Events

Tips for a Successful Brand Event: The Laughing Cow

September 4, 2015 by The Motherhood

The Motherhood recently attended a beautifully executed local influencer event in Seattle, hosted by The Laughing Cow. (Their spreadable wedges of cheese have been a staple in our Pittsburgh HQ’s communal snack stockpile for years.)

Based on what we saw, we’ve compiled a few tips for a successful brand event:

Provide added value. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to partake in several brief workshops appealing to a variety of interests. While they all related to the “Reinvent Snacking” event theme, each provided an engaging twist to offer participants useful and interesting takeaways going beyond snacktime.

For example, the expert host of one workshop provided food photography tips and gave participants a chance to get hands-on, providing colorful patterned napkins, plates, The Laughing Cow cheese wedges and other accessories to mix and match as they took photos (and, incidentally, shared them on Instagram).

In another workshop, to share a taste and convenience message, one local chef demonstrated unique ways of combining sweet and savory flavors with cheese and crackers using leftovers you might find in your refrigerator. Then he gave participants the opportunity to create and enjoy their own pairings.

Give social cues. At a brand event, strategic reminders about the event hashtag and company social handles are key to interacting with influencers and bringing your messaging to the virtual masses. The Laughing Cow had its bases covered with a live feed of #ReinventSnacking social posts projected on the event wall and table signs reminding attendees to tag @TheLaughingCow on Twitter or @TheLaughingCowUSA on Instagram.

Find an appropriate event space. For events, as with real estate, location is key. Before deciding on a location, you should think about your goals – for example, is your event open to the public, or do you have a select group of invitation-only guests? What kind of atmosphere do you hope to cultivate to help highlight the brand’s “personality” – festive, high-end, playful? The Laughing Cow hosted its event at the Fremont Foundry, a multi-level, industrial chic space in a hip neighborhood that reinforced the brand as a sophisticated snack choice.

Give guests a way to take your brand with them. Before leaving, event-goers received The Laughing Cow-branded tote bags filled with materials to help them keep the event experience and tasty snacks top of mind even after returning home.

The Motherhood received an invitation to The Laughing Cow event, but these tips for a successful brand event are not sponsored. All opinions are our own.

10 Takeaways from Social Media Day Pittsburgh 2015

July 1, 2015 by The Motherhood

For the second year in a row, The Motherhood has been excited to participate in Social Media Day Pittsburgh hosted by Smith Brothers Agency. Across the globe, June 30 is a designated as a day to celebrate social media, and this year, 150+ of Pittsburgh’s most influential social media professionals gathered to discuss “Using Social Media for Social Good.”

After open networking, the speaker line-up began with Holly Byers, manager of brand partnerships at Pinterest. During her keynote address, she shared a preview of the exciting developments that have just launched or will be introduced soon, including buyable pins and cinematic pins. She also shared some tips and best practices. We were fascinated to learn that there is truly no “ideal” time of day to pin and that the average pin is re-pinned 11 times!

Then, the audience heard rapid-fire case studies from a panel of presenters (including our very own Cooper Munroe!) on how they’ve used social media to effect change for social good.

The Motherhood team took to Twitter to share key learnings in real time using the hashtag #SMDayPGH. Additionally, here are some of our favorite tweetable trends and news from each of the 10 speakers, courtesy of our fellow professionals who attended Social Media Day Pittsburgh.

Holly Byers, Manager, Brand Partnerships at Pinterest via @GatesmanDave

Dee Stathis, P3R & Dick’s Sporting Goods Marathon, via @KaitorTot

Virginia Montanez, Pitt Girl, via @AppleBoxStudios

Leah Lizarondo, 412 Food Rescue, via @SmithBrosAgency

Cooper Munroe, The Motherhood, via @sugaraunts

Kelsey Halling, Thread, via @c_leveled

Bill Fuller, Big Burrito, via @TheBrandternExp

Brian Conway, NEXT Pittsburgh, via @PghMomtourage

Jacob Minton, Pittsburgh 311, via @SptLghtPGH

Heather Hopson, Allies for Children, via @TheMotherhood

Social Media Day Pittsburgh was an inspiring and energizing way to celebrate all of the good that can come out of social media and to get a peek at what’s to come in our region and on the larger social landscape. Our warmest thanks to Smith Brothers Agency for hosting and to our fellow social media friends for connecting with us and sharing your thoughts!

