OCTOBER 26, 2018
If you're looking to connect with women or mothers in a more authentic way, you may want to consider influencer marketing. And mom bloggers could be the key.
Peer recommendations work, which is why influencer marketing is one of the fastest growing digital marketing tactics. And leveraging the trusted voice of a mom blogger can be a great way to connect with the women in your audience.
In order to make these partnerships successful and feel truly genuine, you need to find the right influencer for your brand. But how can you do that?
The Power and Influence of Mothers
To better understand the world of mom bloggers, I spoke with award-winning blogger Aaronica Cole of The Crunchy Mommy, who writes about motherhood and everything in between, and Claire Zlobin, founder of Life With A Baby, a network of parents who write about raising kids.
Blogging is a way for moms to share their stories and create supportive communities around their experiences. They have the power to sway millions of people.
Both bloggers understand the incredible buying power of their audience.
“Women spend the most money," Cole says. “Of these women, moms have the most buying power. My audience is moms, so working with me enables [brands] to target people who spend money."
And with 17 million millennial mothers in the U.S., according to a Pew Research Center analysis of the National Center for Health Statistics, the mom blogger audience is vast and a force to be reckoned with.
Mothers have always been everyone's go-to for advice, and are prominent in influencer marketing.
"People trust and buy based on peer recommendations," Zlobin says. "More often than not, the followers of a specific influencer are also a part of a particular peer group, whether that is age, lived experience, stage of life or interests."
Blogging is a way for moms to share their stories and create supportive communities around their experiences. They have the power to sway millions of people, and companies are taking note and leveraging the reach of these bloggers to promote their products.
Cole is a full-time blogger and has a combined reach just shy of one million followers across Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.
She wants brands to know the following when working with influencers: “Understand that what I do is a business and a function within the advertising and marketing arena. I have an audience that are really interested in my opinion on things—it's a service."
The culture and impact of mom bloggers have grown so vast that conferences have popped up to support these women.
The Mom 2.0 Summit, a place for leaders in the industry to discuss ideas and forecast their future, has become the largest of its kind. Similarly, Blogalicious is a platform for multicultural women influencers to celebrate diversity in social media.
What to Look for in a Mom Blogger
Moms have not only taken the lead in influencer marketing—they're defining it for themselves.
So, how can you find the right one for your brand?
1. Reach
This might be one of the most important factors to consider in terms of your budget. Working with influencers with a large following often comes with an extremely high price tag.
It's important to understand a blogger's reach or traffic to their site and how it relates to your business goals.
2. Target Audience
Motherhood is only one aspect of a blogger's identity, so their content can also cover a range of topics.
Within the mom blogging-sphere, there are countless specialties and each one has their own niche and audience.
3. Scope of Services
Consider what type of relationship you are hoping to form with an influencer.
“While doing one-off blog posts that are sponsored are great, a brand ambassadorship is really the way to go," Cole says. “This way, you can be introduced to a new audience and then have almost a courtship with the audience so that they buy into whatever product or service you offer."
4. Communication Style
Keep an ear out for their voice and tone. For influencer marketing to be successful, it has to feel authentic. So, you'll want to make sure what they say and how they say it aligns with your company's vibe.
5. Brand Compatibility
Beyond voice and tone, you'll also want to consider a mom blogger's personal brand. Do your due diligence to ensure there's brand alignment on both sides.
“I like pitches that include what the campaign is, why they think I'm a good fit and what the metrics are and what the pay range is," Zlobin says. “It makes it much easier for me to decide from the first email if it makes sense to apply for the campaign."
There are a few ways to connect with mom influencers. You can reach out to the blogger directly, go through a blogger network or work with an influencer agency. How you choose to approach it will likely depend on your time, resources and what you hope to achieve from working with them.
Just remember: It's their authentic voice and their audience you're investing in, but it's still your brand. So put in the time and effort to ensure you've found the right fit when investing in influencer marketing.
Read more articles on content marketing.