BlogHer: Reduce the waste
By Christine Koh
BlogHer 2009 was wonderful in many ways and disheartening in others; the latter most prominently reflected in the interface between bloggers and brands. And while many factors were involved, I think that loss of focus by both brands and bloggers contributes significantly to the general state of unrest in the mom blogosphere.
MomDot's PR Blackout Challenge offers a recent, relevant example. To this effect, at BlogHer’s Brands & Bloggers session I made a plea to both sides to reduce the waste via more focused outreach and more focused reception. For brands, this means doing your homework and approaching bloggers in a targeted manner. For bloggers, it means being selective about what you respond to and staying true to your blogging passion (let’s hope it also means blogging with integrity).
Here are some thoughts on how brands can reduce the waste and improve their outreach:
- Less is more. Instead of playing the odds game by flooding thousands of bloggers with a generic pitch and assuming at least a small return, research, read, and outreach to a smaller, quality group of bloggers. It will be time (and money) better spent.
- Think of alternatives. Whitney of Rookie Moms made the point that since their site is focused on activities for new moms, product reviews don’t fit their editorial space. But that’s not to say they don’t love certain products. Whitney suggested that brands think outside the review box, offering connection via involvement in product microsites; other alternatives might include learning events, ad tiles, or dedicated newsletters.
- Share community goodness. One thing that always catches my attention is if a brand has a philanthropic vision, such as Stonyfield Farm’s Profits for the Planet (Stonyfield is a 360PR client and sponsored my attendance at BlogHer). If your brand has a philanthropic mission that is relevant to the blogger, share it! On the Brands & Bloggers panel, Liz Gumbinner also mirrored this sentiment, sharing that Cool Mom Picks has a specific category for big brands that do cool things.
- Share compelling stories. Treat bloggers like journalists. Offer bloggers special access—a first look or access to exclusive or other valuable content and interviews. Make your editorial case compelling.
- Offer interesting giveaways. Though not all bloggers spell it out on their contact pages, some bloggers refuse to do giveaways because they’re too much work, some only do them with compensation, and some like to do them as a way to offer nice things for their readers. I’m in the third bucket, though I’m very selective about giveaways. When you approach bloggers about giveaways, be generous and creative; ask yourself, is this cool enough that I would want to win this? Tubes of toothpaste samples (yes, I know a blogger who was offered this…and they were offering trial sizes) are not going to cut it.
- Place an ad. Brands that want to increase their presence on blogs should consider an integrated approach that includes advertising or promotions, as well as earned editorial. Blog ad rates can be quite reasonable, plus you can track response data more easily than with a print ad.
It’s been a challenging year for brands and bloggers and if one thing is clear, it’s that the adage “any PR is good PR” does not necessarily hold water. But if you do your homework, focus your message, and go for quality over quantity, you’ll not only create meaningful relationships with bloggers, you’ll reduce the risk of being caught up in a negative social media maelstrom.
Christine Koh is the founder and editor of Boston Mamas, the designer behind Posh Peacock, and writes a personal blog at Pop Discourse.
Dad Factor: Where are all the daddy bloggers?
By Christy Matte
We all know that mom bloggers are causing a big buzz in the world of marketing today, but we don’t hear nearly as much about the “daddy bloggers.” Part of this is due to the smaller number of dads who blog about their families. According to Technorati’s State of the Blogosphere 2008, 66% of bloggers worldwide are male, but only 16% of the male blogging population share stories about their families (vs. 36% of female bloggers).
Still, there are plenty of dads out there sharing in-the-trenches stories of diapers, bruises, food fights and hugs, and these numbers are expected to grow. We are starting to see more and more dad blogger communities and blog networks such as Dad Blogs and Dad-O-Matic.
Dad bloggers are banding together to share stories, support each other and fight against the bad rap dads get in the media. C.C. Chapman of C.C. Chapman and Digital Dads explains, "I'm sick of society portraying dads as the bumbling guy around the house. We are an active part of raising our kids and making decisions." Indeed, dads are getting more involved with their kids as well as their households.
