Our Work What we Do About Us Blog Join Our Network Contact Us

5 Tips to Help Your Influencer Profile Stand Out

5 Tips to Help Your Influencer Profile Stand Out

by

Unlike many other influencer networks and platforms, The Motherhood team personally hand-selects influencers within The Mometer database to be a part of each campaign we work on with our clients. For the influencer, that means no applying and endlessly waiting to be accepted to join campaigns. And for our team, that means getting to know each influencer profile via The Mometer platform!

We take various factors into consideration when creating influencer lists for our campaigns, based on a brand’s objectives and direction. These factors can range from the influencers’ interests to kids’ ages, blog focus, location, career — just to list a few! We always strive for the absolute best fit for both the brand and the blogger, because we know that is where a successful campaign lies.

Because we only reach out to an influencer once we are confident that he or she is a solid choice for a sponsored program, it might take a bit of time for the right campaign to be offered to our newer bloggers. But that doesn’t mean we don’t see you! We thought we’d share a little insight as to what can help make an influencer profile stand out in The Mometer — whether you’ve been with us five days or five years.

1. Keep your profile up to date

Did you move? Have a baby? Update your blog content focus? Make sure to sign in and update your profile within The Mometer! Many of these details are crucial to being offered a campaign. For example, if you’ve recently had a baby but haven’t shared that information in The Mometer, we might not know to include you in a newborn-focused program.

Additionally, always double-check that your Google Analytics and social profiles are all properly synced. While The Motherhood does not require a minimum number of followers, we do want to be confident that we are reporting accurately for our clients and campaigns — and setting up your social profiles correctly helps. Don’t leave any blank spaces — fill in every field (as much as you are comfortable sharing, of course).

2. Tell us your interests

We know this seems tedious, but we regularly refer to your interests when we build our campaigns! When you check off the topics that you want to write about, you will appear in our searches as we are creating lists, which increases your chances of being invited to a particular program.

3. Fill out surveys

We regularly send surveys to keep up with our influencers, as well as to help identify those who will be perfect fits for upcoming campaigns. We look back at these survey results often, even up to a couple years after distributing them! Make sure your survey results are saved within The Motherhood platform.

4. Meet your deadlines and give it your best effort

The best way to get to know our influencers’ preferences and skills is simply by working with them. The Motherhood team keeps notes within our system based on specific strengths influencers have shown in previous programs (great food photography, quick replies, meets deadlines, etc.). These notes help direct us when extending invitations to new programs; it’s no surprise that those who have done an outstanding job on past campaigns will be invited to work with us again.

5. Reach out to us

We love to hear from our influencers. When you reach out, we always share your email with our whole team and make a note on your profile so we know you want to work with us, and we can to be on the lookout for a campaign that we know is perfect for you!

For more information on managing your profile in The Mometer, see our FAQ here. Don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with additional questions!

Influencer Spotlight: Stacy with Fancy Shanty

by

Mom of four and top lifestyle blogger Stacy with Fancy Shanty is a California-based influencer who shares modern-day advice and adventures on her blog — from homeschooling lessons to travel tips and caring for special needs children. We love the real-life approach she offers in all her content, and that’s why she’s our Spotlight Blogger for November! Take a look at some of her thoughts on social media and the influencer marketing industry as we round out 2017.

What do you feel has been the #1 trend in influencer marketing in 2017?
I feel influencer marketing is moving toward more authentic storytelling and is less about the numbers game. I think brands are realizing that numbers don’t always tell the whole story, and there can be more value placed on small niche influencers who have a closer connection with their audiences. Another trend I see is more value being placed on long-term collaborations and ambassadorships, instead of a one-off campaigns.

What content do you feel your readers find most valuable?
 Definitely our educational content. Whether the topic is homeschooling, food allergies, or photography, our readers know the information they are receiving has been tried and approved, and there is no fluff in the mix.

