Canadian Mom Bloggers Report

Mom Central | 1235 Bay St. Suite 400 | Toronto, M5R 3K4 Office: 416.966.0645 | www.MomCentralConsulting.com

Canadian Mom Blogger Report

October, 2010



About Mom Central Consulting

As the premier firm specializing in Marketing to Moms, Mom Central Consulting helps companies develop meaningful conversations, connections, and communities with Moms.

We reach Moms and engage them in powerful word-of-mouth programs such as blog tours, viral marketing programs, geo-targeted referral programs, and live grassroots events. They take action and recommend your brand, fueling brand awareness, engagement, product trial, and sales.

Mom Central works with over 100 North American brands. We also offer a breadth of consulting services, including research and social media strategy and listening, for start-up and established brands.

As many of our clients have learned, Mom Bloggers are tech-savvy, well educated women who wield extensive consumer power. Their words and opinions influence brand perception both online and off and they can be a valuable partner in your marketing campaign. Mom Central Consulting recently surveyed 200 Canadian Mom Bloggers to get a pulse on the state of the Canadian Mom-Blogosphere. An overview of the results can be found below. For more information on how Mom Central Consulting can facilitate networking with Canadian Mom Bloggers, feel free to contact us.

Introduction


•  The average Canadian Mom Blogger (CMB) is 31 years old with 2 kids in the household.

•  78% of these bloggers are well educated with at least a Bachelor’s degree or College Degree. 17% have a Graduate or Masters degree.

•  77% of CMBs have children in the age range of 1-5 years old. 43% have children in the age range of 5-12 years old.

•  46% of these bloggers currently live in Ontario, 4% in Nova Scotia/New Brunswick and 48% are from Western Canada.

•  35% of CMBs would define their neighbourhood as “Urban,” 43% as “Suburban” and 22% as “Rural.”

•  46% of CMBs contribute to more than one blog.

Who are Canadian Mom Bloggers?

While we would argue that every Mom Blogger is just as unique and individual as the blog she creates, here is a quick breakdown of the Canadian Mom Blogger landscape.


Readership & Sphere of Influence

When working with bloggers, Mom Central Consulting maintains a concise focus on the importance of finding the right fit for your brand and message. Blog content, fit with the blogger/blogger’s family, writing style and audience are just some of the important factors that need to be considered when deciding which blogger(s) would make a good partner for your brand.

•  The average Canadian Mom Blogger has a readership of just over 4,500 readers per month on her main blog. About 6% of bloggers we surveyed had a readership of over 50,000 per month.

•  However, it’s not only readership on a blog to consider. As previously mentioned, Mom Bloggers are extremely well connected online with a large Sphere of Influence (SOI). •  92% of bloggers are active on Twitter with over 32% having over 1,000 followers •  89% of bloggers are active on facebook •  39% are using LinkedIn on a regular basis •  26% are using Flickr •  28% are active in at least one Ning group

While high readership is important, it should never be the leading factor when selecting a blogger to work with. At Mom Central Consulting, we use a proprietary measurement system that looks at a blogger’s entire Sphere of Influence, which includes readership numbers among other factors. As we have seen in our Canadian Digital Moms research, Canadian Moms in general are active online and bloggers are definitely at the very active end of the spectrum. Here’s a quick look at how Canadian Mom Bloggers are reaching their readers:


Where Brands and Bloggers Meet

The issue of financial compensation for product reviews is a hot topic amongst bloggers, agencies and brands alike with many vocal parties on each side of the debate. Canadian Mom Bloggers appear to be split on the issue with 54% saying that bloggers should not be financially compensated for product reviews.

•  69% of bloggers we surveyed currently do product reviews on their blog (whether paid or unpaid).

•  An additional 16% of these bloggers would like to start doing product reviews on their blog.

•  An astounding 95% of Canadian Mom Bloggers would like to be more engaged with companies and brands.


