The Motherhood

Heat Up Your Summer Marketing with Influencer Campaigns

June 13, 2016 by The Motherhood

With the official start of summer quickly approaching, The Motherhood’s social listening team compiled a few ideas to heat up your summer marketing tactics by integrating influencer campaigns that take advantage of trending topics and seasonal events.

Social posts on mobile devices increase by about 30 percent in the summer, and posts with the keyword “travel” spike by 46 percent, so this is no time for online marketing strategy to take a vacation. Brands can reach consumers online during this peak vacation and travel time by knowing the trends and drawing on natural topics and tie-ins for the season.

According to Facebook, the top summer topics from 2015 were running, beach, parties, parks and forests, and movies. This summer, consider crafting an authentic influencer marketing campaign to create valuable content while leveraging these summer events and trends.

Here are some seasonal events and search trends to be aware of when creating your summer marketing campaigns or your brand’s social posts:

June

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR THE SUMMER – As kids’ annual vacation from schoolwork begins, parents plan activities. There are more than 40,500 searches of “summer activities for kids” in June alone. Celebrate summer break and include your product in posts or pictures of fun summer activities.

TRAVEL PLANNING – Make your brand top-of-mind during summer travel planning. Fun fact: Tuesday is the most popular day to make travel-related purchases online. If possible, post early in the week about how your brand purchase can help with consumers’ travel plans!

FATHER’S DAY – Searches related to “Father’s Day,” specifically related to “gifts” and “ideas,” peak this month! Mobile dominates Father’s Day searches and social posts and the most likely requirements for gifts are “fun” and “practical”.

Fun June Holidays: National Candy Month & National Adopt-a-Cat Month

July

INDEPENDENCE DAY – The average American spends about $300 on Fourth of July celebrations. Searches for “grilling” peak around this holiday. Festival- and holiday-related content brings 1.5x more engagement than average. Creating Independence Day themed content can generate high engagement and value yearly.

STAYCATIONS – Searches about “staycations” peak in July and increase in popularity every year. A surprising number of travel searches are for hotels near home. This trend promises to increase in popularity in the future, so creating evergreen content could bring high value over time.

Fun July Holidays: National Ice Cream Month

August

RIO OLYMPICS – Nothing brings the world together like the Olympic games, with millennials more focused on team victory than individual glory. It is an inherently social event, with 86 percent of online users planning to use Facebook for “voicing Olympic reactions.”

MOVING MONTH – Searches for real estate and house hunting peak in late summer. This, as well as all of the college students moving into their new dorms, leads to a increase in moving.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL – Be early and be online: consumers search for information on back-to-school products before searching for a store near them to purchase. Pay attention to the must-haves in your product category this season and bridge the gap between search and store.

Fun August Holidays: Family Fun Month & National Picnic Month

September

LABOR DAY – Searches related to “Labor Day” are highest on the day itself, including a high number of searches for sales around this holiday.

GRANDPARENTS DAY – There are more than 450,000 searches for “Grandparents Day” in September. While only 13 percent of grandchildren communicate with their grandparents via social media, younger generations will still be posting about the holiday on their social channels!

Fun September Holidays: Baby Safety Month & Self Improvement Month

Timing is everything with these summer trends and events, especially on social media. By posting content at the beginning of the week or month that is focused on planning and activities, you can fuel inspiration long-term! Posting slightly before peak periods will allow your brand to lead the conversation as well as provide opportunity to rise to the top of online search results. Furthermore, these trends and events resurface every year, so evergreen blog content from trusted influencers created with SEO in mind will continue to provide value for years to come.

Keep in mind that for every topic and event listed above, there is bound to be a trending hashtag with it, so consider adding a trending hashtag or two to your social posts to increase the reach of your summer marketing efforts.

Happy Summer!

Interested in building an influencer marketing campaign with these trends in mind? Contact us!

PR News Names The Motherhood Social Media Team of the Year

June 7, 2016 by The Motherhood

Yesterday, The Motherhood was honored to be named Social Media Team of the Year, alongside the UN Foundation, at the PR News 2016 Social Media Awards luncheon in South Beach, Miami.

The Motherhood’s Brittney Coburn was on hand to accept the Social Media Team of the Year award at the luncheon, which celebrated the nation’s most noteworthy campaigns of the year. The winners represent the year’s most creative, resourceful and shareable campaigns.

We are so proud of the remarkable work and creativity that comes from our team and are incredibly thankful to PR News for this recognition!

From the PR News website:

“This year’s Social Media Award winners embodied the curiosity and flexibility that’s required to stay on top of the rapidly changing social media space. As social continues to come of age, these practitioners were able to score unrivaled successes for their organizations and brands. They tracked, promoted and adapted their messages in ways that continue to push the discipline of public relations into the future.

“Despite the challenges associated with proving how social can translate into actions that drive purchases, donations, membership and community action, the PR pros behind these campaigns show that there’s incredible value where most of us live: on social media.”

Featured image above courtesy PR News.

#MeasurementMonday: How to Measure SEO Success of a Blog Post

June 6, 2016 by The Motherhood

A staggering 89 percent of consumers begin their purchase process with a search engine, which leaves no doubt that search engine optimization (SEO) in influencer marketing campaigns plays a huge factor in generating long-term value and results for brands.

To best understand how important good SEO can be for a campaign, consider this: The first page of Google Search Results receives more than 91 percent of all search clicks, with the top three results in the list nabbing 61 percent of all clicks. Not only can strategic SEO help influencer content rise to the top of search results, but it can also boost your own company website’s ranking: Blog posts are sources of authoritative inbound links which factor into your own site’s search ranking success.

In today’s Measurement Monday post, we are taking a close look at how to structure campaigns for SEO success, as well as how to measure that success practically and accurately.

In one of our previous posts, we touched on why influencer-generated evergreen content is so powerful. Blog posts that are “evergreen” offer brands long-term results, as they help content rise to the top of search rankings and provide potential customers with readily available resources as they are searching for information related to the brand or product.

Before launching an influencer marketing campaign, be sure to do some keyword research and craft a strategy that leverages specific keywords in the blogger-generated content. The words and phrases you use should offer a balance of the most commonly searched terms (those that currently rank the highest) and those that have lower competition and are more “ownable” to your brand. These keywords should appear not only in the headings of blog posts but also regularly throughout the body content and in image descriptions.

It’s important to remember that you can use SEO strategy in social media posts by utilizing keywords, especially since Facebook and Twitter posts are treated like any other web page by Google’s rankings. Studies have shown that engagement of social media posts have a direct correlation to higher search rankings, furthering the value of engagement in influencer campaigns. You can apply SEO on Pinterest by focusing on image relevancy and using strategic keywords in pin titles and descriptions. Social signals increase search rankings by signaling search engines you are relevant and by increasing domain authority.

When correctly executed, influencer-generated blog posts can become significant traffic sources for a brand website over time. For example, in one of The Motherhood’s recent campaigns for a healthcare client, blog posts from our team of influencers served as one of the top drivers of traffic to the client’s website and contributed to significant conversion. Many of the influencers’ blog posts have generated hundreds and even thousands of monthly visits to the company’s site.

As you can see in the graph below, the top-performing blog post increased in popularity over time, generating a high level of traffic from Pinterest and organic search and continuing to drive high levels of visits to the company’s site, even 10 months after being posted.

A study by Halverson Group found that the lifespan of a blog post is almost 24 times as long as the standard 30 days reporting metric, indicating that the current measurement metrics are undervaluing blog post performance by failing to measure any results over time. The takeaway? It is important that our measurement methods account for this long-term value.

Metrics that can be monitored to track the SEO success of a blog post include search engine rankings, views after a certain period of time, and social media engagement. It is important that these factors are tracked consistently across blog posts if there are multiple posts resulting from a given campaign.

Three ways to measure the SEO success of a blog post:

Record the page views at time increments, such as after one week of posting, three months and six months after. Be sure that these numbers are being recorded from a consistent measurement source across all posts.
Do a search for your keywords and pay attention to how the post ranks on search engines. This includes images that appear in search!
Monitor engagement on Pinterest (and other social platforms). While this activity may not always immediately convert to page views, it will over time, and it indicates intent and boosts search rankings. Engagement on other platforms should also be measured, as social signals increase the off-page SEO results.

SEO, along with effective measurement of long-term campaign success, are important strategic factors in influencer marketing. Using the three methods mentioned above, the long-term value of search engine optimized influencer marketing can be better reported and included in the measurement of overall campaign success.

Interested in learning more? Read all of our #MeasurementMonday series posts HERE.

Campaigns with The Motherhood’s bloggers have seen program content rise to the top of search rankings. We’d love to work with you in developing easy-to-find, evergreen blog posts that will live on for potential consumers to find when they’re searching for more information online prior to purchase. If you’re interested in working with us, email contact@themotherhood.com.

Influencer Spotlight: Kristy, Mommy Hates Cooking

June 1, 2016 by The Motherhood

Video, value and vintage inspiration – Kristy of Mommy Hates Cooking tells all in this month’s blogger spotlight!

As our featured June blogger, Kristy dishes on what’s in and what’s out, along with why 2016 is the year for truly “living” and how she plans to implement that philosophy with her own family.

Dig in below to read more, and give Kristy a shout out at @MomHatesCooking.

Love what you see?

Check out our Influencer Spotlights here!

How does the Blogger Spotlight Series work?

Each month, our internal team convenes and discusses our latest programs, stellar partnerships and top-performing influencers. It’s not about numbers, but rather, the quality, authentic content they’re delivering consistently. It’s about reliability, professionalism and partnership. We discuss our nominations for the month and ultimately decide on just one blogger to invite as our featured blogger. Stop back July 1 for the next blogger spotlight!

Kidbox Offers Style and Convenience for Kids’ Clothing

May 23, 2016 by The Motherhood

Clothes shopping with kids can be tricky: Getting them to the store, having them try on various items and finding a few cute, complete outfits is often an exercise in patience. Now, thanks to a new kids’ style delivery service called Kidbox, finding seasonal options for your kids – from toddlers to tweens – just got a lot easier.

Through an ongoing partnership, The Motherhood and Kidbox have asked a group of bloggers to set up profiles for their own kids to try out the service for their summer clothing needs. Blog and social media coverage will be appearing over the next couple of weeks, and a few members of the group have already shared what they love:

It’s not really a subscription – there are no upfront charges.

Jessica at A Parent in America outlined the Kidbox payment process: “Although I entered our payment info, your card will not be charged until you have personally decided which items you would like to keep. You have seven days to decide, and there is free shipping for families both ways. You can keep none of the clothing items, ship them back in the provided package and pay nothing, no problem. Or you can choose to keep one, two, etc. or all. Totally your world.”

It’s a great value for trusted brands.

For name brands including Seven for All Mankind, Lucky, Diesel, Reebok and more, Melissa at All Things Chic was impressed: “The pricing is totally amazing – if you keep the whole box, you pay $98. THAT’S IT! Which is a savings of $183 off list prices and $55 off Kidbox prices! HUGE savings! AND I DIDN’T HAVE TO GO TO THE STORE! SCORE! If you need to swap a size or return something, just put in the enclosed shipping pouch and return for free. Easy peasy.”

It’s tailored for the season, your geographic location, your child’s personality and more.

Image credit: Jessica, A Parent in America (screen shot of Kidbox site)

Parents and kids both have ideas about the types of clothing that will work, from color preferences to hem length to what “winter” means in, say, southern California vs. Wisconsin. Jennifer at Double Duty Mommy noted, “What makes Kidbox different? They ask you questions about your kid! So simple, right? I could not believe how detailed every page was, so I was confident knowing the clothes I trusted Kidbox to send my daughter fit her style and my Mama Bear rules.”

It’s a chance to do good while dressing your kid.

Kidbox is on a mission to clothe kids in need and help parents and kids give back. Jennifer at The Suburban Mom shared, “Kidbox donates a clothing item for every box sold. The coolest part is that you and your child get to decide where that donated item goes. When you decide to keep your entire box, you and your child can choose between sending that clothing item to children in military families, children facing poverty to children living in foster care. It’s a great way to start a conversation with your children about giving back.”

It offers surprise and delight.

In describing the box her daughter received, Jessica at A Parent in America said, “Not only did it contain crazy-cool clothes, it was packed with presents and goodies for her! She received an activity book, letter stickers, crayons and a ‘surprise egg ball’ that she unwound to reveal three Cracker Jack-style prizes inside.”

For more information or to sign up for a Kidbox shipment, visit the Kidbox website or follow the brand on Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook. You can also check out the #UnpackHappy hashtag on most social media platforms to see moms’ take on the service.

Top Kidbox photo credit: Jessica, A Parent in America

TM Book Club: New Stacie Billis Cookbook, Make It Easy

May 20, 2016 by The Motherhood

It should come as no surprise that The Motherhood team loves to cook, eat, and talk about what’s coming out of our kitchens! Over the past couple years, we’ve shared recipes that we turn to when bringing together family and friends, as well as those that inspire us to eat well, and we’re always looking for fresh ideas to put something new on the table.

So when our friend Stacie over at One Hungry Mama reached out to share the great news that she had compiled all of her tried-and-true recipes into one book, Make It Easy, our team was excited to dig in (quite literally)! With 120 mix-and-match recipes, Make It Easy truly takes the guesswork out of the whole process, from food prep to presentation. Using everything from smart, store-bought shortcuts to cook-from-scratch dishes, the book delivers recipes that will leave your family impressed without leaving you stressed.

Check out some of the recipes we tested in our own kitchens, and read for yourself how the Make It Easy approach worked for us!

One-Bowl Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

The key term here is “one-bowl,” followed closely by “ricotta” and “cake.”

This recipe has a high ratio of convenience to deliciousness, which makes it a winner in our book. As billed, all of the ingredients can be combined in a single bowl, which makes for quick assembly and easy cleanup. The cake itself, baked in a loaf pan, is dense, fine-crumbed and flavored with just the right amount of lemon. It’s perfect for a lighter dessert (served with fruit and whipped cream), an indulgent snack (spread with ricotta and honey), or even a quick breakfast, after being warmed in the toaster oven or microwave.

Buttered Pasta with Ricotta and Peas

Using the leftover ricotta cheese you’ll have in your fridge after making the above pound cake, you can whip up this simple, tasty dinner.

The best part about this pasta dish (aside from the ricotta) is that the recipe is fairly basic and can accommodate a variety of ingredients. Your kids don’t like peas? No problem, just throw in whatever you have on hand, such as cubed chicken, ground sausage, corn, bell pepper or other meats and veggies they prefer. And for picky eaters, plain buttered noodles with cheese is always a winner.

Corn, Green Chili and Cheddar Strata

Make-ahead recipes are a blessing when you have a large group of people to feed or a potluck event to squeeze into your schedule – and with a full loaf of French bread and nine eggs incorporated in the recipe, this strata makes plenty for everyone.

You can (and should) assemble the dish the night before baking it, so the prep work is already done. All you have to do is pop it in the oven and serve with a side of sliced avocado, fruit, toast or bacon. It’s savory but not spicy, and it’s substantial enough to offer as a main breakfast or dinner option. The recipe is also quite versatile – you can swap or add any number of ingredients based on personal preference.

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

The most unique thing about this cookbook is that it’s truly a resource versus a standard cookbook. Sure, it’s filled with recipes, but it’s not made of up of just dinner entrees or dessert dishes, but rather, practical, smart and useful kitchen hacks and tricks to truly make things simple and delicious.

While it seems too simple to be an entry in any cookbook, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli was one of the first recipes we dog-eared. Oftentimes it’s the side dishes that leave us in a rut, turning to the same steaming/boiling/raw routine with our veggies. It’s amazing how you can elevate your veggie dish by roasting and dressing it with the right ingredients. This one uses a little lemon, Parmesan, olive oil and seasoning; it will be a staple on the dinner menu.

Avocado Miso Dressing

This sauce is the answer to the too-ripe avocados sitting on your counter, as well as the too-boring-to-eat salad you brought for lunch and nearly any other dish that needs a little extra flavor. This dressing is truly out of this world.

The ingredients seem simple enough, and you might think you can anticipate what it will taste like. We promise it’s better than anything you’re imagining up as you skim through the list of ingredients. Stacie suggests this as a go-to for salads or seafood, so we topped lightly seared scallops with the bright green dressing for a really light, fresh-tasting dinner.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Again, this may seem like a too-obvious idea to be included in a cookbook; however, that’s what this book is all about. Stacie encourages you to hone in on really smart food preparation ideas in order to elevate your dishes.

Tossed in a little olive oil and salt, and roasted to perfection, these tomatoes are the perfect addition to made-from-scratch hummus (which she also has a recipe for!), as well as a simple base for tomato sauce to serve over pasta.

Almond Milk

Another unique aspect of this book is that it offers options for made-from-scratch, as well as store-bought, ingredients. Stacie offers context around why you might choose store-bought for some things, while made-from-scratch is the way to go for others.

While there are likely numerous, delicious almond milk options at your local grocer, if you’re a fan of nut milk, it would serve you well to try making it yourself! Incredibly simple, it’s admittedly satisfying to see it progress from almond to milk. Made-from-scratch almond milk is a “yes!” in our book.

Overall Thoughts on the Cookbook

We sincerely loved exploring this cookbook as a team, although calling it a cookbook seems to undercut all that it offers. Make It Easy is really the Swiss Army Knife of cookbooks; it’s a true resource for the kitchen and offers far more than recipes. Although we loved the several recipes we tried, we appreciate the book even more for the tips and tools it offers the everyday cook.