Tell us why you blog.
 I blog for many reasons. The first reason is because I absolutely love it. Living in the Los Angeles area, our family is invited to participate in some pretty unique and exciting experiences, from red carpet events to film press trips, Disneyland Resorts park events, travel opportunities and more. I couldn’t ask for anything more than to give my family the most amazing life ever. Second is the extra income. The extra income we receive from my blog helps us live our lives to the fullest, and enjoy life’s little luxuries we may not otherwise be able to afford. And I can’t forget all the amazing fellow bloggers I’ve met over the years. The friendships and the memories we’ve made together are irreplaceable.

What is your favorite space to engage with your readers?
 My favorite platform is definitely Instagram. I love photography, and Instagram is my happy place that I can’t live without. And, though I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook (their new algorithm just kills me), I love how easy it is connect with our readers there.

What’s the #1 question you’re asked by your readers, and what’s your answer?
 The number one question I’m asked is how to start blogging. Though many readers think I have a really cool job, which I do, many don’t realize blogging is running a business and how many hours are required when you are an entrepreneur.

What’s the #1 question you’re asked by your brands, and what’s your answer?
 The number one question I am asked by brands is for licensing rights to my photographs. In an image-hungry world, I try to put as much effort as possible into my business and personal photography.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a blog?
 To guest blog first, and I don’t mean one or two posts a month for a large magazine or site. See if you can find a site that allows you to post weekly or more to see how blogging fits into your schedule. This will give you an idea about the time required to blog before you invest any money in a new business. Next, sit down and do your research on the costs of starting a blog. You will need to think about the costs associated with launching a site. If possible, ask advice from friends and family who blog. If not, ask on Facebook. Many bloggers are happy to help a fellow blogger looking to start a site.

What are your thoughts on working with a brand on multiple occasions (vs. one-off programs)?
 I have always believed long-term relationships benefit the brand more than one-off campaigns, but the brand needs to ensure their influencers truly love and value their product. For our site, we always choose campaigns based on our lifestyle, and if it is a product that can benefit large families like ours.

What are your thoughts on Snapchat?
 Snapchat is never a platform I use for work. Sure, the filters are fun and our family has made some memorable snaps I will cherish forever, but I never saw the value of a brand investing in a promotion that disappears in 24 hours.

What trend or platform is on its way out?
 I think highly stylized photos are on the way out. Though these photos are absolutely gorgeous, they don’t portray real life for many families. I think we are edging towards a new trend of more unrefined, simple, everyday photography to promote brands.

Favorite program you’ve done with The Motherhood?
 My favorite campaign was the prAna 2017 spring campaign. I adore the clothing I received and loved finding a new brand for me.

What’s your greatest challenge when working with brands?
 A lack of direction.

What are brands doing right when working with bloggers?
 I adore brands who value bloggers’ time and effort.

What should brands start doing (better) when working with bloggers?
 Brands need to see the value in bloggers and the influence they have on and offline.

Follow Stacy on her favorite social media platform: Instagram!

Stacy with Fancy Shanty

More about The Motherhood’s Spotlight Blogger Series

Each month, our internal team convenes and discusses our latest programs, stellar partnerships and top 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 feature. Take a look at our other featured influencers here.

A Conversation with The Influence Marketer: Tom Augenthaler

by

Every time I have a conversation with Tom Augenthaler of The Influence Marketer, I come away with a new insight or idea about influencer marketing. Credibility, scale, SEO, conversion and trust are some of the many topics we touch on when we talk, and I always want to bottle those discussions with Tom and share them with our team, clients and influencers.

With that in mind, today I asked Tom a few questions to share with you. As we enter the fourth quarter of 2017, where we’ve been in influencer marketing, and where we are going, has very much been on my mind, and I was curious about Tom’s impressions. Below, you can read Tom’s opinions and thoughts on influencer marketing in this super interesting transcript of our exchange.

A Conversation with The Influence Marketer

Cooper Munroe: Tom, you and I were providing influencer marketing (IM) services to clients before there was even a term for it. Is there anything from those early days that you feel could benefit IM in its current form?

Tom Augenthaler: Yes, relationships! Back before software platforms enabled quick and easy searches for influencers, I had to manually search up blogs. Once I found a good candidate, I’d take a look at their blog roll (remember those?). As a result, I had to closely look at who the influencers were and the content they created. By scouring their blogs, I got a grasp on their content, their interests, and in many cases, their career path.

