Marketing to Women Online: You want to reach moms? You want word-of-mouth advertising? You want moms to get on board with your brand or product and to tap into the influence they have with their friends and family?

Meet the mommy blogger.

Companies small and large are trying to climb on to the mommy blogger bandwagon. Advertising Age recently did a story about the phenomenon - Inside the Mommy Blogger Business.

Despite their lightweight moniker, mommy bloggers have become marketing business heavyweights. Now said to number in the millions, these online women have cobbled together content networks that rival some mainstream media companies. And they're clearly a force that retailers underestimate at their own peril. In this "About Digital" report, we talk to a retail giant, an analyst, major publisher and a PR agency to better understand how various segments of the industry are adjusting to this phenomenon.

There's a reason why mommy bloggers are gaining the attention and respect of advertisers.

eMarketer just published the results from the 2009 Social Media study from BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners. The study found that:

Of the female social media participants, 75% took part in social networking and 55% used blogs. Nearly 23 million of the social media users read blogs.

But many women went beyond merely reading: 12 million posted to blogs and 8 million published them.

In fact, women who used blogs were more than twice as likely to do so when they were seeking information, advice and recommendations than were women who participated in social networking.

When providing advice or contributing to a community, more women also turned to blogs than social networks.

“The scale of social media usage among US women continues to grow, and blogs remain the go-to resource for those who want to gather information, share ideas and get reliable advice,” said Elisa Camahort Page, COO of BlogHer.

There's another reason why advertisers are reaching out to mommy bloggers.

In her book Too Busy To Shop, Kelley Skoloda talks about the importance of the "messenger." Women listen to messages from trusted sources. An advertising message in a commercial is one thing. But that message delivered by a trusted credible source carries a lot more weight.

With the bombardment of consumer information, a more transient society, and significant time constraints, more women are turning to less conventional sources, such as blogs, social networking sites, and Web sites, to get trusted information and recommendations.

In fact, these interactive sites are becoming extended networks of friends and family. These virtual neighborhoods give women access to many other women who are in the same life stage as they are, making the topics and discussions very relevant to what they want to know and where they are in life.

The bottom line for advertisers and brands is this - women, especially moms are reading and interacting with blogs in record numbers. It's where they are at.

Mommy Bloggers - Why Advertisers Want Them [Marketing to Women Online]

• 3 Comments

  

Comments

You obviously put a lot of work into that post and its very interesting to see the thought process that you went through to come up with those conclusion. Thanks for sharing your deep thoughts. I must admit that I think you nailed it on this one.

 Posted by: SB at August 1, 2009 8:46 AM

Blogging has become the most innovative marketing strategy since the creation of the Internet and the print sales letter. Blogs are great for online marketing campaigns because they are interactive communities for business owners and their audiences.

 Posted by: Nevin at August 1, 2009 8:46 AM

Due to the recession, there are fewer opportunities for bloggers to write online for extra income today. The payment for bloggers' post has been greatly reduced by the advertisers.
But there are many signs of recovery these days. Let's looking forward to the rise in post payment soon.

 Posted by: SKY at August 1, 2009 8:47 AM

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