Moms Will Travel For the Right Reasons

Summer time is in full swing.  Families are traveling to historical sites and theme parks across the country. Moms are packing their bags for business trips as well.  It's the season when many brands decide to use travel as way to bond with social media moms.  If history serves me right, the first mom blogger FAM trip was hosted by Disney World in 2007.  They invited 14 mom bloggers to enjoy the magic of Disney during a four-day, all inclusive paid journey to Orlando.  It produced thousands of blog posts, tweets and FlickR pictures and caught the attention of other companies who quickly jumped on the travel bandwagon.  Unfortunately, many mistakes were made in those early days but with the benefits of hindsight, you can plan the perfect media trip for your brand.  Here are considerations to ponder before booking airline tickets and rolling out the red carpet.

• Establish Your Goals: Before the first invitation is issued, your company should establish goals in inviting moms to your retail location or headquarters. Is it one-time-only blog posts and tweets you seek or is it a long-term relationship.  If it's the latte, you need to have some parameters of budget, communication and contact strategy before you reach out to moms.  A random invitation with no real purpose will only confuse the mom and bring you disappointing results in the end. Remember - you are opening the door to a relationship.  The first question a social media mom will ask when receiving your invitation is, "What does your brand want from me in return?"

• Pick the Right Date:  I recently got an invitation to visit an upscale resort in Mexico with a group of social media moms.  The invite was beautiful and the trip looked magnificent.  The only problem was that the public relations team putting the event together had neglected to check the calendar of Social Media conferences.  They scheduled the trip right in the middle of BlogHer.  Although there is no official calendar for Social Media Moms, the most comprehensive list of events and conferences can be found at ShePosts.com, www.sheposts.com. Also take into consideration the life of a mom.  Avoid planning events during her busy times, Back to School, Halloween, Spring Break and Graduation season.  Mother's Day is another time that she prefers to be with family rather than your marketing team.

• Select the Right Moms: This sounds easy, but I can't tell you how many brands invite moms to events that just don't make sense.  Recently, I was on a trip to a family destination for toddlers with moms who had teenagers. They were all popular mom bloggers with large followings but in my opinion didn't fit the brand.  Additionally the brand had neglected to invite a culturally diverse group of moms and it was very apparent in the photos we took.  The trip was fantastic and I could tell the brand spent a great deal of money on the event. However, I could only imagine the additional exposure they would have received in the mom market by having the right moms at the event.  Trust me on this note of experience; sometimes you will gain a deeper, more valuable relationship with a mom who is lesser known than in inviting only the largest, most popular mom bloggers.  

• Expect the Unexpected: You are inviting moms.  Their lives involve children which mean their lives have many unexpected challenges and obstacles.  Don't be surprised when a mom asks you to accommodate her toddler or she needs to join the trip later than you had planned because her child has fallen ill.  It happens and in any relationship you have to give and take.

• Establish the Right Follow Up:  You've invested a lot of time and money in hosting your media event with moms.  You've established a relationship which can easily grow and benefit both you and the social media mom.  Talk to the moms before they depart about their expectations for moving forward and how they would like to see the relationship grow.  Just ask them.  The one thing moms have plenty of is opinions and they will be happy to share them before packing their bags and heading home.

 

One final bit of advice.  Don't forget to say "Thank You" once they return home.  It takes a great deal of preparation and work for a mom to leave her family.  She returns to piles of laundry, an in-box of emails and a home that most likely needs cleaning.  Show her you appreciate the time she gave your brand with a quick thank you note after the trip.

Have a great summer!

11 Million Moms Walk Off the Job

Last night wrapped up the fourth annual National Mom’s Nite Out.  In case you aren’t familiar with the event, it is a night for moms to celebrate motherhood with each other. Surprisingly, it’s not a Hallmark-created event but rather an event created by moms themselves. It was born five years ago out of a simple tweet from @MomTalkRadio that said “Mother’s Day is a lot of work for me, anyone want to join me for a national mom’s nite out?” The response was so immediate and fast that, in the first year, mothers across the United States organized more than 500 events in private homes, public streets and local malls.

