social media

How Brands Can Reach Social Media Moms in 2011

Reaching the Social Media Mom

As we ring in 2011, many marketers are looking for expanded ways to increase their visibility and relationships with online moms. Holly Pavlika shares some suggestions on how to connect with these Social Media Moms.

1. Prepare for a more sophisticated Social Media Mom.
She’s going to be concentrating on her own marketing efforts and building her personal brand. She’s looking to be fairly compensated, and she wants a long-term relationship – not a one-off program.

2. Watch Social Media Moms start leveraging their expertise.
Many Moms have taken expertise from prior/current careers and are looking to leverage it. Not only is she a Mom, but perhaps a doctor or chef. Combining her Mom expertise with a specialty gives her more currency to negotiate bigger relationships with a brand.

3. More focus on the Latina Mom.
Latinas are a very important market that is just starting to be tapped into. Disney has already made their move and invited eight Moms to their fall social event. Latinas are digital and very family-focused.

4. Rethink your budgets and where they are spent.
Are your current efforts netting the end result you desire? A recent Café Mom study showed Moms spending a lot of time on multiple communities. Brands need to make sure they’re covering her bases.

5. Evolve your mobile strategies and tactics.
Moms are mobile and increasing their use of mobile every day. She rarely leaves the home without it. And she uses her phone for more than communication. Eight million U.S. Moms and 20 million moms worldwide want phones that can deliver information to her fingertips.

6. Create a strategy for branded apps.
Do you have an app strategy? Moms love apps. Create an app that adds value to her life. A tool that simplifies, enhances and saves her time will ensure your brand is a part of her daily life.

7. Develop a content strategy.
Moms love entertaining, informative content. If you want to take advantage of her incredible sharing and relationships, you need content. Moms love video, games, polls, blogs, forums and content to engage with. Do you have a cross platform content strategy?

8. Develop new content platforms.
Studies show Mom watches TV — but usually with her children while on her computer multi-tasking. So chances are she’s not really paying attention to regular programming. So if she is watching, it needs to be particularly relevant, helpful and engaging. Maybe that’s why so many Mom-directed TV sites are popping up and why video content is so popular with Moms. Take a closer look and you’ll see many of the Social Media Moms adding .tv to the end of their personal URLs. Maybe it’s time to consider a webisode series.

9. Reinvent customer service.
Good customer service is important to Mom. When it comes to talking to brands, Moms often use Twitter for solving conflict. Is Twitter the new customer service? It might be time to rethink the role of Twitter. It’s not a message board for a brand. It’s not a news service. It’s a two-way dialogue with your customer.

10. Integrate social into your web properties.
More and more brands are incorporating social sharing features across the content on their webiste, as well as adding Twitter and Facebook links. Moms like to share if the content is relevant, entertaining and worthy.

11. Think about causes and being eco-friendly.
Moms care about the world they are bringing baby up in — what their child is eating and interacting with, and what their future will be like. A new baby often triggers a focus on eco-friendly products as a way of setting examples for their children. Moms are extremely aware of our environmental issues — and if it isn’t the environment, she is involved in causes. She likes things that support her community, so but make it easy for her to be involved.

12. Develop programs with her for next year.
Moms will smell insincerity. The best way to understand what she needs and is looking for is to partner with Mom. So if you don’t currently have a Mom panel on your team, it’s time. So many brands are missing the mark with their marketing efforts geared towards her. Trust her. She’ll make a great Assistant Brand Manager.

Happy New Year everyone! And remember that Moms will continue to rule the social web in 2011.

1 In 4 Moms Say Purchase Decisions Are Influenced by Social Media Recommendations

Those of us who work regularly in this space know that bloggers — particularly mommy bloggers — are a powerful and influential force, but now comes the data to prove it.

According to a new study by The NPD Group and Child’s Play Communications, 79% of all moms in the U.S. with children under the age of 18 are active in social media. Of these moms, about one in four (23%) said they have purchased a children’s product as a result of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog.

The study: “Social Media Moms: How Networking Impacts Purchasing Behaviors” probes into the behaviors and opinions of active social media moms, defined as moms who currently belong to a social networking site and/or write, read or comment on blogs. Based on responses from a sample of more than 2,000 of these moms, it is evident that online recommendations have even more impact among the most frequent social media users: 43% of these moms who use these sites on a daily basis have purchased a children’s product as the result of a recommendation from these sites.

