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Advantages of Using an Influencer Marketing Agency

July 27, 2016 by The Motherhood

Influencer marketing is a discipline that’s continuing to grow and attract brands’ attention: More than half of marketers recently surveyed have reportedly increased their budgets for influencer marketing in 2016.

This comes as no surprise, as we know that influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to seed authentic, searchable content that drives purchase over time. The Motherhood found that 80 percent of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands they’ve read about from a trusted blogger, and additional industry data reveals that marketers who implemented an influencer marketing campaign earned an average of $6.85 in media value for every $1 they spent on paid media.

As influencer campaigns are on the rise, many brands are exploring the most effective and efficient ways to incorporate a sponsored content strategy into their overall marketing plans. One of the most critical decisions is whether a brand will manage influencer marketing in-house or through an agency. As evidenced by Google’s search history for the term “Influencer Marketing Agency,” brands are exploring their options at a record high rate.

The Motherhood team is made up of professionals who have worked at the world’s top PR agencies, so we have a unique, first-hand understanding on how these decisions are made by brands at the firms that represent them. As a social media marketing agency that specializes in influencer marketing, we understand the power and perks of leveraging a specialty network to act as an extension of a brand’s team.

Three advantages of using an influencer marketing agency

1. Gain an expanded circle of trust. Hiring an influencer marketing agency requires that the marketer allow the agency to act as a steward of their brand — and leap of faith requires a great deal of trust. The Motherhood understands this — we’ve been on the other side! However, marketers should feel confident that hiring a credible, long-standing influencer marketing agency will offer a level of expertise and reliability that expands far beyond the four walls of a brand’s headquarters.

While many agencies tout their large networks of influencers, it’s imperative to know that the agency you’re engaging has a unique understanding of each individual influencer’s preferences, strengths and specialities. For marketers who want to create mutually beneficial partnerships built on a foundation of trust, pride in the brand and investment in creating exceptional work together, quality — rather than quantity — should be weighted heavily.

2. Save time, save money. A partnership with an influencer marketing agency allows brands and their PR agencies to work more efficiently by eliminating the time internally that’s required to research, identify, vet and manage a group of bloggers. A survey found that 75 percent of professionals consider identifying the right influencers to be the biggest challenge of a sponsored content campaign. Influencer marketing agencies have the right institutional knowledge and infrastructure in place, offering a better and more efficient way to manage relationships with influencers.

Using our proprietary database, The Mometer, The Motherhood makes it our business to provide the most strategic, targeted partnership recommendations between our bloggers and the brands who trust us to help represent them.

3. Offload details. When you hire an agency that specializes in influencer marketing, you’re gaining a partner with a deep, fine-tuned understanding of how to run a successful sponsored content campaign. Brands can weigh in on the aspects of the campaign that are most relevant to their direct role: key messaging, coverage pacing and key performance indicators, for example. However, turning over the reins to an experienced influencer marketing agency means that someone else will handle minute but important details such as blogger negotiations, product shipping, giveaway rules, managing bloggers’ adherence to the coverage deadline, disclosure compliance and hashtag use — just to name a few. When using an agency, these details are not the responsibility of the brand; rather, the agency is on-call for all related program management and implementation.

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If you are interested in teaming up with The Motherhood on an influencer marketing campaign, please email [email protected].

Hack the Summer: Tips and Tricks for Family Fun in Pittsburgh

July 11, 2016 by The Motherhood

In collaboration with Chick-fil-A Pittsburgh, The Motherhood teamed up with Brown Mamas, Pgh Momtourage and Sugar Aunts — and their friends, families and communities of readers — to create the ultimate list of tips, tricks and places to visit for family fun in Pittsburgh.

The curated list of “summer hacks” includes many free and low-cost activities that will appeal to family members of all ages and are located all across the region. The best part? Even the most in-the-know Pittsburghers may find a few hidden gems that have escaped their knowledge!

Which one will you visit first?

Family Fun in Pittsburgh Starts with Food

The inspiration for curating these tips for family fun in Pittsburgh is the launch of Chick-fil-A One — a digital app that brings together mobile ordering, mobile payment and surprise giveaways!