In Apex, N.C., a group of bloggers closed the streets to host a party that included local retailers. Online, the four-hour Twitter party trended #2 trumped only by the release of “Star Trek.” Today, National Mom’s Nite Out boasts 1,100 events with over 100 of them being held at Simon Malls nationwide along with mom events in Korea, Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia.

So why did Moms embrace the idea of a national night out? Because it recognized a common behavior among moms and offered a solution. The reality is that Mother’s Day is actually a lot of work for mothers. Over 85% of mothers report that they have to devote multiple hours of Mother’s Day to the other moms in their lives (i.e., mothers-in-law and grandmothers). More than 70% of moms actually have to celebrate Mother’s Day with more than two other mothers in their families. They are preparing gifts and meals for grandmothers, mothers-in-law, and all the caretakers in the lives of their own children. What began as a day to celebrate Moms, in reality has become a day with lots of chores attached to it.

We recently asked 1,312 moms for their thoughts on taking a night off and Mother’s Day in general. We thought it would be fun to share them with you:

• 82% believe they deserve a night off; however, the greatest challenges are money and finding childcare. 
• When mothers do take a night off, they worry most about their spouse not putting the kids to bed on time.  Some even report a fear of Dad falling asleep on the job. 
• The majority reports having a night out with friends only twice a year while their spouse or partner averages one night a month.
• Over half would elect to have  dinner and drinks at their favorite restaurant during a night off followed by going to a chick flick.
• Overwhelmingly, moms wear black when they go out for a mom’s night out; however, they elect jeans over a dress and heels. And let’s not forget the hair: 76% of moms prefer to take their hair out of the ponytail and wear it down.
• 39% would be willing to give up their favorite snack for one year in order to have a night out with friends once a week.  Another 28% would give up television.
• 29% feel guilty while they are out, while 37% feel relaxed, and 13% even feel victorious in managing to take a night off.
• The service moms most like to receive to escape from the daily routine is a massage (47%) followed by a manicure and pedicure (38%).
• Finally, we had to ask the silly question: What celebrity guy would you most like to have accompany you and your friends during a night out?  Watch out, Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds, you are in demand with the mom segment!

National Mom’s Nite Out is only one example of how brands can successfully connect with moms by identifying common behaviors and offering a solution. Fruschetta Pizza is leveraging the a mom’s desire not to cook on Mother’s Day. It identified that 86% of moms don’t want to cook on their special day so it has launched its Rally for Real Moms campaign, giving moms the chance to voice their thoughts on Facebook/fruschetta.  

It may be too late to launch a solution-based campaign for this Mother’s Day; however, these opportunities exist every day. Find the touch point that best aligns with your brand and get in step with the feelings of moms.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom marketers out there.  We hope you’ll enjoy National Mom’s Nite out and a task-free day on May 13.

Stop Calling Us "Mommy Bloggers"

I have the benefit of being a mom and a blogger. In fact, mom is the probably the title I am most proud of possessing. Last week, I even became a West Point Mom. I am also a blogger. However, I am also a podcaster, a radio talk show host, columnist, author and business owner.

And, in some ways, my roles outside of my blogs makes me more influential for the products I love. So if you had to put a name on me, what would it be? I can assure you it would not be "mommy blogger." No one calls me "mommy," not even my children these days. I prefer to be known as a Social Media Mom or even a Social Media Influencer.

I've never, however, liked to use myself as a focus group of one so, recently, I went out on my Facebook page, not my blog, to ask other moms who blog, what they prefer as a title. My mission was to validate a rumor I've heard among mom bloggers that they hate to be called, mommy bloggers. Here's what I got back, although I will use names or blogs to protect the very opinionated.

First of all, the topic was hot. In less than 15 minutes, I received more than 50 responses. I've summarized some of the common themes and comments.

1) All moms who blog are proud of being moms. Some didn't really care if they are called mommy or mom; what was important to them was that their role as a mom was recognized by brands and peers.

2) Many moms don't blog about parenting or children. These moms felt like the term mommy blogger was limiting and implied that they only blogged about diapers, toys and laundry.

