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The Motherhood Research Reveals How Sponsored Content Leads to Purchase

The Motherhood Research Reveals How Sponsored Content Leads to Purchase

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When researching products and making a purchase, consumers turn to real people whose opinions they value.

There has been a shift in online advertising, and consumers are less receptive to intrusive ads and impersonal brand messaging. Digital ad-blockers are now among the most popular app downloads, and to continue reaching target consumers online, brands are increasingly turning to sponsored content on blogs and social media.

Authentic, high-quality online content, developed by influencers, represents the future of public relations and digital marketing. However, the need to track how these sponsored content campaigns lead to consumers making a purchase is a critical challenge.

To help determine what kinds of messages encourage brand affinity and consumer purchase, The Motherhood asked more than 700 blog readers from across the country to share insights on how they consume online content, including sponsored content – and its impact on what they buy.

Creating Trust

I’m definitely more likely to trust another mom than I am to trust a brand advertisement.

Social media and blogs present the unique opportunity to build a sense of community and trust with others like us, and also for brands to authentically connect with consumers. Online influencers have created tribes of followers, made up of people who have similar interests and who value their opinions.

Blog readers highly value bloggers’ perspectives and recommendations. As a result, readers share those recommendations with their own communities in real life and online, creating a ripple effect. With 86 percent of readers talking to others offline about topics they’ve seen in blogs and on social media, sponsored content not only influences direct readers, but also the readers’ social circle, creating a trust circle with exponential reach.

sponsored content 2

Readers aren’t Buyers — Yet

Personal stories I’ve read always weigh in my mind when making a decision about a product.

While consumers are reading blog posts and social media, they are just that – readers. A common misconception is that when an individual reads a blog or social post about a product they will immediately click through to purchase. Our study found that the influence of online content extends beyond that initial read.

After reading a blog post, the majority of consumers keep the information in mind for when they’re actively considering making a purchase in the future, and only 13 percent make a purchase right away. When evaluating the effectiveness of social media programs at driving sales, brand marketers need to recognize that there is most often a gap between the initial impression and the time when the consumer is ready to buy.

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Making a Purchase

One of the best things about the internet is that you can get all sorts of opinions on all sorts of things. You just have to connect with people who like what you like for the reasons you like.

However, when readers are ready to buy, brands they’ve read about online and those their friends have mentioned rise to the top of their minds. Although The Motherhood’s research found that making a purchase isn’t necessarily an immediate action, future purchases are very often influenced by sponsored content online: the vast majority of consumers stated they are more likely to purchase from a brand they’ve read about on a blog or in social media.

Want to know more? See the entire infographic below for the complete results of The Motherhood’s research!

sponsored content

Healthtex at Walmart: Baby and toddler clothing that won’t break the bank

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Image credit: Mindy, Sincerely Mindy

It often seems like babies and toddlers make it their job to go through clothing as quickly as they can: growing like weeds, crawling, climbing and making messes. We at The Motherhood know parents of these littlest kids love finding quality clothing options that won’t wear easily and that don’t cost a fortune – so we were thrilled to partner with Healthtex, a line of clothing for babies and kids that can be found exclusively at Walmart, for a campaign this month.

Here is a sampling of what our team of bloggers, all with kids under the age of three, had to say about the clothes they found for their own kids!

Jennifer at Diary of a Working Mom dresses her two-year-old son, Everett, in Healthtex clothing for daycare. She reports, “Healthtex clothes are durable enough to hold up to whatever project they’re working on at daycare that day, but inexpensive enough that I don’t have to frantically worry about stains … I can feel good about him leaving for daycare in Healthtex.”

Healthtex
Image credit: Jennifer, Diary of a Working Mom

Ashley of The Frugal Ginger shared a “survival kit” for running errands with a toddler, including an extra set of clothing, a hat and mittens. She said, “My daughter puts her clothes through a lot of wear and tear. So I love that Walmart carries a brand that is really affordable just in case she gets stains all over them. This is a quality brand that you may not have even known Walmart carried. Hopefully, this will help you save both time and money. Something we all need!”

