{"id":2301,"date":"2019-10-30T16:46:20","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T16:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aseohosting.com\/blog\/?p=2301"},"modified":"2025-05-19T21:25:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T21:25:33","slug":"3-things-to-learn-from-tumblr-about-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aseohosting.com\/blog\/2019\/10\/3-things-to-learn-from-tumblr-about-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Things to Learn From Tumblr About Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In August, telecommunications company Verizon sold social network and microblogging site Tumblr to WordPress owner Automattic for approximately $3 million.<\/a> It was, many publications noted, a massive loss on their part. Just two years ago, they purchased the site for $1.1  billion<\/a>. Most agree that their purchase of the platform was a complete and utter failure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201c<\/em> Verizon\u2019s attempt to offload Tumblr comes as it tries to make the best of its collective media business after a $4.6 billion write-down last year, which was essentially an acknowledgment that both deals had been a mistake,\u201d reads a piece on tech publication The Verge<\/a>. \u201cNow the question becomes whether there\u2019s even a viable buyer for the platform in 2019 that won\u2019t let it slowly wither away.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, there\u2019s a lot that one can learn from this failed acquisition. Lessons that go beyond not purchasing a platform until you\u2019re certain you can monetize it. Lessons that can easily be applied to your social marketing efforts and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understand Your Audience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The beginning of the end for Verizon\u2019s ownership of Tumblr was when the company made the unilateral decision to ban adult content on the platform. On some level, this was an understandable move. Apple had <\/em>recently banned the social network from its store due to reports of child pornography<\/a>. At the same time, the decision-makers responsible for the shift could have taken a different route.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And they should have. As a result of the ban, Tumblr lost nearly a third of its users<\/a>. In one fell swoop, they had alienated the lion\u2019s share of its community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not Safe For Work (NSFW) content was a part of the social network\u2019s culture – it had been ever since its foundation. And it wasn\u2019t just pornographic material, either. With a userbase that was primarily queer and feminist, erotic material on the site ran the gamut from fanart to sexual education and more, according to online publication Vox.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lesson should be obvious. Know your audience before you make any major decisions about your marketing. <\/em>Do whatever it takes, whether that\u2019s market research, surveys, or simply passive listening on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cop To Your Mistakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Tumblr's
Tumblr’s Content moderation missteps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As if Tumblr\u2019s content ban wasn\u2019t enough, it was also carried out in the clumsiest, most ham-fisted way possible. Rather than employ human content curators, the social network relied on a poorly-coded automated system to identify and flag adult content. The results were predictable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video game-focused publication Kotaku published a list of false flags<\/a>, including, among other things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n