3) Mom bloggers don't call each other mommy bloggers. This tells me a lot about the division between moms, marketers and brands. If you truly understand your consumer or target market, then you should at least use their language when you are speaking to them or about them. One popular mom who blogs said it best, "I don't like to be called mommy anything except by my children.”

4) Why don't companies and the media call dad bloggers, "daddy bloggers?" Good question. Many moms asked this question and left it at that.

5) Mom bloggers use mommy blogger only to open the door to media and brands. They know if they use the term, marketers will be more open to talk to them because, after all, it's a term marketers understand since they coined it.

6) Mommy blogger sounds condescending and doesn't represent the professionalism of moms who own blogs. This is perhaps the comment I heard the most. The media is to blame for breeding the sexiness of the term. It started with “mommy wars.” Sexy sells but, honestly, does anyone thing of their own mommy as sexy?

So what do you call a mom who blogs?

I bestowed the title of Social Media Moms on these women a few years ago. I also use Power Moms as I believe their influence goes well beyond social media audiences. There were several terms and titles offered up but the moms on my Facebook page. Social Media Influencers, lifestyle bloggers, writer, and blogger were among those suggested. However, the most popular of all was, "I am a mom and I am a blogger." I'll leave it at that.

Shopping Trends: A Fresh Look

Retailers are always looking for the answers to what drives Moms to purchase one product over another, what makes Moms loyal to a brand and, ultimately, what makes moms decide what to put in their shopping cart, either the one with four wheels or the one on the computer screen.

Recently, over 1,900 Moms across the U.S. completed an online survey conducted by Totsy.com and BSM Media, with results offering valuable insight on Mom's shopping habits and trends. Via dozens of survey questions, this is the first in a two-part series that offer a fresh look at the impact of the recession on moms and shopping, and the emotions behind shopping.

It's hard to find anyone not impacted by the current recession. As we optimistically look for the upswing in the economy, the lessons learned from the recent economic climate are lasting ones. The recession's impact on Moms and their shopping habits is reflected with the emergence of the Frugalista Mom, a discerning shopper who clips coupons, shops sales and prices and is proud of the money she saves at the cash register.

• When a Mom can save her family hundreds of dollars each year for a relatively small amount of time clipping coupons and comparing prices online, it's worth it to her as she becomes the financial hero of the house and feels a sense of pride for helping with the bottom line.

• Moms continue to spend for special occasions, with winter holidays and birthdays being occasions where they are most likely to splurge.

• 80% of Moms have adopted new techniques and plan to continue using them, including spending less, using more coupons and purchasing items when they are on sale. Generational differences emerged when Moms were asked to identify these money-saving techniques. To spend less overall, Boomer moms turn to generic products, bulk purchases and traditional in-store tactics compared to Generation X and Y moms, who are most likely to look for deals online using research and social media.

• Online private sales are emerging as a cost-savings technique with 32% of Moms surveyed using them, with the highest concentration among Generation Y moms.

• Where have moms reduced spending during the recession? Travel, entertainment and beauty products lead the list as the first items to get cut from the family budget. The majority of Moms admitted that they buy less for themselves and spend less on the items they purchase.

Finally, when asked to rank why one product goes in the cart before another, the majority of moms answered that price was the most important factor, with quality being a close second. Boomer moms focused on the overall value of a product, while younger moms valued a lower price tag.

Retail therapy is real. We've all heard this term that definitely resonates with moms. In the survey, we explored how emotions play a role in mom's shopping habits. Surprisingly, shopping is associated with a high level of stress for moms, though most moms responded that shopping is a mood booster.

• Moms feel a sense of accomplishment, especially when they get a good deal. To get those deals, 65% of moms surveyed preferred to shop regular retail, but on sale. A total of 88% described their preferred method of shopping as rational-spending -- a little money for a lot of product.

• Getting that good deal is held in high regard, similar to guiltless chocolate or a special night out with friends or family.

• Shopping as a mood booster for moms translated to 94% of respondents admitting to buying "feel good" purchases a few times each year.

