Bookmark and Share

Pitching to Mommy Bloggers

By KAREN E. KLEIN, BUSINESSWEEK.COM
Posted: 2009-06-08 16:50:38
Filed Under: Small Business, Marketing, Online Business

Family

BusinessWeek.com

When businesses try to market products and services via endorsements on blogs targeted at moms, it pays to understand the rules of the road.

When Lisa Williamson and Julie Jumonville founded UpSpring Baby in 2007, they knew their innovative infant products would not sell without getting specific information and education to their target customers.

"We sell new inventions to meet moms' unmet needs. We needed to get the word out, but we didn't have millions to spend on advertising," Williamson says. So they turned to "mommy bloggers," a generation of women who are living their parenting years out on the Internet, as a means of spreading the word.

More BusinessWeek

  1. Blogola: The FTC Takes On Paid Posts
  2. Social Media Will Change Your Business
  3. Bloggers Bring in the Big Bucks
    They hired Kimberly Schram as vice-president for corporate communications at the 12-employee, Austin (Tex.)-based firm and gave her a primary goal: Form relationships with influential mommy bloggers who could review and perhaps even champion the firm's signature products.

    Last spring, Williamson says, the company got retail distribution through Babies "R" Us, followed by Target and Walgreens. She credits the national interest to mommy bloggers who wrote about Milkscreen, which tests alcohol levels in breast milk, and Walking Wings, which help hold up unsteady toddlers, thanks to Schram's efforts.

    Children's Products Under Review
    It doesn't hurt that Williamson and Jumonville, who as the company's engineer is developing several new products for debut later this year, are both mothers of young children who fled corporate jobs to form their own company. But it's not only children's products that are good candidates for marketing through blogs.

    There are 82.5 million mothers in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and 35 million of them have children under 18 and access the Internet regularly, according to a 2008 research report by eMarketer. Since women do the majority of product research and household purchasing, savvy mommy blogs include product reviews and recommendations on items ranging from infant clothing to packaged food to new cars.

    Large corporations have been marketing to bloggers for several years, and many have marketing campaigns specifically set up to reach mothering blogs.

    Mark Vance, chief marketing officer at Aquion Water Treatment Products in Chicago, conducted research with mommy bloggers on behalf of his firm's RainSoft in-home water filtration and conditioning systems. "We realized that 'protector moms' are our target market," Vance says.

    Free Samples
    In addition to reaching out to mommy bloggers via personal e-mails and interacting in their blog comments, Vance invited local bloggers to host six in-home focus groups for his products and had an additional 600 take an online survey. "We discovered that protector moms are making decisions and sharing that information with their friends via blogs. That's where we saw the opportunity to not only market to and engage with these folks, but to also ask them to help us understand if we were meeting their needs and if we had ideas worth trying," he says.

    Camilla Ferenczi, a marketing account coordinator with The Fresh Ideas group, based in Boulder, Colo., says she incorporates blogging campaigns into all her marketing efforts. Firms must be willing to give away product samples in order to entice blog reviews, she says. "When a blogger can review your product and give away some free samples or coupons, it creates a viral effect for them. It creates a buzz on Twitter, increases their visitors, and makes their numbers go up.

    Next Page

    2009-06-08 15:12:30
    Bookmark:

    Recent Comments

    Post Your Own  
    1 - 10 of 72
    72 comments

    bellasangelcamp 01:18:51 AM Aug 01 2009

    Report This!

    You don't have to spend a fortune to get into your own business. Build residual income while you receive daily pay. $300 to $500 wkly if that's all you want. www.IBOplus.com/summerm ...Anyone can change their lives.... nowmatters@usa.com

    greenvilleusabda 11:18:52 AM Jul 26 2009

    Report This!

    Finally, I found a product that has regrown my hair and did not involve any surgery or transplanting. I have a new head of hair that I am proud of and do not need to wear hat to cover up my bald spot. This product also has one for my wife who hair was thinning, she has regrown her hair back like it used to be. I recommend that you give this a try. The company gives you two free bottles and comes with a money back guarantee. For more information visit: www.Get-Your-Free-Hair-Loss-Now.com

    mrcandywrapperny 01:32:33 PM Jul 19 2009

    Report This!

    www.mrcandywrapper.com..party good, inviations, promotional items etc.

    joannsells4u 10:26:29 PM Jul 11 2009

    Report This!

    JoAnnWalker.com, always great rates, great full service, specializing in Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Va sales.

    shbliss 09:18:10 AM Jul 11 2009

    Report This!

    Even as bad as it is , You can get good deals at http://shapauls.com

    biggrizzly10 10:03:57 AM Jul 06 2009

    Report This!

    wanta make more money than you thought possible go check out these web sites an look around click on the links an itll change your life go to. www.justlivinmydream.com or www.internethomebusiness4you.com thank you.

    marylebar 12:05:56 PM Jul 05 2009

    Report This!

    Affordable , live in childcare, au pairs! Cost is $7.33/per hour for 45hrs a week of childcare, no matter how many children you have. http://mlebar.aupairnews.com/

    marylebar 12:04:57 PM Jul 05 2009

    Report This!

    If you need affordable childcare, check out my website! http://mlebar.aupairnews.com/We provide 45hrs a week of flexible, live in childcare, for a cost of $7.33/per hour, $330 per week, no matter how many children you have.

    tmdv21 12:32:49 AM Jul 03 2009

    Report This!

    www.earnincomenow.com/msubia

    wallpads 12:48:02 AM Jul 02 2009

    Report This!

    www.LiLHookster.comSeen on TVSeen at PLAYBOY MANSION parties.Search Yahoo 4 photos.Have FUN

    1 - 10 of 72
    72 comments

    Add your own Comments

    Clear
    Add

    The Startup

    The Startup

    The Startup, the web's premiere online reality show for small business owners, is back for its third season! Watch as we follow four entrepreneurs to see how they're making their businesses come to life.

    1. The Startup

      Small Business Checklists

      It can be difficult to keep up with all the details involved in running a small business. Don't lose track of the details -- use a checklist to keep yourself organized.

      1. Checklist: Starting a Business
      2. Checklist: Closing a Business
      3. Index of Small Business Checklists

        Small Business Success Stories

        1. More Than Moonlighting
        2. Reality TV Leads to Small Biz Success
        3. From Couple to Business Partners
        4. Build-A-Bear's Founder Shares Her Story

          Helpful Resources

            AOL Coaches

            Jake Steinfeld

            Business Coaches
            Starting your own business can be a daunting task. With AOL's Small Business Coaches, you can get the best advice to guide you through the process.