Healthtex
Image credit: Ashley, The Frugal Ginger

Jennae at Green and Gorgeous dressed her daughter, Juliza, in a variety of different looks for a mini fashion show, and you can see all three on her blog. She shared that much of Juliza’s existing wardrobe was already made up of Healthtex clothes: “The brand is super affordable, and the clothes are really cute and comparable to stuff I’ve seen elsewhere for much higher prices. How affordable? Well, I was able to get two outfits and an additional top for $25. At those prices, my daughter can afford to be a fashionista.”

Healthtex
Image credit: Jennae, Green and Gorgeous

Interested in putting together a few cute, inexpensive outfits for your own kids? You can find Healthtex clothes on Walmart.com or in your local Walmart store.

Highlights from the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

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This year, more than 150,000 people attended the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where annually, the latest and greatest in technology makes its debut. Among the plethora of newly launched gadgets, a few specific trends emerged from the show. Read on for highlights from 2016’s CES:

CES Debuts New Smart Home Developments and Connected Devices

It comes as no surprise that more and more manufacturers are ensuring their products are internet-ready to streamline the customer experience. In fact, it is estimated that 15,000 of the 20,000 new products presented at CES have sensors that make them internet-capable.

One of the most buzzed-about connected products that debuted last week is the LG Signature Refrigerator, an appliance that takes convenience to the next level. The refrigerator’s doors open with a wave of your foot, and a knock on the door makes the opaque surface transparent, saving energy when you need to browse your fridge inventory.

Since its launch in June 2015, Amazon’s voice-activated assistant, Echo, has been paving the way for centralized smart home automation. Last week at CES, we saw several manufacturers launch Echo-compatible products and apps that make the “smart home” concept even more of a reality.

For instance, TrackR’s Bravo ($29) is a small Bluetooth-enabled tag that you can attach to your keys, wallet or virtually anything else. As a result of Echo’s new integration with Amazon’s Echo, users will be able to ask Echo to help find their missing, tagged items.

Ford drivers will also soon be able communicate with in-home systems that are set up with Amazon’s Echo from their car. That means one day, drivers will be able to activate their home security systems or shut off their porch lights from the road.

CESPhoto credit: Business Wire

360-Degree Video

Another emerging trend to watch is 360-degree video. With this technology, viewers can get a dynamic, holistic view of an event or subject on screen (as an example, check out this red carpet footage from the Golden Globes). During CES, Nikon and GoPro announced their plans for consumer-grade 360-degree cameras.

Users can currently view these videos on Facebook and YouTube, but until recently, there weren’t many manufacturers creating affordable cameras to shoot the spherical content.

While it will likely be 2017 before these new, 360-degree cameras hit the market, we’re eager to see how brands and consumers adopt the technology.

Wearables for Every Member of the Household

Smart watches and fitness trackers took center stage during CES, but other wearable companies debuted and shared exciting updates, too:

  • Owlet recently released the wearable sock baby monitor that gives parents peace of mind. The smart sock tracks babies’ heart rate and measures how much oxygen is in their blood. Bluetooth technology shares the information to the parents’ smartphone in real time.
  • Sensoria, a line of smart fitness clothing, debuted smart athletic shirts and a sports bra during this year’s CES. The clothing line includes embedded sensors to improve running by tracking speed, pace, cadence, foot landing, distance and more.
  • WELT by Samsung looks like a standard belt, but it tracks physical movement and monitors eating habits. Made by Samsung’s Creative Lab, the WELT is still under development and currently unavailable for retail purchase.
  • WonderWoof and WonderMeow are bringing pets into the wearables game. These Bluetooth-enabled bowties for dogs and cats track pets’ steps, sleep and play activity.

CESPhoto credit: Owlet

Autonomous Automotives

During CES, automakers addressed self-driving cars, and more specifically, why they aren’t ready for widespread adoption. One of the reasons they shared: These autonomous cars have difficulty managing inclement weather and unexpected occurrences. The lack of consumer trust in autonomous cars is another hurdle for car manufacturers.