• Generation X and Y moms make more "feel good" purchases than Boomer moms. Items that fit this category, ranked in order, are clothing, sweet treats and accessories such as shoes, handbags and jewelry.

• Even though most moms enjoy shopping, there is a certain level of stress associated with it, particularly when buying bathing suits, jeans and gifts for other people. One of the highest sources of stress? Buying gifts for spouses.

With these numbers in mind, take a look at how your marketing and media strategies align with how moms shop, both online and offline. In my next Engage:Moms post, I'll reveal the second part of the survey results that examine mom's habits in online vs. retail shopping and seasonal/holiday spending.

Top 8 Changes in the Mom Market over 5 Years

A great deal can be learned by looking back. Perhaps that is why a convention organizer recently asked me to include a slide in my presentation noting the greatest changes in Moms in the last five years. Of course, there are many fashionable, parenting and philosophical changes that have occurred, but I elected to focus on those that have impacted marketing.

Consider this blog post a two-part series. I’ll focus on the greatest changes I’ve seen in the past 5 years here and follow it up next month with part two- my predictions for the next 5 years.

Here are the top 8 changes I’ve seen in the mom market in the past half decade.

1) Marketing “with” Moms rather than “to” moms
I’ve written about this before. Marketers used to spend millions on a brand message, distribute it to mothers and they would repeat it on the playground or at a PTA meeting. Today, moms read, see and hear that brand message, they define it for themselves and family and repeat it to other moms as they see fit. Wal-Mart may be the place to “Save Money, Live Better” but to some moms Wal-Mart might mean, fast easy shopping and if that’s the way they feel, that may be what turns up in the blog, vlog or YouTube video. Moms have become your marketing partner, not your target market. Market WITH moms, not TO moms.

2) Motherhood as a brand
Gone are the days of the Stepford wives. Today’s moms are branding themselves- MizFitOnline, Dr.Mommy, and MilitaryMom. Moms are doing it their way and just as companies are trying to build their brands, so are the mothers they are marketing with.

3) Customization
Millennial moms have redefined Burger King’s old tagline, “Have it your way”. Today’s new mothers expect to customize products, media and even the lifestyle of motherhood. They are applying their pre-baby style to post-baby life and customizing motherhood to their daily activities, personal values, goals and philosophies and expect the products they purchase to be customizable to the motherhood they define for themselves.

4) Frugalista Mom
The economy may have forced moms to shop differently but now that she’s tasted the sweet success of saving money, she’s not going back. The Mom Frugalista is here to stay, regardless of her income level. Moms have discovered that saving money is empowering, fun and a badge of honor among her peers.

5) Emergence of the virtual playground
Moms used to trade ideas and product information on the playground down the block. Today the physical playground as a social platform for mothers has been expanded to a virtual playground. Monkey bars and slides have been replaced with blogs and tweets. Moms mingle on the virtual playground passing along tips, advice and product recommendations just as they passed along casserole recipes next to the swings on the corner lot.

6) Sphere of influence on steroids
Word of mouth marketing has been the most powerful form of marketing in the world of mothers. Take yesterday’s sphere of influence and inject it with steroids and you have Word of Mom 2010. An influencer once was the PTO President or soccer mom but today she is a Blogger, business owner, YouTuber, Turbo Tweeter and Facebook Fanatic as well as the team and homeroom mom. Engage her as your brand evangelist and you have word of mom on steroids.

7) It’s A Small World After All
Moms have gone global. Thanks to technology, moms in Europe can compare business plans with moms in the US or mothers in Australia can trade sleep tips with moms in South Africa. Mothers love nurturing relationships and this includes interacting with moms across the globe.

8) Boomers are Becoming Grandparents
They may be the youngest group of “nanas” and “grandmas” in history but the good news for marketers is that these young- at-heart boomers are purchasing the same products that they did when they were moms. Loyalty is important to mothers and the fact that this young generation of grandmothers are fully engaged in their new role means that their old favorites still make it into their shopping cart.

