Earlier this month, Mom Central Consulting, an agency that targets mothers, released a 55-page trend report, Illuminating the Power of Mom Bloggers. The study, which includes interviews with 300 mom bloggers and surveys of 495 moms across the country, found that over 78% of mom bloggers review products and 96% of moms value the recommendations they find on these sites.
“There’s this perception that moms aren’t tech-savvy, when in reality, they’re being very proactive and going online to get information on products and recommendations from other moms,” says Tracey Hope-Ross, VP of research for Mom Central.
This creates many opportunities for direct marketers, especially with the current state of the economy and the approaching holiday season.
“Many companies are cutting back their marketing budgets, so they’re realizing they really need to be targeting the person who is actually spending the money,” says Maria Bailey, CEO and founder of BSM Media. “This is a great time to be getting into social media because marketers can utilize time as opposed to money. This is important because it really takes a lot of time to get to know these mom mavens and develop a strong relationship.”
Indeed, many companies are not only targeting these moms through traditional advertising and promotions, but also creating their own mom-centric social networking sites. BSM’s client, giftware product manufacturer Precious Moments, launched its first social networking initiative,PreciousMoms.com, last November.
“We have a large number of enthusiasts who are very passionate about the Precious Moments brand, but they didn’t have a place they could interact,” says Bret Moore, VP of marketing for Precious Moments. “Part of the purpose was building a social community where they could be part of the brand experience with other like-minded moms.”
The site features 12 contributing mom bloggers — each with their own separate blog — as well as message boards and recipes. Moore says this is a win-win for both the brand and these moms.
“From our end we’re giving bloggers the trust and respect of a 30-year-old brand,” he says. “Bloggers, when they talk about Precious Moments, share information with their reader base, and we get the best kind of advertising, which is word of mouth.”
By giving the bloggers products, Bailey says, companies allow them to both review it and create their own contests or giveaways. “Moms love getting creative,” she says. “Turning your marketing over to them is a great way for bloggers to build up their brand as well as your own.”
Marketers today should note that the conversation structure is shifting for moms, Bailey adds. “Now, mom is taking your brand message, interpreting it and delivering her impression of your brand to other moms,” Bailey says.
Hope-Ross agrees. “Marketers need to talk to these moms at their level if they really want to be successful,” she says.
