The Real Moms of Influence

On the long plane ride to Hong Kong last month, I pushed the SEND button and off it went my sixth book on the Mom Market. Now, before you think this is going to be a pre-published sales pitch, it's not. In fact, I am not even going to mention the title. However, I would like to share with you the main message of the book and build on its theme in this blog post.

If you've heard me speak lately or have followed my Engage:Mom posts, the message won't come as a surprise as I've been preaching it for months to both brands and bloggers. It's simple" Mom influencers, the ones who share product recommendations with other moms, persuade their peers to buy a particular brand or share samples of your products with other mothers, can be found outside of Mommy Bloggers.

There are so many incredibly influential mothers out there in the mom community who have never written, read or commented on a blog yet are engaging with large groups of mothers and talking about your products. Additionally, there are moms who blog that are doing so much more than receiving your free products and posting about it.

Marketers, public relations agencies and brands have enjoyed a time of being able to obtain quick hits of word of mom buzz online but the effectiveness of this strategy is being questioned by both brands and mothers. It's time to get creative with your marketing, reach beyond blogger reviews and develop a multi-platform marketing plan using mom influencers of all varieties.

And just to be transparent, I preach this same message to my friends who are mom bloggers. They, too, need to expand their reach to stay relevant to markers. It's time to identify the best Power Moms for your brand and allow them to deliver your product message while they are engaging with moms along their journey.

Before you head over to Google and search Mom Influencers, let me introduce you to a few mothers I consider Power Mom Mavens.

Trisha Novotry, known online as 24/7 Mom. Yes, she has a blog but ask most of her thousands of followers and they will tell you it's her live webcast that keeps them connected. You will find her at the Mom Congress each year interacting with moms, educators and legislators. She influences moms in her community as a former board member of MOPS and now as an active member in her church and children's school.

Andrea Deckard, known online as the founder of www.Savingslifestyle.com. She began in the mom market as a blogger but her influence has transcended the blogosphere. This mother of three boys not only engages moms online with money-saving techniques but also educates community members on frugal living. Her local seminars bring out 80-100 women every time she speaks. She appears on local news shows who promote her advice on their websites. Outside of empowering moms with coupon-wise advice, Andrea connects with women while she supports the athletic activities of her sons. You can also find Andrea participating in church missions and numerous women conferences.

Lisa Druxman, founder of Stroller Strides. Lisa is the perfect example of a mother who touches thousands of moms and did so long before blogging became a verb. Stroller Strides is a franchise company that promotes fitness among new moms. They have over 1,200 groups in 44 states. Lisa connects with each of these women. That's a lot of moms she's influencing. You can see her in print in Entrepreneur magazine, on television, on stage as well as in video. She's the author of numerous books on fitness and the founder of her own product line.

Pamela Nagata, coordinator for Parents Connect of San Diego. You probably have never heard of Pamela but ask any of the 4,000 mom members of Parents Connect and they know exactly who she is. Parents Connect, the largest group of moms in Southern California, is now owned by Scripts and runs Sandiegoparent.com. If I'm looking for mothers or events with promotional opportunities, she's my go-to gal.

Molly Gold, founder of Go Mom Inc. Molly has run a website since way back in the '90s when she launched her first product. She has empowered millions of mothers over the years with scheduling and organization skills as well as product ideas. Today she tweets incisively and broadcasts her message on her live show on MomTV.com and with additional webcasts on her site.

There are dads too who are making a mark through their multi-media endeavors. Dads like Jim Silver of www.timetoplaymag.com and Tim Sullivan, publisher of PTO magazine.

Technology has made it easier in many ways to for marketers to reach moms. However, just as moms are consuming multiple media and going about their offline lives, it's important for marketers to move into the next horizon of mom marketing.