Maria Bailey is the CEO of BSM Media and the author of “Marketing to Moms,” “Trillion Dollar Moms,” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mother by Leveraging New Media and Technology.” She is also the Host of Mom Talk Radio and Co-Founder of MomTV.com. She can be reached via Twitter @Momtalkradio and email at maria@bsmmedia.com.

I Love Twitter. You Should, Too!

I love Twitter. Absolutely love it and as a marketer you should too. As the mother of four, I use Twitter much in the same way I used to use Google or Yahoo!. When I need a recipe for a quick kid-friendly snack, I tweet it. Looking for a great gift idea? I tweet it. Once I even tweeted my search for canned pumpkin and found it, thanks to Twitter.

For many moms, twitter has become a search engine on steroids because of its ability to return recommendations from a peer group you trust and who knows your preferences, lifestyle and lifestage. This personalized delivery of relevant content is a dream come true for both consumers and companies trying to connect with them.

Unfortunately, companies have entered the Twittersphere haphazardly and without any real thought to how best utilize this powerful marketing channel. It’s not enough to just set up a Twitter account and tweet out the promotion of the week or newest press release. In fact, there’s been much tweeting about this lately among moms on Twitter. “Why do companies flood my Twitter account with garbage I can’t use?”, tweeted one mom last week. Another tweeted, “I spent 4 hours blocking companies who send me only marketing messages.”

A marketer can do a very effective job in connecting with moms in 140 characters or less as long as they follow a couple key strategies in mind. So to support these points, I did what I do most when I want to gain the prospective of moms, I tweeted this question out to my 13,000 followers: “What would you tell marketers about using Twitter when marketing to moms?”

1) It’s called Social Media because it’s social. For a woman, this means speaking back. Moms will quit following you if the dialogue is not a two-way conversation. @Gomominc tweeted: “Companies shouldn’t ask your opinion and then just go off …..”

2) Twitter shouldn’t be a platform to only broadcast promotions and sales. @ameladramaticmommy tweeted: “Be a person first and a company second. I would follow more companies if they tweeted out something interesting about them first”. If you want to see how a company representative can support a brand AND allow their personality to shine through, follow @comcastcares or @babycenterPR.

3) Take part in Twitter events. If you are surprised that there are “events” on Twitter, you probably aren’t using Twitter to its greatest potential. There are lots of events in this virtual space ranging from #FF (Follow Friday) and Twitter Parties. @Resourcefulmom created the former which have proven successful in gathering thousands of moms. Just last week BSM Media and @Resourceful hosted a Twitter Party for Zhu Zhu Pets. The event attracted over 1,000 moms and generated almost 9,000 tweets with the hash tag #ZhuZhuPets.

4) Don’t wait for moms to find you. Timing is important in delivering relevant content. Pick a few key words that fit your brand and search for twitter conversations on Summize.com, www.summize.com. In maintaining a Twitter account for one of my toy clients, we search daily for tweets that contain the word, “birthday”, “gift” and “toy”. Often we will find tweets that say” Need a birthday gift idea for 5 yr old boy”, to which we reply, “have you seen the new (insert appropriate toy) which is on sale at (insert retailer)” Relevant content delivered when a moms needs it.

5) Fear not! The conversation will happen with or without you, so you might as well join in. Many companies tell me they fear setting up a Twitter account. “ What if moms have something negative to say and say it to me on Twitter?” Well, guess what? They are going to say it whether you are there or not, but at least if you are Twitter, you have the chance to engage in the conversation.

Think back to the 80’s before social media existed and moms used to talk about products on the physical playground. Marketers were often blindsided by guerilla consumer chatter and only had the opportunity to react after it had reached the masses. With Twitter, if you see a mom complain about your product, you have 140 strokes of the keyboard to rectify the situation almost immediately. Customer service at its best.

I invite you to follow me on Twitter. I’m @momtalkradio. You can DM me or List me and if you don’t know what I’m describing, it’s time to learn. Today’s moms are doing more than just talking about brands, they are tweeting them too.

