Authentic connections
Did Mom invent social media? Some say she did. And there is no arguing that she is driving it and helping it to evolve. There are 82 million moms across the U.S. of all ages. That's right, 82 million. And 26 million of them are mommy bloggers. And they are grassroots, Oprah-like brand advocates with loyal followers who can change the trajectory of a brand and its products.
Identifying Mom is the easy part -- who she is, where she is, and what she likes. The hard part is balancing content with brand messaging and finding the right tone and authenticity. How does a brand build a relationship with her? The more you know about her, the easier it will be to develop programs with her. And "with" is the operative word!
The days of push media are over. Today's social media moms rule the social web: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo, FriendFeed, and more. From family, fashion, finance, and fun to technology, travel, cars, and healthcare, moms account for $2 trillion dollars worth of purchases, and there isn't a brand on Earth that doesn't want to connect with her. To reach her, the first step is to remember that it's all about communicating, which is very different than selling.
So with that in mind, here are some examples of brands that have done a great job connecting with moms in the social media space.