Nonetheless, Volvo announced that the first semi-autonomous car will be available for sale in the U.S. later this year.

We can’t wait to see how these trends take shape this year. What technology trends are you most excited to follow?

Featured image courtesy of Consumer Technology Association

Blogs Motivate and Support New Year’s Resolutions

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Have you set any New Year’s resolutions for 2016?

Approximately 45 percent* of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but only about eight percent are successful in reaching their goals. Among resolutions for 2016, the top categories included:

  1. Self improvement or education-related resolutions (47 percent)
  2. Weight-related resolutions (38 percent)
  3. Money-related resolutions (34 percent)
  4. Relationship-related resolutions (31 percent)

The Motherhood analyzed anonymous Facebook conversations on the topic of New Year’s resolutions leading up to the start of 2016. Here are some interesting points we uncovered:

  • Top general topics mentioned included: family, friends, health and religion.
  • The most-shared links included links to fitness/health sites, travel sites and blogs.
  • People ages 24-35 are most actively talking about their resolutions on Facebook.

Most of us know that New Year’s resolutions can be hard to maintain. As this FastCompany article states, it’s because resolutions often require changes in habits, which are difficult to make (or break)!

Finding Support Online

From our perspective, blogs, social networks and other online communities have a huge opportunity not only to serve as a source of information and motivation, but also to help with accountability and support for those wishing to make a change in their habits. In fact, of the most-engaging links about New Year’s resolutions on Facebook, four of 10 were links to blog posts. Further, the most-shared blog post link included a free printable to help people define goals for 2016!

Last year during this resolution-making time, Kentico Software released survey results that showed one-third of those who made New Year’s goals planned on searching online for products or services to help support them in their endeavors, and 38 percent planned to turn to sites or apps that can help them track their progress throughout the year. (Apps such as Charity Miles and StickK help hold users accountable by tracking progress while adding a charitable aspect.) Furthermore, the report stated that 26 percent planned on using blogs and other sites to help them achieve their resolutions.

We recently saw the supportive nature of the online blogger community in action during a campaign we hosted on behalf of a weight loss client. During the first half of this blog tour (second half results are not yet available), 91 percent of blog post comments and 83 percent of Facebook comments showed support for the influencers’ weight loss, demonstrating a strong sense of community, as well as the involvement and interest of the readers.

Bloggers: What is your experience with your online community support system and New Year’s resolutions?

*University of Scranton, December 2015

 

Round-up of the Top 10 Social Marketing Predictions for 2016

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It has been a memorable year in social media, with many new platform functions and trends, but the best may be yet to come. We can’t help but be excited for all of the 2016 marketing predictions we’ve seen floating around and what’s in store for social media in the coming year.

Not enough time to read the heavy influx of marketing predictions for 2016? No problem! The Motherhood has skimmed the most newsworthy pieces and summarized the top trends.

Marketing Predictions for 2016

Here are the social media trends you need to know for the upcoming year:

1. Ad Blocking shifts eyes to organic and social

2. Shift from automated to authentic

  • Because online consumers have developed the keen skills to identify and ignore ads and automated sponsored content, authentic, personal content will rise as marketers realize its value in connecting with online audiences.
  • Simply searching for influencers in your space and asking them to push out stale messages will become less effective; greater strategy will be needed to engage key influencers.
  • Marketing that is less disruptive and more focused on fostering relationships will be conductive to building a loyal customer base.

3. Creativity will thrive

4. Experience = shared value 

  • Content will continue to fuel the customer experience.
  • More and more consumers turn to third parties, such as online influencers, as trusted sources of information on brands/products.
  • Brands will recognize more that linking an experience or story with a brand/product better resonates with consumers than facts and figures.
  • Humanizing your brand helps to create shared trust through personal experience.