Active social media moms who purchased a children’s product based on an online recommendation said that, on average, they did so five times in the past year. More than half (55%) of these moms said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog and 40% from a Facebook recommendation.

“Social media has become an enormous influence on purchasing, and savvy marketers have certainly begun to embrace this vehicle when messaging to moms,” said Anita Frazier, Industry Analyst for The NPD Group. “But many marketers have yet to fully realize the potential of social media and the power of peer group recommendations, which means more opportunities are on the horizon.”

Clearly, moms nationwide are making purchasing decisions as a result of the information and advice other moms are providing through social media. It’s important that brand managers continue looking to this group of influencers and work to develop ongoing relationships with them as they develop their marketing strategies.

Has your brand identified its strategy for reaching moms?

We’re Not Mommy Bloggers, We’re Social Media Moms

11/1 2010 BY HOLLY PAVLIKA

Moms may not have invented social media, but the 26 million moms who use social media prove the mommy demographic dominates it. From mommy blogs to Facebook and Twitter accounts, social media provides a limitless platform for savvy “Social Media Moms” to share pics and videos, keep in constant contact with friends and family, and post reviews about products. Social media has empowered women and moms by giving them an endless platform to effect change. The truth is that moms trust the opinions of other moms over advertising. Mom blogs that offer product reviews, coupons, links to deals and specials, and information about the hottest products on the market have become the most reliable go-to source for the mom consumer. No longer is it enough for retailers to make great products and expect push media to attract consumers to their product. There is a delicate balance in finding a healthy medium between content and brand messaging, while figuring out the right tone and approach to building a solid relationship with moms.

Mom’s domination of social media has caused companies to embrace social responsibility. Trust and reputation are all-important in today’s Mom’s connected world. The trust factor is becoming the main differentiator among successful brands and not-so-successful ones. Moms, in growing numbers, are embracing brands and companies they trust.

The biggest mistake a brand can make is to underestimate the power of mom. When today’s mom is faced with a problem, she’ll always find a way to come up with a solution. By sourcing and creating applications on their own, launching blogs that provide a platform for them to have discussions with other moms, or even starting their own businesses, today’s tech savvy mom is constantly finding innovative ways to solve everyday problems. As a result, business models, product development techniques, technology, and marketing are changing dynamically.

Many moms use social media to start their own businesses. These Moms are confident and are taking their excellent networking skills and the strong relationships they have built with their social graphs to leverage a business that ultimately produces revenue. Even in the midst of a roaring recession, Moms are actively seeking ways to monetize their blogs and generate additional income through consulting, speaking appearances, filling out surveys, attending meetings and becoming voices for brands. More and more Moms are crowd-sourcing issues and joining forces to help teach mom to business relationship-building skills. Even between having multiple children, managing a home and running a business, she is moving at light speed.

The Social Media Mom is a force to be reckoned with. She’s been given the tools and she’s making the most of them. Brands can learn a lot from her.

Marketing Lessons From The Gap

The recent brouhaha over Gap Inc.’s attempt to change its logo is a cautionary tale for all brands.

Brand building is just that – brand “building.” It’s about building the brand through an ongoing consumer relationship. That’s especially true with women, because a woman’s loyalty to a brand in particular is tied to the relationship she feels with the brand, and how much she feels connected to it. It’s about knowing how to talk to women, and how to listen to her.

Logo aside, I think Gap has more pressing issues. Like many women, Gap became my go-to store when I had my son. The durable, high-quality denim and expandable waistbands in their children’s department meant I got maximum wear (and style) out of the purchases I made for him. And the products worked for me as well. They had a great selection of jeans in a large variety of cuts and washes. But over the years the quality and style began to decline. The denim was thinner, and the jeans felt cheap. And to add insult to injury, the price was not lowered to make up for the lack of quality. Eventually, I stopped going to Gap or even shopping its online site, and as a result the brand became invisible to me.

The Gap brand currently seems trapped between several fashion category trends. Women like to mix low-priced basics from Target or Wal-Mart with expensive signature pieces from premium brands. Unlike Abercrombie & Fitch, which has a deep understanding of its consumer and what makes them “tick,” Gap seems to have lost relevance with its consumers, or to even be able to identify its core target audience.

