Holiday season is in full swing and many marketers will once again turn to the influence of Mom Bloggers. Just as technology has changed since last holiday season, so have the most effective ways to leverage your relationships with moms. Here are a few ways to expand your tactics and maximize your marketing with these social media mavens.
1. Video is the new blog. Ask the moms you currently work with if they use video. Many do and are willing to offer video content that includes your product or brand message. Since Millennials use YouTube as a search engine, video will place your marketing efforts in an important place online. Additionally, the mom may be willing to distribute the video on places such as MomTV.com and her own YouTube channel. Don’t forget to also use it on your Facebook page or Twitter stream. A tweet with a photo or 15-second video is twice as likely to be read as one without it.
2. School events and fall celebrations are a great way to tap into mom’s offline world. According to research by BSM Media, 85% of mom bloggers are involved in offline community groups. This means she can carry your message to moms who may not read her blog or follow her on Twitter. It’s the best of both worlds to have her talking about your product online and off. Suggest that she donate your product to a local school auction or raffle it off at a community event. The more she promotes her events, the more she talks about your product.
3. Pinterest. Some moms have more followers on Pinterest than they have blog readers. Provide moms with engaging images of your product that link to your site or retailer. Visitors to Pinterest go there seeking solutions and yours could be the perfect one!
4. Selfie your product. Yes, you read that right. Create selfies with your product. Instagram is the perfect tool to show off your product. To really capture the influence of moms, have them take a SELFIE with your product. Their friends are more likely to comment on images with people in them and the surprise placement of your product will capture attention.
5. Everyone loves an unexpected present—even bloggers. Sometimes the best approach is a surprise approach. Why not use the holidays as a time to thank the moms who have supported you throughout the year? Sometimes an unexpected “thank you” will garner more social media impressions than a paid blog post. However, it’s important to remember that a gift normally comes without any strings attached so drop the “if you’d like, we’d love for you to share it” line out of your thank you note. If she finds your gesture sincere, she’ll share it without any request.
These five simple ideas may seem obvious once you’ve read them; however, I am often surprised at how many marketers forget that there are many dimensions of a social media influencer. We get used to doing the same things over and over again and then are surprised that we get the same results over and over again. The new year is just around the corner. Now is a good time to start something new and maximize your relationships with moms along with holiday sales.