Maria Bailey is the author of “Marketing to Moms”, “Trillion Dollar Moms: Marketing to a New Generation of Mothers” and “Mom 3.0: Marketing With Today’s Mothers by Leveraging New Media and Technology”. She is CEO of BSM Media, the premier marketing to moms s firm connecting companies around the globe to mothers. Maria is also Co-Founder of BlueSuitMom.com, Newbaby.com, and MomTV.com and host of Mom Talk Radio, the first Nationally syndicated radio show for moms. You can follow her on Twitter @MomTalkRadio or email her at maria@bsmmedia.com.

Capturing Mom's Holiday Shopping Dollars

This article appeared in MediaPost Publications:

Just in time for the holidays and mom's rush to cross gifts off her list, the Marketing to Moms Coalition, a nonprofit industry group, has released the results its "Moms Holiday Spending Trends 2009" report.

The group surveyed 1,225 moms with children under 18 living at home. Some might predict that in a recovering economy that moms would be condensing her gift list and tightening her budget. Just the contrary, most moms plan to spend the same amount this year compared to last year. In fact, moms with older children expect to spend more than last year. This is good news for marketers and brands with the right marketing plans in place to capture holiday sales.

Let me share some of the highlights:

Gifts Vary by Kids' Age Groups - Teens Top Spending

Overall, moms will spend $672 this year, consistent with last year's spending levels with the top hot gifts for young children being toys (51%), clothing (29%), books (26%), movies (23%) and video games (8%). Top gift choices for children aged 7 to 12 being video games (30%), toys (29%), books/clothing (tied at 28%), movies (25%) and music (20%). Popular gifts for teens being music/music electronics (28%), clothing (27%), gift cards (23%), beauty products/video games (21%), and movies (19%). Compared to the total sample of moms, moms of teens plan to spend the most on holiday gifts.

Big ticket electronics like computers and cell phones will likely see a decrease in holiday sales this year. Of moms who plan to buy a gift for 7-12 year olds, 15% fewer will by computers, while 5% fewer moms plan to buy computers for teenagers this year.

Where Mom Will Shop

The majority of Moms plan to shop at mass merchandisers/supercenters for the holidays (85%), although that is down 2% from 2008. Anticipated holiday shopping this year has increased significantly for department (up 10% to 47% in 2009) and electronics stores (up 13% to 41% in 2009). Of all retailers, shoe stores are taking the hit the most in 2009 -- down 8% versus last year.

Moms with higher household income ($75,000+) plan to shop at more places, including department, specialty clothing, club and sporting goods stores, while those with lower income skew to dollar stores. Compared to other ethnic groups, English-speaking Hispanic moms are more likely to shop at electronics stores, while African American moms are more likely to hit dollar and shoe stores.

Buying Online Still Part of the Plan

Consistent with last year, most moms will do a lot of their shopping online this year as 16% of Moms plan to do 50% or more of their holiday shopping online. Moms with higher education and higher household income are consistently planning to do more of their shopping online than other moms. Toys (41%), clothing/clothing accessories (38%) and music/movies (34%) are the top three items Moms plan to buy online for the 2009 holidays.

Capturing Mom's Holiday Dollars

Marketers who want to capture mom's holiday dollars need to remember a few of the key principals of marketing to moms.

Help moms simplify her life. Make it easy for her to purchase your product. This means offering her complimentary accessories for products, suggesting hot sellers and sending her sale emails between 10 p.m. and midnight when she's online shopping.

Nurture a relationship with her through social media. Seek out moms who are looking for product by searching www.summize.com for moms tweeting about your product and then respond with information or answers.

Multitask with the multi-minder. She's on the move so make sure she finds your marketing messages along the away. Social media is great but it's only one piece of an integrated marketing plan. Don't forget to utilize local mom mavens offline, radio, couponing and peer reviews.

Engage her in a relevant conversation. It's called social media because parties socialize. Join into holiday conversations with moms via interactive online videos on sites like Momtv.com, Twitter Parties such as GNO (Girls Night Out events) or Facebook groups such as 24/7 Moms or Circle of Moms.

Now is the time to set your strategy for the holiday season. Moms will spend their money somewhere this year, shouldn't it be with you?