When I emailed them, I could reference all of these things, which meant I could make a meaningful connection. Often, it opened an email dialogue, and I got to know the influencers more personally. In many cases we became friends. As a result, I have a personal “brain trust” I can leverage anytime I want. Every influencer marketer should have that.

CM: Coming from traditional, global PR, how do you see influencer marketing evolving – will it stay a PR strategy, or do you see it moving into digital advertising or elsewhere? What does the future hold?

TA: Right now, public relations firms can do influencer marketing because of the new software platforms. These make the identification of influencers faster, simpler and scale. Where PR goes wrong is that they treat influencers as promotions (digital advertising) rather than relationships.

PR people only reach out to you when they want something – which is not how productive relationships are built. I know this because I hear it from influencers all the time.

The real benefits of influencer marketing come from the relationships because you can then leverage the influencers as a brain trust, targeted focus group and a listening device to know what your ideal customers want and need.

As to the future, that’s hard to tell. The FTC is watching the influencer marketing space more closely as a result of some blow-ups (example: Fyre Festival), but until the consumers shift their attention elsewhere, it will likely stay on the same course for now.

CM: What’s your advice for the business with a small budget but big goals for IM? How can IM be a success for a smaller business, while keeping the budget in check?

TA: Know what you want to achieve and know why you want to use influencers. Don’t jump into using influencers because it seems like the hot, new marketing tactic. Ideally, your influencer strategy should be aligned with other marketing initiatives you’re doing. This can include Facebook ads, promotions and tactics to get more reviews on Yelp, Facebook and Google. This is something most small businesses don’t know: Your best influencers are your happy customers! You should ask every customer to post a review on Yelp or Facebook. It’s so simple and can do so much for your business.

To get started, you don’t need to pay for an expensive software platform. Use Google to find some [influencers]. Once you do, be sure to look closely at their content so it’s congruent with your business.

Then reach out and ask them if they’d be interested in sampling your product or service in exchange for a review. Be sure to include a tracking/discount code for them to include in the link to your business. This way you can track the followers who come to you through the review. You must keep track of your metrics – it’s the only way you can tell if the strategy is successful or not.

I have some free resources to help you get started: A free 5 day email course and a free Facebook group for anyone wanting to learn about IM.

CM: One word – automation. Any predictions or trend-spotting insights on the future of IM automation?

TA: Ah, automation! It seems like marketing people want to automate everything. In some ways, it’s really helpful. Chat bots are a great example of that. I know some people online who are doing some amazing things with chat bots, even selling online products and courses.

But for influencers, let me ask you this … do you automate your friendships? Of course not. As I said earlier, relationships are at the heart of IM and the crux of deriving the benefits. Selling stuff via promotions is great, but it’s only scratching the surface.

I do think identifying influencers and tracking metrics will become increasingly easier – even automated – which is good.

CM: No follow links, search terms, key words and links back – what are brands and influencers to do when it comes to search? There are myths, facts and everything in between on the SEO / influencer content subject. Can you help share some clarity there?

TA: I encourage brands and influencers to link to each other in all of the campaigns I run.  Quality contextual backlinks (text and images) benefit both sides. The brands can always use the “trust boost” as I call it and the influencers benefit because they get some SEO juice. This helps them to grow their audiences and attract those ideal consumers the brands covet.  It’s a win-win. The trick is to make sure the backlinks are naturally woven into the content and not forced. Inserting keywords and no follow links are also beneficial, just make sure they are incorporated into the content naturally and not force fitted.

CM: There have been a number of online discussions lately about IM and some of the hot button issues there. One issue I’ve seen come up a lot lately is commentary on how overrun many influencers’ blogs and social platforms are with “sponsored” content, without other, non-sponsored content to balance it out. Do you think that’s an issue, and if so, what is your recommendation to influencers, and why?

