bloggers

How to Reach Influential Moms Online

May 3, 2015 by The Motherhood

Moms rule social media. It’s that simple.

So, how do brands reach moms on these various platforms? Through other moms, of course!

According to a study conducted by The Motherhood, in partnership with University of Pittsburgh Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence and the University of Pittsburgh Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, more than half (56 percent) of moms view social networks as a good source of information, and 42 percent make purchases based on recommendations from social networks.

With that in mind, it’s never been more critical for brands to connect directly with influential moms in order to tap this broad consumer audience of fellow moms who are making the majority of household purchases.

A few tips to get you started:

1. Focus on a personalized pitch

Bloggers are always being contacted by brands and agencies looking to work with them. As we recently reported, bloggers also dislike being referred to by marketers as mommy bloggers, so your pitch should be careful not to pigeonhole moms with this term. It’s also important to know about a blogger’s lifestyle, interests and preferences before you ask them to write content for your brand. Bloggers are often turned off by generic, impersonal pitches that don’t speak to their blog’s overarching theme, topic or tone. Before you reach out to an influential mom online, take some time to get to know her blog to see if your brand and/or similar brands have been discussed previously. Take note of the writing style and language a blogger uses and make sure it is aligned with your product or brand messaging. Finding a personal connection between your brand and a blogger is a great way to cultivate a new relationship, and in turn, can create authentic, meaningful dialogue for your brand among moms online.

2. Pay attention to social media

Moms are an active and savvy group on social media. It’s important to know what is being said on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram before you approach a blogger to represent your brand or organization. See if the blogger has mentioned your brand on social and don’t be afraid to engage with them in a genuine, two-way conversation. You can also use social media to understand what type of brand work a blogger is comfortable with, because many may specialize in a particular social channel. Do they regularly participate as co-hosts in Twitter parties for brands? Do they host Facebook or Pinterest contests and giveaways? Do they have experience as brand ambassadors? Navigating through social media activity is a great way to find influential moms online who are the right bloggers for your brand.

3. Contact a blogger network

Social media marketing companies with strong blogger networks like The Motherhood provide a huge advantage for brands and companies looking to find influential moms online to represent them and reach their target audiences. The Motherhood has created hundreds of meaningful opportunities for brands, organizations and influencers to develop relationships and exceptional online content that make a difference. High-touch, strategic blogger campaigns can help drive engagement, increase sales, build reputations, provide insights, generate rich, searchable online content that lives on and spark deep loyalty among your most important constituency – moms. The Motherhood’s proprietary database is filled with top bloggers in all areas of expertise – moms, food, fashion, tech, DIY, millennials, you name it – and we have the ability to narrow in and customize the most influential and meaningful campaign for your brand.

Interested in learning more? Check out TheMotherhood.com or contact us here.

Influencer Spotlight: Trey, Daddy Mojo

May 1, 2015 by The Motherhood

The Motherhood is made up of some of the country’s smartest, most influential and inspirational moms… and dads!

This month, we’re excited to feature one of our favorite dads, Trey of Daddy Mojo. Check out his Blogger Spotlight below and give Trey a shout out at @DaddyMojo!

Check out all of our Influencer Spotlight posts here!

Women in the World Summit and Dove: Rewiring the Brain for Confidence and Beauty

April 27, 2015 by The Motherhood

At the Women in the World Summit, hosted by Tina Brown Live Media in association with The New York Times, four extraordinary women came together to talk about “The Beautiful Brain”, on a panel sponsored by Dove.

“Women are not taught to be self confident,” said Dr. Stacie Grossman Bloom, assistant professor of Neurology and Physiology at New York University. “But we can teach ourselves.”

“I didn’t see anyone like me anywhere – really nowhere,” said actress Thandie Newton. “I was a spirited, happy kid, but I was the only brown kid for 100 miles.”

Thandie Newton grew up in England in a biracial family and described being rejected by everyone, particularly boys. She said her high marks in school and discovering dance “saved her life.” When Thandie became an actress, she didn’t believe she was beautiful. “I felt so unattractive,” said Ms. Newton. “I was winning awards and was on the red carpet, but I was having a major breakdown.”

Ms. Newton said, “We should praise our girls, friends, peers, colleagues, family members for what they’re doing and their great traits – not how they look.”

According to Dr. Renee Engeln, Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University, “A lot of women still feel trapped by how they and others see their body. We have a lot of women stuck in front of the mirror, afraid to go out.”

“Step away from the mirror,” said Dr. Engeln, “so you can get out there. The world needs you. We don’t need you to be a certain size or shape.”

Gabi Gregg, founder of the blog GabiFresh, talked of growing up with a negative body image and finally seeing ads with photos of women of all shapes and sizes. “It was the first time I saw that you really can choose beautiful,” said Ms. Gregg. She started a blog focused on fashion and being body confident.

“It’s a political blog,” said Ms. Gregg, “Bodies are inherently political because you can or cannot be a certain way. And I’m saying bodies are inherently beautiful.”

Dr. Engeln told of a survey conducted by Dove that found that 66% of women list confidence as the top attribute of beauty.

Thandie Newton said, “We need to put away the magazines that make us feel like we’re not good enough.”

