RSVP: Marketing to Women & Moms Using Social Media Part II—The Brand’s Perspective

May 25, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 24 Comments 

wal-mart-11Ever wonder what it would be like to be a brand representive—a “Wal-Mart 11 mom,” a “Hanes mom,” or a “Fishful Thinking Faculty Member or Ambassador”? Curious about what mom-involved campaigns include, how these moms are selected, and why businesses are finding it so advantageous to involve them not only up front in focus groups, but as representatives for an extended period of time. goldfish-fishful-thinking-button

What are the results businesses are getting from these campaigns, how does the mixture of moms and social media help them get the word out faster, better than traditional advertising?

You can learn the answer to these and many more questions by joining us here this Tuesday night.

  • What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)
  • When: Tuesday, May 26, 9-11 p.m. EDT
  • Where: Tweet Grid (use #gno hashtag)
  • Topic: Marketing to Women and Moms Using Social Media (from the Brand’s perspective)
  • Who: @barbarajones (from One2One Network), @johnflandrews (formerly of Wal-Mart and now of MARS Advertising, @levitanl (from Mr. Youth), @lindsaylebresco (from Graco), @mattyb123 (from Mr. Youth)
  • RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

@ClassyMommy Shares Tips on Working With Brands: Know Yourself, Find a Niche

May 20, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 5 Comments 

classy-mommy-motherhood_child-car-seat-parentingThe chatter on last night’s #GNO made my head spin. I think I’m still recovering from the stimulating and informative discussions on how brands are tapping into Social Media Moms as we enter the “New Age of Brand Evangelists.” Clearly, there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to this hot topic. Tweeters asked how bloggers and brands connect in the first place and wondered what triggered the relationship. Is it traffic stats, influence, twitter followers, or something else entirely?
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I think all of the above are important, but venture to guess that the “something else entirely” is the essential ingredient that triggers the lasting or more formal relationship with a brand. (And I think it goes without saying that bloggers obviously need to work with brands they are passionate about and are a genuine fit for their lifestyle, tastes, beliefs, family, etc.)
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For me, vlogging has been the “something else entirely” factor which has created my more formal relationships with brands. Before I ever imagined companies would send bloggers free products I started Classy Mommy to write about all my favorite finds and the gazillion products on the market for Moms and babies. Back in 2006 the one thing I did that was different and a natural fit for my style was start doing “video reviews” of products.
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Circa 2006: My 10 month old daughter tests organic baby food for one of my first videos. At the time the word vlogging was not even in my vocab, but for those who know me in real life, you know I talk alot and enjoy the camera so “vlogging” was an instinct for me. 3 years later, I still don’t use any script and find being myself on the fly is my best strategy for a fun video.
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This month, since I’m a professed microwave chef, I’m working on a vlogging campaign for Healthy Choice to showcase their products. Clearly, I’m still being myself as I let viewers in on the dirty little secret that is my jam packed freezer. I mean really have you ever seen a freezer like mine? I’m a disaster and my crazy kids are a pretty good match for my crazy freezer!
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And vlogging was the reason Wal-Mart asked me to join their 11 Moms campaign last summer as they were looking for Moms willing to share money saving tips on YouTube. This video I created about saving money with rechargeable batteries, probably also caught the eye of Energizer as I’m now a brand advocate for Energizer Rechargeables. So for me, I definitely think vlogging was the “something else” factor to trigger my brand relationships.
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Just like a a blog post incorporating a brand needs to be genuine, so does a video. I’m still doing the same thing as when I started messing around with the camera 3 years ago, but I have learned that my best videos are super short – cause even I don’t want to watch myself chattering if I start going over 1 minute!
Know yourself, your blog, your niche, and how you are different from everyone else. Are you a heavy tweeter? Really funny? An expert in living green? Do you have a large family? Wild kids? Love to vlog? Take phenomenal photos? In my experience, I see companies reaching out to bloggers based on how they differentiate themselves and how that particular angle might be a fit for a specific campaign or brand.

RSVP: The New Age of Brand Evangelists—Using Social Media Moms & Mavens for Marketing

May 17, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 19 Comments 

mom-jewelry-purchasing-shoppingDid you know that moms control 80% of household spending for a whopping 1.7 TRILLION (yah, you “heard” me right, TRILLION) dollars in annual spending. Furthermore, there is somewhere around 86 MILLION moms in the US alone.

What does all this mean? Data supports that moms have influence. And now, companies are paying attention to that data by not only involving moms in focus groups and research up front, but also in marketing initiatives/events and programs during product launches where they literally get to be brand evangelists. For many, it is becoming a full-time business opportunity to help shape and market brands through social media.

wal-mart-pepperidge-farm-hanes-ford-hallmark-frigidaire-goldfish-crackers2Join us here Tuesday, May 19 as these moms chat with us about the brands they’ve been involved with and their experiences with the various initiatives.

RSVP—Guy Kawasaki Joins #GNO This Week at Our Virtual Pajama Party Sponsored by My Mommy Manual

April 11, 2009 by Jyl Johnson Pattee · 7 Comments 

What’s a Pajama Party Without a GUY?

The fabulous Ria and Suzanne from My Mommy Manual and in partnership with Mom It Forward and the 12 for 12K team, are throwing the pajama party of all pajama parties and you’re invited. In support of our 6-week focus on charity, service, and giving, they are raffling off a wide array of prizes with the proceeds going to Yehu Microfinance, Basa Body, and Coast Coconut Farms. Click here to enter to win!

What’s more? Guy Kawasaki is joining in on the fun! After all, what’s a pajama party without a GUY? Join us Tuesday, April 14 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. eastern (8 CDT, 7 MDT, & 6 PDT) to chit and chat about tips for entrepreneurs—starting and running your own business and using social media to do it.

guy-kawasakiGuy Kawasaki is a managing director of Garage Technology Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm and a columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine. Previously, he was an Apple Fellow at Apple Computer, Inc. Guy is the author of nine books including Reality Check, The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries, How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Selling the Dream, and The Macintosh Way. He has a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from UCLA as well as an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

  • When: Tues., Apr.14 from 9 pm to 1 a.m. EDT (8 CDT, 7 CDT, and 6 PDT)
  • What: Girl’s Night Out (What’s GNO? Click here to find out!)
  • Topic: Tips to Starting & Running Your Own Business—in conjunction with our charity to fight poverty in Kenya (Yehu, BasaBody, Coast Coconut Farms)
  • Where: Tweet Grid (use the #gno hashtag)and on UStream
  • Who: @guykawasaki, @riasharon, and @zenmommy
  • RSVP: Use Mr. Linky below (enter the twitter URL and your twitter ID (e.g., http://twitter.com/jyl_momIF). If you would like to include your blog, please enter it next to your name. Make sure to include your twitter URL in the URL line. Please do not enter your blog URL there.

How Do You Enter to Win the Giveaways?

My Mommy Manual has rounded up nearly $5,000 in prizes. Check out this short video below to see how to enter!