Yes, this was a massive miss for Gap, right up there with New Coke. To make matters worse, their “crowd sourcing” spin seems to have ticked off the entire graphic design community as well.

But most importantly, Gap’s trials and tribulations over the past few days really highlights the power of social media. What consumers (particularly women) might have thought privately while walking into a store before is now shared publicly. Personally, I like the old logo better, but the logo isn’t what draws me to a particular brand. It’s how invested I am in the brand, and more importantly, how invested the brand is in me.

I get that Gap wants to rebrand itself. The brand seems to be attempting a renaissance, and rethinking the logo is a legitimate thought. But Gap could have used social media to get their customers invested in this rebranding effort. By not asking customers on Facebook and Twitter for feedback before unveiling the redesign, Gap marketers missed an opportunity to speak to the brand’s key audiences – many of them women. Why wouldn’t they invite loyal customers to be a part of their journey, and feel some ownership and pride in the process?

What do you think – did Gap miss the boat?

Mother’s Day + Social Media = Big Opportunity for Brands

Although it was celebrated during Greek times, Mother’s Day didn’t become official till 1907. Today, nearly 83 million Moms in the U.S. will find themselves celebrated with some form of Mother’s Day tribute. This year Mother’s Day will find competing brands marketing to moms with a myriad of social media campaigns, including the ones noted below:

“The Pearl of Wisdom Mother’s Day”
Aren’t all Moms full of pearls of wisdom? In support of cervical cancer prevention, Moms can be honored with a personal tribute and receive a free Pearl of Wisdom pin along with a Mother’s Day card. The card contains information about cervical cancer prevention and a link so that she and her entire family can see the tribute.

“Midlife Mother’s Day 2010 Campaign”
If you’re an older Mom, you can share your experiences of motherhood after 40. The Midlife Mother’s Day 2010 Campaign is looking for portrait stories of older mothers.

“Daughters of Beauty Campaign for Elizabeth Arden”
Elizabeth Arden is inviting moms and daughters to talk about beauty and aging, with winners receiving an Elizabeth Arden spa day. The site includes photos of Mothers and Daughters, along with their personal stories.

“America’s Favorite Mom”
Telefora is launching a Mother’s Day campaign with NBC and Hearst called “America’s Favorite Mom.” Simply upload videos, photos and essay testimonials and vote for your nominees. Fifteen finalists will be celebrated on the Today Show with the winner receiving an 18-carat gold “America’s Favorite Mom” pendant encrusted with diamonds.

“Give Mom an iPod with a Personal Message”
Although not technically a social media campaign, Apple is promoting the iPod touch as a 2010 Mother’s Day gift.

What’s In My Purse? Essentials for a Social Media Enthusiast

Guest post by Rebecca Markarian of the Social Method

Recently Apple announced the iPad – a very cool tablet which has lots of great functionality. In chatting with people about the launch, I found a lot of discussion about how it was a Kindle killer or a Netbook killer and for me, that’s definitely not true. I have a handful of gadgets that go EVERYWHERE with me so that at any moment I can connect, engage and share.

So, what’s in the purse of a social media chick that always needs to be prepared? Here’s the list of gadgetry I consider essential:

Motorola Droid – phone, camera, navigation system and web good enough for basic connectivity

Dell Mini – tiny notebook able to tackle creation of spreadsheets, presentations, and more advanced computing needs…almost as good as my laptop

Amazon Kindle – for reading books and blogs when I don’t want the interruptions of the web. Much better than lugging around even one book and easier on the eyes than the computer

Canon Elph Camera – great for larger, hi-res photos and even a little video

FlipHD Video Camera – video on the go – who could ask for more?

Accessories – wall plug and car charger both with USB adapters (almost all of the devices can be plugged in with this), mini tripod for video and photo (same one fits both), 2 USB cords, 2-3 flash drives (just in case)

This little group of goodies plus some lip gloss, my wallet and a few hair ties is just about all I need to get by on a daily basis to be engaging with anyone from anywhere and on any network. While it doesn’t all fit in a clutch, a nice medium sized purse works perfect.

How about you? What’s in your social media bag of tricks?

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