As the tastiest of all summer hacks, Chick-fil-A One offers families benefits including a super-easy way to customize each person’s order and the ability to pay in advance and skip the line at the cash register. What parent wouldn’t love that benefit, especially during busy lunch or dinner times? We’re guessing the 82 percent of parents who responded to our survey to say they’d do almost anything to avoid long lines when they have their children in tow will be heading straight to iTunes or Google Play to download Chick-fil-A One.

Bonus hack: for an easy and fun way to get in on the Chick-fil-A One action, just tweet #CFAOne with the horizontal cow emoji ???? to receive a prompt to download the app from Twitter directly.

Chick-fil-A is about to make all of your chicken sandwich dreams come true just by ordering with your phone. Chick-fil-A will thank customers who order using Chick-fil-A One with free food offers for their favorite menu items. Sign. Us. Up.

Share your Hacks

We’d love to hear your ideas for creating family fun in Pittsburgh — and other cities across the country! Comment below with your tips, tricks and places to visit in your own hometown.

Hack the summer ART created by alison mckown, graphic designer for the motherhood.

Simple Actions Make a Difference in the Fight Against Child Hunger in America

May 19, 2016 by The Motherhood

Since 2013, The Motherhood has been a very proud supporter of the Child Hunger Ends Here campaign by ConAgra, which aims to empower a community of people to take on the fight against child hunger in America, changing the realities of hunger one meal at a time.

This year, YouTube sensation Kid President (aka Robby Novak) partnered with ConAgra to help bring awareness to this critical issue. Working with ConAgra, The Motherhood mobilized our network of bloggers to share Kid President’s video, helping trigger meal donations from ConAgra to Feeding America (with one view, like or share of the video equaling one donation). We were thrilled to hear we surpassed the goal of 100,000 meals in less than one week – amazing!

Kid President helps fight child hunger — Credit: Jon Morgan/AP Images for ConAgra

Over the past several years, in partnership with ConAgra, its agencies, retail partners and celebrity ambassadors, The Motherhood has engaged 136 bloggers as advocates for the Child Hunger Ends Here program, generating more than 1.2 billion overall impressions during that time. By taking simple yet impactful actions themselves, and encouraging their communities to do the same, these bloggers alone have triggered an estimated half a million meal donations!

That group includes a number of bloggers who have lent their voices, support and influence to more than one Child Hunger Ends Here campaign over the years, helping to make a continued impact on the fight against child hunger in America. In their words, here is why the program strikes a chord with them:

Anne, Upstate Ramblings
“Kids love helping others, and it is important to teach them compassion when they are young so it becomes a lifelong habit. My son helps out with a huge food drive run by the scouts every year, but we also make sure to drop off smaller amounts of food every month. Food pantries always need more supplies, and every donation, no matter how small, will be appreciated.”

Getting involved in the fight against child hunger in America — Image credit: Anne, Upstate Ramblings

Crystal, Cinnamon Hollow
“You know the saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child’? Well that saying comes from somewhere. We are a nation that is built to take care of one another. If the children of our future are suffering, guess what? We’re all suffering. It’s not too difficult to reach out and make sure everyone has enough food on their table. Actually, it’s REALLY easy. And all you have to do is shop for your own regular products. ConAgra, Kroger and P&G do the rest.”

Crystal, Simply Being Mommy
“Companies like ConAgra make it easy to help and get involved in the fight against hunger in the United States. I’ve been a huge supporter of the Child Hunger Ends Here program for the last few years and I invite you to be a supporter as well. I can’t think of a better cause to support than hungry children within our own communities.”

getting kids involved in the fight against child hunger in America — Image credit: Crystal, Simply Being Mommy

Donna, Blog By Donna
“It truly is inexcusable to me that here in the United States, the land of the free, the land of the plenty, the land where many of us waste food on a daily basis… we have children hungry. And children who experience even intermittent struggles with hunger may suffer serious, long-term consequences to their health, well-being and educational achievement. What’s more, being hungry robs kids of the promise of childhood – the ability to play, grow and learn. It’s easy for us to help end child hunger. Seriously… EASY! ConAgra Foods is partnering with P&G to build a community of people to make a difference …. this is a cause I will gladly support.”

