Posts Tagged "Blogging"

Does social media really impact moms’ purchasing decisions? 

Here at Child’s Play Communications, we knew from our experience connecting companies with moms in social media that the answer was yes, but we wanted to offer greater insight into how and to what degree social media influences what moms buy. Toward that end, we commissioned The NPD Group, a leading market research company, to conduct an in-depth survey of moms across the U.S. based on a series of questions we developed.  The just released  “Social Media Moms: How Networking Impacts Purchasing Behaviors” provides a comprehensive understanding  not only of  what motivates moms’ purchasing decisions but also of moms’ overall use of social media. Following are some key finding:

•  79% of all moms in the U.S. with children under the age of 18 are active in social media
•  Of these moms, about one in four (23%) said they have purchased a children’s product as a result of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog. 
•  Online recommendations have even more impact among the most frequent social media users: 43% of active social media moms who use these sites on a daily basis have purchased a children’s product as the result of a recommendation from these sites.
•  More than half (55%) of these moms said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog.
• 40% of these moms made a purchase because of a  Facebook recommendation.

 The NPD Group fielded an online survey to members of NPD’s online panel and to members of the Child’s Play Communications online panel. The two different sources provided data to create both a holistic view of U.S. moms and their interaction with social media, as well as a deep-dive into the behaviors and preferences of social media moms. The complete survey is available for purchase from NPD.

 Clearly, moms nationwide are making purchasing decisions as a result of the information and advice other moms are providing through social media.

How about you? Have you made a purchase as a result of a social media recommendation? Was it from a blog? What did you buy and why?

The annual Chicago Toy & Game Fair, aka ChiTAG, is the Windy City’s festive, family-centric kick-off to the holiday shopping season. This year ChiTAG was also the backdrop for Child’s Play Communications’ Holiday Bloggers Brunch, our very first holiday-season blogger event and our first Bloggers Brunch to be held in Chicago. Situated at the family-friendly Navy Pier, the event was designed to connect leading companies and brands with mom bloggers in an intimate atmosphere conducive to conversation, networking, and the presentation of top holiday products and services.

The morning portion of the event featured an informative panel discussion with noted Chicago-area mom bloggers including Kris Cain, LittleTechGirl; Amy Mueller, ParentSphere; Maria Ramos, MyChicagoMommy and MJ Tam, Chicagonista.  I was delighted to moderate a lively conversation regarding the most effective ways for companies and brands to engage with bloggers today. There were an abundance of “takeaways” for the audience of corporate representatives and other bloggers, covering everything from how to pitch bloggers to tips for maintaining a positive, reciprocal relationship.

Following the panel discussion, our blogger guests enjoyed a tasty brunch in the sun-kissed Lakeview Terrace room, overlooking the harbor. Conversation was plentiful among the bloggers and our sponsors, including Playtex Baby, MEGA Brands, Backyard Safari Outfitters/Zillionz, Toy State, Restaurant.com, Cold Stone Creamery and In Zone Brands. Holiday makeup applications provided by Mary Kay Cosmetics put everyone in a celebratory mood as did sponsor giveaways and a slew of fabulous raffle prizes including a $250 Target gift card, a deluxe diaper disposal system and holiday toy gift packs. Everyone got to savor the decadent new Cold Stone Creamery layer cakes which topped off the brunch on a sweet note!

Special thanks to all of our sponsors for their support and to the dedicated bloggers with whom we work so closely year round. We’re so pleased about the positive comments that have already come in from bloggers and sponsors alike.

Click here for photos and videos of the Child’s Play Communications Chicago Holiday Bloggers Brunch.

We have a full slate of Bloggers Brunches and other terrific, mom-focused social media activities planned for 2011. Potential sponsors, don’t hesitate to drop me an email if you would like more information (sa@childsplaypr.com). 

Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving to all!

 No matter how many blogger events we host, we can’t help but get excited each time!  Child’s Play Communications’ fifth major Bloggers Brunch event is taking place this Saturday, Nov. 20,  in Chicago, as part of the Chicago Toy & Game Fair (ChiTAG.). We hope to see you there!

It’s going to be one BUSY event:

On Friday morning at 10 a.m., I’ll be answering questions about marketing to moms for a panel discussion hosted by ChiTAG.

On Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m., I’ll be making a presentation about moms and social media to the Chicago Midwest chapter of  Women In Toys.

Then — at 10 a.m. on Saturday– I’ll be moderating a panel of mom bloggers that we at Child’s Play are presenting, as part of our Bloggers Brunch. The presentation is titled Marketing to Moms in Social Media: How to Most Effectively Promote Your Brand. We have a great group of panelists planned:

• MJ Tam, Editor, Chicagonista.com
• Kris Cain, LittleTechGirl
• Maria Ramos, MyChicagoMommy
• Amy Mueller, ParentSphere

We’re still signing up guests to attend the panel presentation, so any companies that are interested, please register here. Moms who are attending our Bloggers Brunch may also attend the panel presentation, at no charge, but must let us know beforehand.

Most exciting is that, at noon on Saturday, I and my Child’s Play team — Julie Livingston, who manages our event programs; Marie Baker, who heads our award-winning Team Mom review-blogger network; Erika Sanchez, an old hand at our blogger events, and Fiona MacLeod, who just joined Child’s Play to help with special projects – will host the Holiday Bloggers Brunch, where we’ll have the opportunity to connect 50 mom bloggers with event sponsors including: Cold Stone Creamery, now sponsoring one of our Bloggers Brunch events for the third consecutive time,  Backyard Safari Outfitters, also back for the third time, Playtex Baby, In Zone Brands, Road Rippers, MEGA Brands,  Zillions, and Restaurant.com. Mary Kay Cosmetics has signed on to provide pampering to our mom blogger guests.

The best part for us: connecting in person with all the moms  we’ve been working with over the years through Team Mom and meeting other mom bloggers for the first time.

So, to all our sponsors and all our mom-blogger guests: Can’t wait to see you there!

I love mom-blogger events — so much so that we’re about to host yet another one, this time in Chicago!

On Saturday, November 20th, Child’s Play Communications will hold our first Holiday Bloggers Brunch, as part of the Chicago Toy & Game Fair (ChiTAG), a major family event that serves as the Windy City’s kick-off to the holiday season.

This event is a prime opportunity for 50 leading mom bloggers to meet one-on-one with 10 sponsor companies in an intimate atmosphere, conducive to conversation and forming personal connections. Sponsors as of today include Cold Stone Creamery, Restaurant.com, Toy State, MEGA Brands, Playtex Baby and In Zone – with more to come.

The Chicago Holiday Bloggers Brunch follows on the heels of our successful New York City Dinner’s On Us (August, 2010) and Los Angeles Bloggers Brunch (April, 2010).  The Holiday Bloggers Brunch is our fifth major blogger event, and it includes two distinct components:

That morning, the event will open with a panel of leading Chicago mom bloggers, who will discuss best practices for reaching moms through social media – including blogs, Twitter and Facebook. They will share their insights and answer questions on how to work with this target market most effectively. They will also discuss how social media has evolved, as well as current trends and issues that impact their interaction with companies and brands today.

The morning presentation will be followed by a noon brunch at which sponsors exhibit their products to bloggers for review consideration. It’s a great opportunity for sponsors and bloggers to connect live and in person and communicate how each can benefit the other. It’s also a wonderful way for bloggers to meet other mom bloggers – and to have an afternoon of fun, complete with great food and some much-needed pampering. Bloggers who attend the brunch will also receive free passes to the ChiTAG exhibit.

Here’s what sponsors are saying about Child’s Play Communications’ blogger events!

Toyota:“Toyota was pleased to have the opportunity to speak with bloggers about some of our exciting new products, such as Sienna, as well as share information on our latest safety initiatives that continue to make Toyotas some of safest vehicles on the road today.”

California Strawberry:“The California Strawberry Commission was a sponsor of the “Dinner’s on Us” event held this year in NYC. It was a great opportunity for us to connect with dozens of influential mom bloggers. Child’s Play Communications did a great job organizing a fun, engaging and social event.”

Cold Stone Creamery:“Through the Child’s Play bloggers events, we were able to build lasting relationships with influential mom bloggers for the Cold Stone Creamery brand. These events put our product in the hands of our core customers, and have been extremely beneficial in our social media outreach.”

Bloggers, if you are interested in attending and have not yet received an invitation, please send your contact information to childsplay@childsplaypr.com.

Companies, if you’re looking to reach influential social media moms directly this holiday season, contact Julie Livingston, jl@childsplaypr.com, (212) 488-2060 x 12 for sponsorship information.

According to a recent article by eMarketer, not all mommy bloggers are alike! 

Really?

Truth be told, the company then makes this valid point: The fact that mommy bloggers are such a diverse groups is “a benefit and a challenge for marketers.”

It’s a benefit, from my point of view, because it allows so many different kinds of companies to reach so many different kinds of  moms. It’s a challenge because identifying the right moms for the right topic then approaching them in the right way requires a great deal of time and effort. 

It all goes back to what we’ve been saying to clients  for years — to work with mom bloggers most effectively you have to understand what they write about.  Marketers, here are some questions to ask yourselves when pitching mommy bloggers:

How does the fact that they are moms relate to the topic of their blogs?

Are they personal bloggers, review bloggers, neither or both?

If they do reviews, in what categories, and for what age ranges? Do they focus only on travel or on food, on fashion or on entertainment? Or are their posts instead based on a personal passion, whether for politics or an important social cause?

How do they want to work with you? By:

• Receiving product samples, for reviews or giveaways?
• Learning about exclusive discounts, coupons and other special offers?
• Sitting down with you at your headquarters, connecting with you at a special event,  or going behind the scenes of your operation?
• Interviewing a celebrity spokesperson?
• Hosting a guest post from an expert?
• Partnering with you to create awareness about an issue that is dear to them?
• Not at all?

These are just a few of the many ways mommy blogs differ in their focus and in their approach. The more research a company does and the more genuine relationships it establishes, the more successful it will be in communicating with these social media moms.

Mom  bloggers, what would you like to add to the list above?