Retailer, interested advertisers and Internet marketing services providers can pay to have their content featured on the site’s Radar and Spotlight sections. The Radar section can be found on a user’s dashboard and Tumblr says that it garners more than 120 million impressions on a daily basis. It showcases what Tumblr’s editors consider to be the most creative and interesting content on the site. By paying for space on the Radar section, online retailers and their Internet marketing service teams can “gain thousands of new followers, likes and reblogs.”
Meanwhile, the Spotlight section can help advertisers with the “front and center” attention offered by the space. Like Radar, it is also curated by the Tumblr editorial team and according to the report, it “aims to offer a sample of the most creative bloggers on the platform.”
In its Sponsors page, Tumblr was quoted in the article saying that they are “looking for the world’s greatest marketers and media companies to help us raise the bar for creative advertising on the web.”
Again, we ask the million dollar question: What does this imply for you and your Internet marketing services team?
For starters, as Tumblr has said, this poses a challenge to sell albeit creatively. Tumblr has a reputation among social media followers as one that is preferred by the “artistic and creative crowd.” If that is the kind of market that you are targeting, then sponsoring space on Tumblr can be that golden opportunity to stand out.
Word of caution though: As in any other social media platforms, your “make it” chance can also be your “break it” chance if you don’t strategize well enough so make sure to sit this down with your Internet marketing service provider.