Jennifer, Double Duty Mommy
“While I was [on the site] I also signed up to make a monthly donation. I feel good about donating because at least my family is helping our community every month even if we can’t always bring food directly into the food banks.”

Volunteers helping the fight against child hunger in America — Credit: Jon Morgan/AP Images for ConAgra

Kathy, A Mom’s Impression
“Ending child hunger is going to take a lot of people taking little steps. One of the easiest steps is helping ConAgra Foods by entering a code to supply a meal for a child. Join me today, and help end this epidemic in America!”

Lending Support in the Fight Against Child Hunger in America

The Child Hunger Ends Here program has set a goal to donate one million meals to food insecure kids in 2016, and everyone can easily participate by going to their favorite retailer and looking for the red pushpin and code on specially marked packages of ConAgra’s food, like Marie Callender’s® and Hunt’s®. For each eight-digit code entered at www.childhungerendshere.com from January 2016 through January 2017, ConAgra will donate the monetary equivalent of one meal to Feeding America, up to one million meals.

To learn more about the issue of child hunger and ways to get involved, visit www.childhungerendshere.com and click on the “How You Can Help” tab.

This post on the fight against child hunger in America is published in proud partnership with Child Hunger Ends Here. All opinions are our own.

Featured image courtesy of the Child Hunger Ends Here program.

Work-Life Balance for Moms: Elusive or Achievable?

February 29, 2016 by The Motherhood

Work-life balance for moms: the debate on if and how this exists is one that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Women in the workforce – those who work from their home and out of the home – often face challenges in devoting adequate time to both their careers and their families, not to mention their outside interests. As entrepreneur and mother Randi Zuckerberg stated: work, sleep, family, fitness or friends – pick any three.

A global survey from EY reported that one-third of full-time employees say achieving work-life balance has become more difficult in the past several years. Not surprisingly, parents and millennials are among the groups who face the most pressure in this area.

Flexibility is Key for Moms

Working parents say that flexibility is of critical importance to their satisfaction and success in finding this delicate balance. The survey revealed that that having a boss and colleagues who support their flexible work arrangements is one of the top factors working parents seek in a job – and millennial parents are the most likely group to take a pay cut to have more flexibility.

For companies looking to protect profitability and morale by retaining valuable employees and reducing turnover, a policy of flexibility shouldn’t come with strings attached. The survey reported that the “flexibility stigma” and lack of telecommuting options are two of the top reasons employees quit a job.

Facing the “Flexibility Stigma”

The struggle to achieve work-life balance is multi-faceted: flexibility should not just be a policy on paper; it should also be ingrained in the culture and fabric of the organization so employees feel empowered to use that benefit. In many workplaces, there can often be an unspoken rule that even though the policy exists, employees may be perceived unfavorably for using it.

Consider the situation of a working mother whose daughter has a school play in the middle of the day: if she chooses to attend, there can be a feeling of guilt stemming from the judgment from her colleagues; if she prioritizes work, she’ll feel guilty for letting her child down. It can feel like a lose/lose situation.

Finding a Career with Work-Life Balance for Moms

As part of our partnership with Northwood Realty Services, The Motherhood had the chance to learn how real estate is a career that provides some much-needed work-life balance for moms. As one of the primary benefits of this career, real estate agents manage their own schedule and can work around their family’s needs. If you have to stay home with a sick child or want to chaperone a field trip – Northwood Realty Services empowers moms to make it happen.

Northwood Realty Services values the unique skills that working mothers bring to both their families and their careers. The company is always looking for a few good moms, and here are some reasons why:

Multi-Tasking: “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” As many moms know, there is only one of you, so you have to figure out a way to get everything done. With real estate, agents have to juggle many balls at the same time – an open house and a closing on the same day, for example. Moms have a ton on their plate, and they’re some of the best time managers and multi-taskers out there.
Empathy and Understanding: Buying and selling a home is a huge decision that greatly impacts a person’s life and finances. Clients appreciate when someone is able to listen to their concerns, understand their needs and keep them calm throughout the home-buying process. Who better to practice patience and grace under pressure than moms?
Connectedness: Besides family and friends from before they had kids, many moms participate in playgroups, “mommy and me” classes, go to playdates, etc. This is a great way to get connected to new friends and build or expand a network of potential clients.
Passionate: Mothers are passionate for what they care about and will fight for things that matter. Northwood Realty Services seeks out people who advocate for their clients and who are passionate about what they are doing and helping people.

