By Mae Hacking, co-creator of Here in This House
This talk at the 2011 Mommybites Summit was an opportunity for moms to understand just how valuable their voices are to companies. With the insights of speakers Dustin Bryson of Envirocon Technologies and Marie Baker of Child’s Play Communications, attendees learned how to make their voices heard to those companies to help shape product development and marketing strategies.
Social Media Background
- Social networking is not new. Perhaps the earliest case is the story of Bonnie Wise who threw parties to network with other moms in her community and sell a particular product. She was so successful, she was offered a management position at the company and the products were eventually removed from stores and sold exclusively through these localized parties. The product? Tupperware!
- 79% of all moms with children under the age of 18 are active in social media, (primarily Facebook, Twitter and blogs) according to a recent social media moms study by Child’s Play Communications and NPD Group.
- A recent women bloggers study by eMarketers estimates that 4M moms will write a blog at least monthly this year.
Tips on Using Social Media
- Be careful of what you “like” on Facebook. A “like” is the equivalent of a personal endorsement.
- Find brands you like and engage with them. Don’t be a lurker.
- If needed, Facebook and Twitter can be a great customer service tool.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for something. You never know how they may respond and the worst they can say is “no.”
Tips on Starting a Blog
- Before you start, know that it’s a lot of work.
- Have something unique and focused to say.
- Want to blog and don’t have a lot of time? Dip your toes into blogging by being a contributor to another site. Find blogs you like and offer your services.
- Write what you want to write about not what you think a brand wants to hear.
What Brands Look for in Bloggers
- Quality of writing
- Subject matter
- Influence (Facebook/Twitter followers, page views, unique page views, etc.)
- Level of engagement with audience, including comments (on the blog as well as on Facebook)
- Personality and authenticity
Overall, Dustin and Marie gave the attendees a lot to think about in exercising their social media voice. They challenged everyone to find even just one brand that they genuinely liked to reach out to and engage.