Currently, only 32% of Canadian Mom Bloggers are earning money from their blogs, the majority of that income coming from banner or other ad placements (59%), product reviews (30%), ad networks (24%) and sponsorship (24%).

Only 29% of bloggers say that making money is at least somewhat important to them when it comes to their motivation for blogging – financial gain is clearly not the main reason Moms are turning to blogging.

So why do these Moms blog? There are a myriad of reasons why moms decide to begins blogging. Some begin blogging as a way of keeping their friends and family in the loop after a new baby is born. Others love to try new products and want to share information about what they like with other Moms. Others just love the attention - and aren’t afraid to admit it!

The Top 3 Reasons Canadian Moms Blog are:

1.  To connect and share with other Moms

2.  Personal enjoyment - “something just for me”

3.  Passion/love of writing


Mom Bloggers Create ��Word-of-Mouth

Mom Blogs tap into the conversational nature of Moms and spark discussions both on and offline. They build brand reputation through word of-mouth recommendations or criticisms with a community of readers who trust what they say. Unlike advertising or banners, each post shares a first person perspective and lives on a site (and thus ��in search engine results) indefinitely.

Moms want to be part of a collaborative community and love introducing new products and services to their Mom friends. Once Moms read about a certain product on their favourite Mom Blog, they will be more likely to buy the product based on the reviews. 90% of Canadian Moms say they rely on referrals from family and friends when making product decisions (digitalmom.ca).


Tips to a Successful ��Partnership with Bloggers

Know the blogger and their audience

72% of Canadian Mom Bloggers stated that it was very/critically important when receiving outreach from a company or PR representative that the outside party had familiarized themselves with their blog. The number one mistake that bloggers felt companies had made when approaching them was having no knowledge of the blogger or their audience. Be sure to do a little research and get to know a blogger and the types of things they are writing about.

Customize your outreach

Not addressing a blogger by name or addressing an email with “Dear Mom Blogger” will also raise red flags amongst a large percentage of bloggers. Take the time to get to know a blogger’s first name and be sure you address your communications accordingly. Tailor the outreach to show that you’ve done your homework and state why you think this campaign would be a good fit for the blogger. Lastly, drop the term “Mommy Blogger” – most bloggers find this term condescending and would prefer “Mom Blogger” or just simply “Blogger.”

Create an experience

Creating a memorable experience around your brand or product for a blogger can take the relationship and outcome to a whole new level. Not only does it increase the level of conversation (ie. Pre/post event conversation) but it also provides the blogger with more content and a deeper connection with the brand, often leading to better results.


Make it a win-win-win situation

When working with bloggers, ensure that there’s something in it for the blogger, the brand and the reader. The best campaigns will consider all 3 parties and how each may benefit. In doing this, the blogger is more likely to be excited about being involved, and will therefore work harder to drive more traffic to their post. Ensure that there’s something in it for the readers too wherever possible - they’ll be excited to comment and share the link with others. 79% of bloggers stated that traffic to their blog was important. If you’re able to create a campaign that will help a blogger increase traffic, they’re more likely to be interested in working with you.


Consider your objectives before starting out

A campaign involving influential bloggers requires a serious time commitment. Simply blasting your message to a group of bloggers and hoping for a response will likely not get you the results you’re hoping for. Before you start out be sure that you’ve done your homework and also have a response plan (what will you do if your product isn’t well received?).

Establishing how you will measure your campaign’s success is also vital. If you’re simply looking to work with bloggers as a vehicle to drive traffic to your site, you may not get the results you’re hoping for. However, working with bloggers can provide many additional benefits including building online buzz, improved SEO, word of mouth recommendations through a trusted voice and increased awareness.


MOM CENTRAL CONSULTING

1235 Bay Street | Suite 400 Toronto | Ontario

MomCentralConsulting.com MomCentralCanada.com

Cora Brady Managing Director

[email protected] (office) 416.966.0645 (mobile) 416.518.5416

Canadian Mom Bloggers Report

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