Visit NorthwoodForMoms.com to learn more about real estate as a family-friendly, flexible career choice that welcomes moms.

This post on work-life balance for moms was created in partnership with Northwood Realty Services. All opinions are our own.

Featured image courtesy of GotCredit.

The Motherhood Recognized by Industry Peers: Earns PRSA 2016 Agency of the Year and Best in Show

January 29, 2016 by The Motherhood

The Motherhood was named 2016 Agency of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America’s Pittsburgh chapter at its annual Renaissance Awards ceremony on January 28, receiving recognition for outstanding contributions to the public relations industry. The Renaissance Awards program is a gathering of the region’s top public relations and communications professionals from leading agencies, corporations, non-profit organizations and educational institutions.

Our work received the highest honor of the evening, Best in Show, for The Stork OTC campaign, which also won a Renaissance Award the Digital Social Media Campaign category. This entry was the only entry, out of nearly 90, that received a perfect score from the judging panel*. This award-winning campaign engaged 30 influential bloggers who had experience with fertility issues for a social media campaign to generate awareness of The Stork at-home conception device’s move from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC) availability. The program generated 57 million impressions, a trending hashtag and contributed to the device selling out at CVS/pharmacy online.

The Motherhood also received a Renaissance Award in the Online and Social Blogger Outreach category for the Brain Chase campaign. This 2015 campaign included a partnership with the team at Brain Chase, a new online “adventure learning” program for kids, aimed at helping them avoid summer learning loss. The Motherhood engaged a strong team of influential bloggers to help raise awareness and drive signups for the summer 2015 program. During the four-month campaign, the blogger team drove one-third of total sign-ups.

In both the Digital Social Media Campaign category and Community Relations & Public Service category, The Motherhood earned Awards of Merit for the P&G Power of Clean campaign. For this campaign, The Motherhood partnered with P&G and Ketchum to execute a campaign behind the P&G Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program. Twenty bloggers initiated a conversation about “Power of Clean” and drove video views, helping to deliver a donation of 126,000 days of clean water.

The Motherhood’s entry for the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life Campaign was also recognized with an Award of Merit in the Community Relations and Public Service Category. For this campaign, we worked with United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life to engage 50 influential bloggers to participate in a “blog relay,” sharing inspiring quotes on blogs and social channels. Each comment, like or share of their posts triggered one vaccine donation, with an overall total of 60,000 donations in four weeks.

Our partner agency on the recent Bolthouse Farms Kids program, Smith Brothers Agency, also took home a Renaissance Award in the Marketing Communications category for the “Snack Mob Sampling Tour.” To elevate the Bolthouse Farms Kids brand in Pittsburgh and generate awareness of its new products in partnership with Smith Brothers, The Motherhood enlisted a powerhouse team of influential Pittsburgh moms to attend a series of local market #SnackMob truck events throughout the city and encouraged their readers to do the same. Bloggers also used their social media posts to spread the word about the #SnackMob contest and to document their own experiences with this one-of-a-kind snack truck.

The Motherhood team extends its gratitude for our brand partners and nationwide network of bloggers with whom we had the honor of creating this award-winning work.

Last night’s Agency of the Year and campaign recognition follows a very successful 2015 ceremony, during which The Motherhood took home the first-ever People’s Choice Award, after our campaign around Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood with The Fred Rogers Company received the most votes from the PR professionals in attendance. Beyond the ceremony, The Motherhood was also named the second-fastest growing marketing company in our headquarters city in 2015, as well as AMA Marketer of the Year.

Follow us at @TheMotherhood on Twitter and on our blog for the latest industry insights and leading research, or email us to learn more about our offerings.

*Entries were independently evaluated by a panel of judges from PRSA’s East Central District, comprised of chapters from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Western and Northwestern Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky.