I have no trouble deciding the topic of this month’s Engage:Moms newsletter post. I had to go no farther than my own Facebook page to find a stream of conversation burning up the MomBlogosphere. Here’s the background. A PR company has decided to sell a document titled “2012 Mommy Blogger Contact Guide.” I am purposely not going to publish the link to their site in order to avoid sending traffic to their site. You’ll understand why in a minute. The firm’s name is Bulldog Reporter. I am telling you this because I want marketing professionals to be fully educated when they receive BUY NOW! emails. The 2012 Mommy Blogger Contact Guide promises this:

“If you want to secure top-notch placement in some of the most highly visited mommy blogs—you’ll want Bulldog Reporter’s latest media relations weapon” and goes on to say that it’s “100% verified and accurate listings assure you’ll be contacting the right bloggers and staff—at the right email address, Twitter feed and/or phone number.” 

What it doesn’t tell you but many angry mom bloggers will be happy to share is that the information is not only inaccurate but it was lifted from third-party websites. The bloggers have no relationship with Bulldog Reporter, nor did they approve the sale of their personal phone numbers, old addresses or even their ex-husbands’ emails. And oh, yeah, they will not be happy or thrilled to work with you if you purchase the list and contact them.

The list was brought to my attention by a mom blogger who notified me that my own personal information was in the document. Being curious, I opened the hijacked copy of the guide to see exactly what’s listed. Congratulations to me. I made the list of influential bloggers. There I am in good company with others like Gabrielle Blair, Audrey McClelland and Dooce – even Tori Spelling with her 818 Los Angeles phone number – a truly influential group of women who all own a blog. Notice I never called them a “mommy blogger” because as we all know, that’s a bad word in the momblogosphere, a small detail that Mr. Bulldog forgot at the start. But I digress; back to the content of the 2012 MommyBlogger Contact Guide.

There we are all listed – 300+ of us moms with social media influence. One problem aside from all the wrong numbers and addresses – there’s a column that ranks the level of influence of each mother. With no explanation of what denotes influence, each mother is rated none, low, med, or high. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out how influence was calculated. I was ranked “low.” I guess having 11 million followers online and off only qualifies for the low category. I didn’t feel bad because I wasn’t alone. I was in very good company with moms who I turn to almost every day to spread the word about brands; moms I believe are the best in category of influencers. Moms who by my criteria of reach, social media engagement, offline involvements and passion to share, rank quite high in the world of mom influencers.

And so this week, the momblogosphere is abuzz about the titled 2012 Mommy Blogger Contact Guide. Is it ethical for Bulldog to sell the personal information of mom bloggers? Probably. Retailers with loyalty programs sell our personal information every day. However, most would like to believe that developing a relationship with a blogger is somewhat deeper than sending you a coupon because you bought Dove soap last week at CVS. Do mom bloggers want companies to show up on their doorstep without notice? Do they want you to call them on the phone?  Probably not, judging by the many angry posts on the Bulldog Facebook page and most likely why they have decided during my writing of this, to pull the addresses out of the directory. But should mom bloggers expect companies to reach out to them unexpectedly? Definitely, they are running a business and that’s what happens when you hang a shingle out with your name on it.

The take-away from this post is simple. Buyer beware! Nothing is as good as it appears. The best way to connect with mom bloggers is still the old-fashioned way: read their blog, get to know them and start a relevant, one-on-one dialogue. It’s that simple, and that didn’t cost you $200.

At deadline for this post, I did receive an email from Bulldog Reporter explaining how they calculate influence. According to the email, “We define an influencer as a person who, through writing and being read, affects the opinions of peers within a community around a certain topic.”

It appears that I won’t have to do too much thinking about my topic for next month’s post either. I’ll be writing, “What Makes a Mom Influential” because my two decades of studying moms has proven to me that you don’t have to be a blogger to be influential in the moms world. See you next month.

It’s 2013 and as the number on your calendar changes so should some of your mom marketing strategies.  I’ve assembled 13 do’s and don’ts that you may want to pay attention to as you enter the new year.

1. Do create a strategy for Pinterest.
   Looking for  Millennial moms? This is the virtual playground where  Millennial moms are swapping ideas for centerpieces to strollers. And it’s just not “pinning” your products. It’s about having a visual conservation with your potential customers. Check out Premama, a prenatal vitamin company who engages expectant moms on Pinterest by sharing ideas for baby showers.
2. Do make sure you are watching new social media platform apps like SnapChat.
   Younger moms tend to be more visual, and want to have conversations with more than words. SnapChat lets you converse only with videos and photos.
3. Don’t forget video in your marketing plan.
   You hear me talk about video whenever I talk about what’s next in connecting with moms. Well, the next is here! For the same reason that Pinterest and SnapChat are important video leads the way to connecting with  Millennial moms.
4. Don’t assume that the same mom bloggers you worked with in 2012 will fit your brand in 2013.
   Mom changes as the age of her child changes. Her interests, style and focus grow along with her the evolution of parenthood.
5. Do evaluate the blogger conferences you are sponsoring.
   There was a day when the most influential bloggers could be found gathering at BlogHer and other larger conferences. Today, it seems that these conferences serve more to educate beginners on social media.  Before getting involved in a conference, make sure to clearly define your goal in attending or sponsoring the event.
6. Don’t forget to look at a mom’s offline influence as well as her online influence.
   You’ve heard me say this before, only one-third of all moms reads blogs, so it’s important to go beyond mom bloggers for true influence.
7. Don’t forget to give moms a way to share your information, discounts and product samples with other moms.
8. Don’t send mom bloggers press releases and ask them to “share” the information with their readers.
   The more experienced mom marketers are saying, “Duh,” but believe me, I am still getting at least a dozen “Dear Mom Blogger, I thought your audience would find the attached information useful/helpful/interesting.” WRONG!! Just don’t do this anymore.
9. Don’t forget that mom’s who are writing blogs are running businesses, so many, if not most, will expect to be paid in 2013. 
10. Don’t just do a blog tour with your product; consider a Vlog tour with video reviews.
    Groups like MomTV.com have mom bloggers willing to do video reviews with your products. This gives your brand content on YouTube and other video-based platforms.
11. Do consider in-home events for your brand as a way to have moms experience your products with friends and family.
    Whether it’s a House Party or MommyParties.com, the Tupperware-like party is a good way to get your product into the hands of moms.
12. Don’t forget to evaluate what you did in 2012.
    Too often brands throw money at moms and forget to look at measurement.
13. Do set goals that help you obtain success in the Mom market.
    Before you dive into the mom market, make sure you know what defines success for you and your brand.