Iris Awards Win: Congratulations to ONE Girls and Women

May 9, 2015 by The Motherhood

Bloggers, organizations and campaigns were honored in early May at the Iris Awards, hosted at Mom 2.0 Summit, and among them was an organization especially important to The Motherhood and close to all of our hearts: ONE Girls and Women. (The Motherhood co-founders Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann serve on the organization’s advisory board alongside other top online influencers.)

Several years ago, The Motherhood worked with the ONE Campaign to create initiative building awareness around women’s issues in Africa. With eight other influential online moms – Rachel Fox, Amy Graff, Jennifer James, Lindsay Maines, Shayne Moore, Elisa Morgan, Jyl Pattee, and Karen Walrond – Cooper and Emily visited Kenya with the ONE team to learn about conditions and relief efforts in Africa and share what they were learning and witnessing with women back home in America.

The blogger community responded enthusiastically to the trip, following the ONE Moms in real time through their Twitter hashtag, a dedicated page on the ONE Campaign’s website, a page on The Motherhood and hundreds of blogs around the country that promoted the organization’s work and offered support.

The grassroots social media movement around the ONE Moms drew the attention of ABC World News, which named the ONE Moms as ABC News’ Person of the Week on “World News Tonight” with Diane Sawyer after their return to the U.S.

Starting this Mother’s Day, ONE and Heifer International will lead a ONE Girls and Women trip through Malawi with an exceptional group of bloggers. You can follow along and support the trip here. The hashtags are #ONEHeifer and #Malawi.

Thank you ONE Girls and Women for the great work you do, and congratulations Ginny Wolfe and Jeannine Harvey on your well deserved Iris Awards win!

The Iris Awards image is courtesy of Mom 2.0 Summit.

Mom 2.0 Highlights: The Importance of Storytelling

May 7, 2015 by The Motherhood

Once Upon a Time: Team members from The Motherhood joined several hundred bloggers and a number of brands gathered in Scottsdale, Ariz., for the 2015 Mom 2.0 Summit. The theme of the conference, thanks in large part to title sponsor Dove (a client of The Motherhood’s), was the power of storytelling.

The Mom 2.0 Summit Guide made the point, echoed by speakers and sessions during the three-day conference, that “this community is shaping conversations on everything from modern parenting, to marketing trends, to racial equality.” That influence can be parlayed into business success, a means to support your family and opportunities to use your voice and platforms to impact issues close to your own heart.

Set the Stage for Your Success

In the business of blogging, a good media kit is an important tool in telling your story: Your influence and audience, topics and themes you cover on your blog, personal details like your location and kids’ ages, information about what you deliver and expect from sponsored posts – everything that will tell a brand representative why you’re a good fit for a campaign and why he or she should hire you.

Speaker Stacie Connerty of Divine Lifestyle recommended hiring someone to create a media kit for you if you’re uncertain about the format, design and information to include. And if you’re uncomfortable writing about yourself and your blog’s attributes, consider swapping with a friend to draft each other’s bio and introduction.

Brands Recognize the Power of Blog Authenticity and Anecdotes

During a panel discussion, brand representatives from Kia Motors, Best Buy, SmartyPants Vitamins and Abbott (which creates Similac and PediaSure) offered confirmation of what we at The Motherhood already know:

Companies are increasingly approaching bloggers and using social media in their marketing strategies because it works. One example: When the Kia Motors team created a blog campaign around an auto show appearance instead of hosting their usual press conference for traditional media, they saw a greater number of impressions and engagement.

While brands say that reach does matter, another thing they look for in bloggers when they consider a partnership is authentic blog and social content that demonstrates a passion and affinity for their brand or product category. In other words, share stories from the heart about the things you love, and it could help you land partnerships with your favorite companies.

In fact, Mom 2.0 is a great place to network with those companies – one of the things we like most about the conference is the number and variety of sponsors. This year, we particularly enjoyed talking with representatives from Breyers ice cream (who organized a delicious toppings bar at the welcome party) and the Juice Products Association (who created a fascinating, information-packed booth in the Sponsor Marketplace).