5. Engagement > Reach 

  • Marketers will place a greater focus on identifying meaningful measurement metrics of engagement with sponsored content.
  • By evaluating engagement of online campaigns, marketers can gain better insights from, and connection with, targeted audiences.
  • We’ve already seen many of our clients begin to look at engagement metrics rather than impressions in our programs, as they recognize the value in targeted engagement.

6. Data and insights

  • Analytics and social insights will become more readily available, leading to a jump in automated data analysis and implementation of big data insights to create better social messaging.
  • Rather than trying to do it all, marketers will focus on key performance indicators and creating more valuable insights aligned with those indicators.
  • Using data to develop more personalized experiences for consumers will create more value for both businesses and customers.

7. Instant Gratification AND Snapchat

  • In-the-moment posts will dominate with the rise in popularity of Periscope and the addition of Facebook Live Streaming.
  • While reaching consumers organically via SnapChat is not a cost-effective option, SnapChat will become the “New TV.”
  • As this Ad Age article perfectly states, “Think appointment-watching, awareness and buying eyeballs.”

8. Video, video, video

  • 70 percent of companies now say video is the most effective tool in their online marketing belts, and two out of three businesses expect it to dominate their strategy going forward.
  • Google now includes video content in search results, and Facebook and Bing have started offering video options for advertisers.
  • Using video to tell stories can be used as an advantage by marketers to effectively convey a brand message.
  • Social video is rapidly rising, and videos need to be tailored for each platform and target audience.

9. Social messaging and messaging apps

  • Messaging apps have seen explosive growth and have already evolved as a customer service feature.
  • While messaging apps are still a mystery, big brands are testing them out as marketing channels.
  • Messaging apps are the most-used of all category apps, meaning there is a largely untapped potential for advertising in this space.

10. Social isn’t free

  • The exponential growth of brands on social has led to less organic reach, so increases in social marketing spending will continue to increase.
  • Simply promoting posts or getting your message incorporated in authentic content from key influencers will increase in order to maintain a share of voice.
  • Online influencers know their value and demand for them as key content creators continues to increase, so navigating these relationships will become trickier.

 

The recurring theme we found throughout the plethora of predictions is that the customer will be heard in 2016, and as a result, marketers will be using more data and insight in their campaigns, and will need to implement authentic, personalized content programs.

Which predictions do you think are most accurate?

What Your Influencer Marketing Might Be Missing: Evergreen

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Get the most out of your influencer marketing campaigns by leveraging the power of evergreen content.

During a recent call with a potential new client, The Motherhood’s leadership team outlined a variety of social media marketing services and shared a few case studies to demonstrate clients’ successes with past campaigns. When the presentation ended, the potential client made an interesting comment. “We can see the power of what you’re doing,” he said. “We’d be foolish not to take advantage of it.”

More and more brands and organizations have come to the same conclusion. As traditional online advertising loses potency due to the rise of ad blockers, more of them are turning to influencer marketing and sponsored content campaigns to share information about their products and services with target audiences.

However, with the online space becoming saturated, it’s more important than ever to find ways for brands to get the most out of their campaigns: While traditional influencer marketing tactics focus on the “now” (sales, impressions, link clicks, etc.), there is unlocked potential in “evergreen” influencer-driven content that serves as a digital bookshelf for brands over a long period of time.

What makes content evergreen? Evergreen content lives on in searches and continually generates traffic to your site. It provides information that is not tied to one particularly timely “hook” or event and is not likely to change in the near future, meaning it can continue to provide value to the reader over time.

In a recent study distributed by The Motherhood, bloggers repeatedly mentioned that both their blogs and the brands they work with get more value from content that is authentic and evergreen. We see brands starting to catch onto this theme, and we believe that evergreen content will become even more prevalent as its value is realized.

Why is influencer-driven evergreen content powerful? It offers brands:

  1. Long-term Results: Content grows in popularity over time, continually drives traffic to your site and increases brand awareness.
  2. Search Engine Optimization: It helps achieve search rankings for industry terms as well as improving SEO results for the brand through link building.
  3. Credible Voice: Influencer content can serve as a landing page for a brand other than its official website, building the brand’s reputation and providing increased value for users.
  4. Resources for Customers When They Need It: It is always available and is sought after by potential customers when they are further along the path to purchase.