“Women need to understand the role of self affirmation and choosing beauty,” said Dr. Bloom. “The behavior becomes a synaptic pattern in brain. We can actually learn it.”

By engaging the reward centers of our brains, actively choosing to feel beautiful, and finding inspiring role models, Dr. Bloom said, “we can make connections and actually rewire our synaptic system.”

Twitter Party Opportunities: Join Us in April!

April 14, 2015 by The Motherhood

April is a busy Twitter party month for us at The Motherhood – we’re teaming up with some amazing brands and organizations to bring you great conversations during three Twitter chats! Here’s all the information you’ll need to be a part of these convos with us!

#imbornto

Wednesday, April 15 @ 1 p.m. ET

Did you know that every year, nearly half a million babies are born prematurely in the United States? The Motherhood is proud to be partnering with the March of Dimes (@MarchofDimes), a leading nonprofit organization for healthy pregnancies and babies that works to prevent birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

During the chat, we’ll be talking about the March of Dimes’ work, the #imbornto campaign and how you can get involved and support hopes and aspirations for babies everywhere!

Prizes! We will be giving away two (2) gift baskets (featuring beautiful prizes from the March of Dimes’ partners Alex & Ani, Mud Pie and Kmart) and three (3) Visa gift cards during the chat to randomly selected participants who answer trivia questions correctly. Prizes limited to U.S. participants only.

#CareToRecycle

Wednesday, April 22 @ 12 p.m. ET

Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22, and what better way to celebrate than joining an important and informative conversation about ways you can recycle in your bathroom at the #CareToRecycle Twitter chat! In America, four out of five adults don’t recycle their personal health and beauty products – that’s why we are thrilled to be partnering with the Johnson & Johnson Family of Consumer Companies’ CARE TO RECYCLE® program to spread awareness about recycling in the bathroom!

We’ll be sharing fun and creative ways you can get your whole family involved in recycling in the bathroom, and we want to hear your tips, too! Representatives from two special partners, Keep America Beautiful and Recyclebank, will be joining us to share tips and ideas.

Prizes! During the chat, we’ll be giving away five prizes to randomly selected participants who correctly answer the trivia questions tweeted by @TMChatHost. Four (4) winners will receive one (1) prize pack of Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies health and beauty products. One (1) winner will receive one (1) partner prize pack, including a $100 gift card to onetwine.com, courtesy of Recyclebank, and a family pack of t-shirts made from recycled content, courtesy of Keep America Beautiful.

#WeSparkChange

Friday, April 24 @ 1 p.m. ET

Do you want to learn how you can join the fight against hunger in America? According to the USDA, one in six people in America struggle with hunger at some point during the year. We are so humbled to be joining Walmart as they encourage the fight against hunger and spark change in local communities across the U.S.

During the chat, we’ll be sharing information about ways you can participate to help Walmart reach its goal of donating up to $3 million to Feeding America, and also help Walmart suppliers donate to help Feeding America secure 75 million meals for food banks through May 3!

Prizes! Participants will have a chance to win prizes by answering trivia questions correctly. Five (5) prizes will be given to randomly selected participants who correctly answer the designated trivia questions. Prizes will be $25 Walmart gift cards.

Influencer Spotlight: Amanda, Dude Mom

April 2, 2015 by The Motherhood

“An optimist is the human personification of spring.”

– S. Bissonette

Spring is a time of optimism, joy and beauty, and our featured April blogger is an example of all of these things. We’re excited to spotlight Amanda of Dude Mom to kick off the spring season. Like so many of our influencers, Amanda brings passion and joy to every project she touches!

Check out what Amanda had to share with us in this month’s blogger spotlight, and give her a shout out at @thedudemom!

Check out all of our Influencer Spotlight posts here!

Case Study: Engaging Bloggers to Create Ad Content

March 30, 2015 by The Motherhood

At The Motherhood, we organize and manage creative campaigns with bloggers, typically in partnership with PR agencies or brand marketing managers. On a fairly regular basis, though, advertisers ask us for help in creating authentic content for print ads, as well as shining a social media spotlight on those ads.

Here’s an example:

Media company Hearst, which publishes dozens of women’s magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, ELLE and O, the Oprah Magazine, asked The Motherhood to create a campaign that would engage bloggers to expand the reach of one of their advertisers, a national ice cream brand.

Planned for the July issue of dozens of Hearst’s women’s magazines, the ice cream brand had purchased a one-page advertisement to share tips on guilt-free summer indulgences, which aligned with the messaging of their newly launched, no-sugar-added ice cream products.

Beginning in February, with enough lead time to provide content for the magazine ads, The Motherhood brought in 15 high-impact food and lifestyle bloggers to participate in the campaign. The two most influential bloggers were asked to provide several tips for summer indulgences that eventually appeared in the print magazine advertisement. Additionally, all 15 bloggers sampled the new ice cream products and published review blog posts (with photos) on July 1, the day the ad hit newsstands, to extend the messaging of the new no-sugar-added ice cream products and other summer indulgences to the blogosphere.

The campaign resulted in beautiful blog coverage and social media extensions garnering five million impressions for the brand in one day, and it brought their advertising messaging online to live indefinitely on the digital bookshelf.

If you’re an advertiser interested in a similar program, please email us for a customized campaign recommendation at [email protected].