Visual Storytelling is Increasingly Important

While authenticity is key, this year, it’s the ability to share your story through beautiful photos and nicely edited video that will give you the real advantage. Brands are becoming more and more interested in sharing their own stories through visual mediums like Pinterest, Instagram and video platforms (such as YouTube, Vine and Instagram again).

For example, Mom 2.0 Summit title sponsor Dove is currently running a #BeautyStory campaign inspired by a letter identifying Dove as the beauty secret of four generations of women in one family. The brand chose to share this family’s story in a video to illustrate the campaign. (The Motherhood is currently working on a creative campaign for Dove #BeautyStory with a group of wonderful bloggers, so keep an eye out for their posts, too!)

To give companies like Dove an opportunity to work with you through more visual platforms like Instagram, Ilana of Mommy Shorts recommends sharing diverse photos (your kids, landscapes, pets, interior shots, etc.), so brands can see where they could fit seamlessly.

The “Happily Ever After”

Beyond working with brands and sharing stories to foster a sense of community, gathering followers and gaining influence online gives us all an opportunity to make a difference in the world around us, create awareness around issues that matter and use our voices for good. Together, we can make 2015 the year of raising all boats.

The Mom 2.0 2016 location and dates were announced during the conference, too – let us know if you’ll be in beautiful Laguna Niguel, Calif., from April 27-29 next year! Keep an eye on the website; tickets will go on sale in a few months.

Takeaways from Chicago’s Social Media Strategies Summit

May 6, 2015 by The Motherhood

Last week, The Motherhood attended the Social Media Strategies Summit in Chicago, where industry leaders shared strategies, trends and great examples of social media at work.

Read on for some of our top takeaways from the event:

Start by Listening

One of the most prevalent themes of the summit was listening. As Dan Soschin, Vice President of Marketing at The Ultimate Medical Academy, said during his session on effective customer service: “Every good conversation starts with listening.”

Whether you’re building your corporate or personal brand, looking for the next great campaign idea or trying to resolve a customer dispute, active listening via social can help you understand your industry’s landscape and develop the right strategy for engaging in a conversation (or knowing when to keep quiet).

Some helpful (and free) social listening tools include IceRocket, HootSuite and TweetDeck, and even good, old-fashioned Google search and alerts.

Not sure what to listen for? Put yourself in the mindset of your customer by taking the time to create a journey map (check out this article for more). This exercise can uncover listening terms, new opportunities and avenues for engaging with your audience and insights on how your audience interacts–or how they want to interact–with you and your competitors.

Shape Your Content

The Clorox Company shared a shining example of how listening can effectively shape content strategy during the Summit. Wanting to engage millennials, the company keyed in to that audience’s online behaviors, and also the white space where their company could fill the void. Their insights led them to build Gather, a destination for millennials to get and share ideas for social gatherings, inspired by life stages and what’s trending. In six weeks alone, the site generated more than 428,000 impressions.

Laura Wilson, Director of Digital Engagement & Social Media at Georgetown University, also shared some helpful tips on sharing stories that stick:

Always stay authentic to your brand and voice.
Keep it simple.
Ensure it has structure. If something doesn’t add to your story, it detracts from it.
Focus on making a connection and a memory.
Create stories with the intention of involving others, so that their interaction becomes part of the overall story (and results in sharing).

Twitter’s own Gina Ballenger said to “create repeatable brilliance.” If you’ve found a format or a theme that resonates with your audience, build on that by repeating it and turning it into an episodic series.

“Content is King, but Distribution is Queen and She Wears the Pants.”

With so many social media platforms, and more inevitably emerging, it can be overwhelming to know where to communicate what. It’s true that the right distribution is integral to any social strategy, but as many speakers affirmed, you don’t need to be all things to all people.

So what works?

Leveraging the power of social stars (like The Motherhood’s network of incredible online influencers!) is key. When it comes to working with ideal influencers to carry your message, Ballenger made a great point that our team passionately agrees with: instead of looking solely at their reach, choose target-right stars who resonate with your audience.

Andrea Leitch, National Geographic Travel’s Digital Director, also shared what platforms work best for their content, including Instagram and Facebook. With the largest number of Instagram followers in the world for a non-celebrity account, National Geographic is clearly doing something right.

For more takeaways from the Chicago Social Media Strategies Summit, and to stay on top of future events, follow the #SMSSummit hashtag.