With easy access to online resources and others’ opinions, consumers no longer put all of their trust in brand advertising and marketing without also doing their own independent research. In fact, based on a recent survey by The Motherhood, consumers trust family, friends and customer reviews 44% more than retailer and company websites.

Brands can create and publish their own evergreen content, but influencer-created content – shared by someone their readers feel they know and can trust – adds an extra layer of authenticity and often gives consumers the confidence they need to take the next step to purchase the product or service. When brands find an influencer who genuinely loves their products or services and can share that information with her readers, it’s a relationship that provides a natural avenue brands can tap to build trust with consumers.

Bloggers in The Motherhood’s network know the power of evergreen; here are some real-world examples!

Example #1: Bloggers Become Top Traffic-Drivers

Blog posts from an influencer marketing campaign served as one of the top drivers of traffic to a healthcare client’s website. Many of the influencers’ blog posts have generated hundreds and even thousands of monthly visits to the company’s site.

evergreen traffic increase over time

Here are some key learnings from the blog post that performed best over the long term:

  • It contained practical tips on the general topic with a naturally flowing product link at the very end
  • One year after the blog post went live, it was still generating an average of 400 daily views
  • The highest source of traffic to the blog post was Pinterest

Because of these evergreen blog posts, the client has continued to see a high level of referral traffic to the site long after the original campaign ended, and the client has become an industry leader in online conversations. Through The Motherhood, the client has also maintained a working relationship with key influencers to repurpose content and collaborate on additional campaigns.

Tip: Focus on authentic conversations that can be optimized for search and authentically share product information.

Example #2: Annual Holidays and Events Generate Recurring Traffic

The Motherhood’s blog received a boost in traffic this October from a Halloween-themed blog post published back in 2011! With primary traffic to the post coming from organic search and Pinterest, the post generated an 88% increase in page views from September to October 2015. Each year around Halloween, this blog post generates a higher number of page views.

increased site traffic analytics

Furthermore, a 2010 blog post written by The Motherhood on Halloween safety tips, sponsored by Energizer, was picked up this year by a municipality and sent to all residents in that area, generating a huge spike in traffic to the post.

Tip: Take advantage of reoccurring events such as holidays, rather than one-time events or occurrences.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can engage influencers to write evergreen content for your brand:

  1. Share Stats and Data
  2. Invite Product Reviews / Consumer Insights
  3. Provide Expert How-to Guides or Tips
  4. Offer Strategies for Common Problems
  5. Storytelling through Personal Anecdotes

Before initiating a campaign focused on generating evergreen content, be sure to keep the following points in mind:

  1. Be authentic. Pinpoint influencers who are a good fit for your brand and focus on quality of their content and professionalism of their work rather than simply looking at their numbers.
  2. Fully identify goals such as search rankings and keywords. This is probably the hardest step, but it is extremely important to have in place before moving forward. These terms must be effectively communicated to the bloggers so that they can seamlessly work them into content during the writing process.
  3. Add value. Bloggers and influencers have an interest in creating quality content and bringing traffic to their blog and your content. Be sure that the content you are asking influencers to create will provide value to readers and presents information and insight other than what is provided in traditional marketing practices.
  4. Use a blogger network/agency. Consider leveraging the expertise of an agency, which has existing relationships with influencers in your space, along with experience crafting campaigns focused on authentic long-term content.

Most importantly, remember that patience is a virtue. Evergreen success does not happen overnight; you have to allow time to reap the rewards!

The Motherhood is a social media marketing firm and blogger network with extensive experience in the space of influencer marketing, and has continually been a leader in innovation within the industry. To work with The Motherhood’s network in creating branded evergreen content that will live on in users’ search results, you can reach us at contact@themotherhood.com.