So, if dad bloggers aren’t known for their product reviews in the way that mom bloggers are, it’s not for a lack of interest. Chris Lewis of Dad of Divas has his own separate review blog. “I always enjoyed trying new things and letting people know about new products, so providing reviews on products was simply a given for me,” says Lewis.
In fact, several dad bloggers express frustration with the lack of attention they receive from brands as compared to mom bloggers. “Most businesses assume that moms are the main demographic for the products that they are testing,” adds Lewis. “Dads do quite a bit of buying as well. I know that I am also getting more than dads reading my blog.”
Dad bloggers are growing in numbers and are certainly here to stay. As household roles increasingly balance, it’s likely we’ll see dads rise as key influencers online as well. Only time will tell if their voices and blogs become as sought after as their female counterparts.
Some wonderful dad bloggers:
Christy Matte is a 360PR MomSquad member. She writes her personal blog at www.morethanmommy.com, and is the Family Computing blogger for About.com.
Mom bloggers’ influence extends beyond their blog
By Clarissa Nassar
Mom bloggers' reach today extends well beyond her blog; it goes into her social circles both online and in real life. Taking into consideration that vlogs (video blogs), podcasts, microblogging and social networking are consuming so much of the average mom blogger's life now, it's easier for brands to connect with mom bloggers and their readers. So why is it then, according to research from BSM Media, that 70 percent of moms feel companies are doing a poor job of speaking to them?
Companies such as Walmart have started online communities to work more closely with moms. There are the Walmart Elevenmoms and, now, the Beyond Elevenmoms, adding 200 more moms to the mix. The Walmart program leaves mom bloggers in control to review and share products with their readers and followers as they see fit.
Forums, such as Mom Bloggers Club, which has grown to more than 4,500 members, are another avenue mom bloggers are using to talk about brands and products they like. Mom Bloggers Club offers lots of groups focusing on different aspects of mom life, from pregnancy to technology and video games. Within these forums, companies are able to reach thousands of influencers at once.
Mom blogs are undoubtedly an integral segment of the new mainstream media. The hand that rocks the cradle is now the hand that rules the brand world.
Clarissa Nassar is a 360PR MomSquad member and is one of the Walmart Beyond Elevenmoms. She writes The Poshpreneur blog, and is an ambassador for Glamour magazine.
PTA moms get ready for school
By Anisa Raoof
It may still be July, but one of the most influential groups of moms—PTA moms— are already making their back-to-school checklists. Nearly all schools have a PTA or PTO. PTA Central has links to useful resources, such as PTA Radio, and a state by state listing of PTA chapters.
PTA moms have a great deal to organize and prepare for as the new school year approaches. They have become an essential part of their school for communication and raising funds to replace what has been lost by increasing school budget cuts. These busy moms are looking beyond the bake sales, flyers and social events to find new and more effective ways to raise money and communicate in today’s digital age.
PTA moms are ever-more tech savvy, using today’s technology to accommodate schedules, facilitate communication and get more immediate results. They set up groups on Google and Yahoo, and create pages on Facebook. Many are also using Twitter. Moms are also taking advantage of free social networking software to create blogs for their schools.
How do brands play a role?
PTA moms value and support the brands that support their schools. Programs and incentives need to be easy to understand, easy to use, and simple to communicate to other parents. Staples pays $3 in Staples Rewards credit for each returned used printer cartridges, and gets mom in the store in the process.
At Ravenswood Elementary School in Chicago, moms are encouraging other parents to sign up for a Target Red Card, with a percentage of card purchases at Target stores and Target.com supporting the school. On the East Coast, Giant Food’s A+ Bonus Bucks lets shoppers use their store rewards card to earn points that are transferred monthly to their local schools—the points are tallied and translated to a cash donation for the school at the end of the year.
As needs have risen and technology has advanced, there’s a greater opportunity for brands to play a role at a very local level or nationally in supporting PTA moms and their school fundraising efforts. And while fundraising may be number one on these moms' minds, they’re also interested in donations of services, materials and content to advance their kids’ learning.
Anisa Raoof is a 360PR MomSquad member and founder and editor of www.kidoinfo.com.
|
