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February 10, 2018April 3, 2019

Celebrating 500 BlackFin Posts

This post is number 500 for the BlackFin360.com/blog. Starting this blog was one of the best decisions I have made professionally. It provided me with a platform to share original thoughts, cover industry trends and serve as a repository for speaking and media coverage.

It has evolved significantly from the early beginnings in 2007. The blog was originally under the domain TheBlackFin.com. Now that domain is simply a redirect to BlackFin360.com. “BlackFin” was a nickname given to me by a co-worker at the time and the blog name came directly from my Xbox Gamertag “TheBlackFin“.

Here is a screenshot of the original look for the blog from 2007-2009. Why green for a blog named the “black” fin is something I still wonder about to this day.

Over the years the look and feel of the blog has changed but the core content focus on marketing, emerging technology, and gaming has remained to this day.

I officially moved the blog from theblackfin.com to blackfin360.com in 2009. By 2011 at least there were black/techie elements in the look and feel.

Now in 2018, the blog continues to serve as the primary entry point for speaking engagements, advisor opportunities, university lecturing, media coverage and over the past year it has shifted to more of a Vlog.

The look of the site will continue to evolve in 2018 and beyond.

Whether this is your first time here or you have been a subscriber since the beginning, I sincerely want to thank anyone who has stopped by and spent time with my content. I am incredibly grateful for this platform and I would highly recommend to anyone to find their industry voice and build their personal brand in addition to their professional.

Follow Tom Edwards @BlackFin360

October 16, 2014March 25, 2015

Evolution of Social Media Marketing

Here is a preview of my latest take on the evolution of social media marketing.

The presentation starts with a trip down memory lane by reviewing the rise of social media platforms across the globe.

Next is a look at the impact social media trends have had on consumer behavior. Everything from viral videos, #selfies and the rise of YouTube celebrities.

Then focus shifts to the evolution of social marketing globally and the role that content plays in today’s social marketing programs.

The journey wraps with a look at the future state of social marketing.

Follow Tom @BlackFin360

February 19, 2014February 20, 2014

Is 2014 The Year of Tumblr

In 2013 one platform created more requests for POVs and testing from our Fortune 500 clients than any other. That platform… Tumblr.

What makes Tumblr unique? The platform is a hybrid of social & the web. Tumblr provides a massive (225m monthly uniques) and highly engaged audience as well as complete creative control over the look & feel of the experience. This is a valuable proposition for extending the equity & discoverability of a brand’s digital presence.

Tumblr can serve as a campaign destination or social hub which has become a lost element within the social ecosystem. Most social platforms have moved away from a destination approach and are focused on atomized content engagement. Meaning the emphasis is on making sure your content is engaging enough to capture users attention within a short amount of time.

With Tumblr, brands are not limited to a single media type, there are no design restrictions and no character limits. A brand can create a compelling experience that transcends the social stream and maps to discovery through traditional channels such as search.

Here is an example of THE SIGNAL from Lexus. Note the design freedoms of the platform.

Other key elements to consider: Tumblr blogs can support custom URL’s which are ideal for campaign landing pages. SEO has been a key focus area for Tumblr and the platform is optimized for mobile.

Here is an IFC example of a custom URL solution

Here is the IFC example as the #1 search result for Spoils of Babylon

Regarding engagement, Tumblr content tends to have a longer shelf life compared to some of the other social platforms that integrate time decay of the content into their algorithms. With Tumblr as content is re-blogged it continues to earn impressions over time.

In a recent briefing by the Tumblr team, I was pleasantly surprised by the composition of their audience. Let’s just say that breakdowns are consistent with today’s millennial focused campaigns. And the rate at which Tumblr’s daily users are actively creating original content, re-blogging content and/or “hearting” content is significantly higher than I was expecting. All of this with a very healthy daily growth rate.

A recent Social Media Intelligence Report from Adobe referenced that in Q4 2013 Tumblr’s RPV (Revenue per visit) rose 340% year over year, with a healthy $1.10 revenue per visit. Facebook is currently #1 with a $1.22.

Another shocking revelation was the amount of time spent per visit with an average session of 20 minutes with 66 pages visited per day.

How Brands are using Tumblr

Community Driven – Some brands are relying on their users to power their Tumblr presence. Here are a few standout examples:

Disney The Looking Glass

Samsung Camera

Commerce-Driven – Here a few brands who are extending commerce and maximizing the referral revenue potential of Tumblr

Tumblr now supports a more robust paid amplification offering as well, allowing for targeting that covers both desktop & mobile. At a later date I’ll get further into to paid amplification on Tumblr.

With all of this momentum, in my opinion, Tumblr will be a force to be reckoned with in 2014.

Follow Tom Edwards @BlackFIn360