TA: Yes, it’s a big issue. Influencers who do this are greedy and not serving their audiences well. They have to be careful because once they lose the trust of their audiences, they’re finished. They lose their influence. A balance of content is key and more productive. Also, businesses will choose not to work with them once their influence drops. My recommendation to influencers is to put your audience first! Treat them like gold.

CM: Your site offers really smart, useful resources based on years of experience and expertise; there are a lot of new businesses popping up every day that are offering IM tools and services. How can businesses, organizations and influencers cut through the noise, figure out the best approach and what tools they should use, if any?

TA: The influencer marketing space can be confusing. I recommend you reach out to a professional and ask questions before you jump in. It’s a strategy that is extremely effective, but it must be approached with focus and purpose. It really pays to talk to someone who’s done it and can help you avoid the pitfalls.

Thank you to Tom for a great, thought-provoking conversation.

We’d love to hear thoughts and feedback on my conversation with The Influence Marketer and invite you to join the conversation in the comments section below!

Be sure to read up on how to take your influencer marketing efforts from tactic to brand strategy!

Huntington National Bank Spotlights The Motherhood CEO

by

Cooper Munroe, The Motherhood’s CEO, recently sat down with Huntington National Bank to share the unique story of how our social media agency was built and how we’ve grown and evolved since our founding in 2006.

As Munroe recalled in the article, “There weren’t many women online, but the ones who were there were doing something that was so revolutionary and radical — writing about their lives in authentic and honest ways.”

Our agency is the result of recognizing the power of women working together online and utilizing social platforms to share, encourage and provide resources for each other — originally other moms — and now reaching well beyond that segment. Over the last 10 years, we’ve had the honor of working with more than 500 clients, from startups to non-profits to Fortune 500 companies. We’ve led and grown with the influencer marketing landscape as it’s evolved into an extremely powerful marketing tool for brands.

Here’s an excerpt from the article, but you can read the full version from Huntington National Bank here!

In 2006, Munroe co-founded The Motherhood as an online resource for women, chiefly moms, to support one another and navigate the challenges and triumphs of daily life.

The company’s big break came when Ketchum, the global public relations firm founded in Pittsburgh, asked The Motherhood to execute a blog campaign – the first of its kind – for a major diaper company. From there, business took off.

With their high-touch boutique approach, Munroe and her team of savvy marketing professionals have since created and executed innovative social media campaigns for more than 500 clients, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies and prominent organizations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Foundation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Motherhood helps clients maximize SEO, build awareness and drive results by strategically selecting influencers to post original, compelling content on blogs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and/or Pinterest. Its team carefully oversees each step of the process to infuse each project with authentic human connection.

“Our community of influencers cares so deeply and creates such beautiful content,” Munroe says. “When a message resonates, it is shared and commented upon. Relationships are built or deepened for a brand or cause because of the common ground found in online conversations.”

After each influencer marketing campaign, the content library remains searchable online, continuing to build new connections daily.

Want to talk to us about creating an influencer marketing campaign for your brand? Reach out to us at [email protected].

Featured photo by Chandler Crowell (originally published by Huntington National Bank)

Influencer Marketing Days: Our Key Takeaways

by

The Motherhood’s CEO, Cooper Munroe, recently spoke in New York City at one of the first and only conferences dedicated fully to influencer marketing: Influencer Marketing Days.

Top marketers, digital strategists and brand experts shared best practices, insights and ideas on how to optimize influencer marketing campaigns. Take a look at some of our top takeaways from Influencer Marketing Days:

The Power of Micro-Influencers + The Need for the Human Touch

Micro-influencers – generally defined as those who have about 1,000-100,000 followers – were a hot topic during Influencer Marketing Days. And for good reason: experts in the influencer marketing space agree that micro-influencers often can offer better ROI for brands. That’s because they’re highly engaged with their audiences, eager to work with brands and can drive significant impact in a cost-effective manner.

We all rely on hard metrics to measure success of any marketing effort. When it comes to influencer marketing and micro-influencer engagement, though, many presenters encouraged brands to look beyond vanity metrics and understand the value of the content that’s being produced, as well as the engagement levels that can indicate purchase intent (Kim Westwood, ShoppingLinks.com; Gil Eyal, CEO HYPR).

According to Eyal, there are more than 10 million micro-influencers on various social/online networks. So how can brands efficiently tap into them?

We couldn’t agree more with Joe Gagliese (CEO, Viral Nation) when he said that brands should work with agencies that know the influencers, rather than picking them at random.

Why is this important? When done correctly, influencers can be the most powerful form of brand ambassadors. If you work with someone who hasn’t been thoroughly vetted or who is practically a stranger, you risk putting your brand’s reputation on the line.

Targeting brand- and audience-appropriate influencers requires a deeper knowledge of the influencer that can only exist by fostering those relationships. It’s why we believe in taking a human (vs. automated) approach, too.

Authentic Partnerships = Deeper Trust

Did you know that a Nielsen study found that 92 percent of people trust recommendations from friends and family more than all other forms of marketing? (Ryan Stern with Collectively shared that insight.)

Deena Zeynk, Director of Influitive Center of Excellence, echoed that: 83 percent of buyers trust recommendations from their peers – not brands. Yet, brands tend to underinvest in promoting customer voices. In fact, the top three areas of company spending are on their website, on digital commerce and on digital advertising.

Real people – like one’s peers and influencers – inspire real trust. In fact, word of mouth is 50 times more likely to trigger a purchase than an ad, as our CEO Cooper shared in her presentation.

Kevin Knight, CMO of Experticity, said it well: “If influencer marketing is about reach, then expert-powered marketing is about trust.” In Knight’s presentation, he shared a quote from Facebook’s co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg that we love: “A trusted referral is the Holy Grail of advertising.”

Understand Consumers’ Path to Purchase

It’s no secret that a brand’s spending and decisions are largely shaped by what drives their bottom line – sales. Cooper shared that businesses make an average return of $6.50 on every dollar spent when it comes to influencer marketing.

We loved hearing other presenters’ statistics on where influencers, social media and online platforms fit into the customer journey:

It speaks to the growing importance and power of influencers that there is a conference dedicated to the industry (two years and counting now!). Were you at Influencer Marketing Days this year? Tell us your takeaways in the comments!

Team Creativity and Motivation: The Motherhood Style!

by

The Motherhood has always prioritized finding inspiration together, and as a team in 2017 we made a commitment to do outside, creativity-inducing, fun activities regularly. Every month, we’ve planned an outing or activity together to fuel team creativity and boost overall morale. If you’re looking to do the same within your company, here are a few tried-and-true ideas from our wonderful team at The Motherhood:

“Take Me Out To The Ballgame” (or another favorite sporting event)!

Who doesn’t love watching a good game with fun food? Depending on where you live, it is especially nice to take advantage of warmer weather when you can. So gather up your work team to cheer on your favorite sports team together. We always aim to include our significant others, family and kids!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYMUWHsD7Cs/?taken-by=themotherhood

Nature Break 

It can be easy to work through lunch, but don’t let that be the norm every day. This summer, The Motherhood team chose a day to pack our lunches and head out to a nearby riverfront park to enjoy sunshine and food together.

https://www.instagram.com/p/37BOduKtdX/?taken-by=aspinwallriverfrontpark

Ommmmmm.

Meditation has countless benefits, including increased immunity, better sleep and greater focus. This spring, our team tested it out by attending a local meditation class. It was a first for many of us — and a great learning experience. If meditation isn’t your thing, check out what other community classes are available to you.

Books and Coffee — Two Big Faves. 

What better way to encourage reading than a book club? For one of our creative outings, The Motherhood headed to a trendy coffee shop in Pittsburgh to sip on lattes and share with each other what we’ve been reading. We were easily inspired simply by listening to all of the different books the team had been reading!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BT8-O2vjQok/?taken-by=abbeyonbutler

Pick Up A Hitchhiker (Beer!) 

Our latest creative break included a happy hour with our new Sharpsburg neighbors at Hitchhiker Brewing! We loved trying their tasty selection of beers, and welcoming a new, super cool and innovative business to our neighborhood.

We’d love new ideas. How do you inspire and boost team creativity?