In the most recent AdAge, there is a story about a new talent agency for mommy bloggers who have had a category of their own for years. I wrote about their influence during the Pampers Dry Max debacle which shows moms’ influence at large and not just a niche blogger set.
Danielle Wiley, a former Edelman digital exec, launched Sway Group and expects to earn $1 million her first year. She invited 30 mommy bloggers to join her outfit and in one week had affirmative responses from them all. Sway Group will “broker” deals between PR firms and their clients who want the influence of that mommy niche. There are some heavy hitters, no doubt in the list if you read the story.
I’m wondering, though, why mompreneurs don’t get no respect?
I spent the last eight years trying to keep the fact I was a mompreneur secret. I have a successful business to run and what image do diapers and bottles conjure to a client who wants it yesterday? On the flip side, mompreneurs are one hot commodity. We have solid expertise in vertical industries; we run professional businesses; we have blogs with influential readers; and, we are parents experiencing the same crises other parents are.
Think about what corporate marketers are missing without professional mompreneur bloggers to tout product? Some mompreneurs do this:
$ We are most interested in efficient products– those that work and do not break.
$ We need economical products yet we are willing to spend the extra dollar on a premium product.
$ We will outfit our kids in Gymboree from birth to size 12 (which I did) and an occasional Hannah Andersson outfit.
$ We will buy the organic fruits and raspberries out of season because the health of our kids comes first.
$ We are able to travel to family destinations on an annual basis (Disney, Disney) and we require high connectivity and technology while away from the office.
Granted, my blogs I write on and for small business, PR, social media, and marketing don’t have the subscribers of an established mommy blogger; however, when you tally the Klout scores of my community and network, that’s a heckuva lot of influence that’s being ignored.
Maybe I’m in left field and just missing the action…set me straight!
You’re on to something there, Jayme. I wrote a post about the mompreneuer and how quickly we are dismissed in the start up and business world and reasons why we should not be (over at Spin Sucks) and it still irks me that it’s perfectly acceptable to be a mommy blogger but not so as a mompreneur. My take is that the mommy blogger world is one created just for mommies and as such, the rules are different, the pecking order is different and the expectations follow suit. Whereas in the mompreneur world, we operate in a business (i.e. more male dominated world) and have to play by different rules, fight the glass ceiling and hit higher expectations than our male counterparts on a regular basis. I may be way off base here and operating from an ignorant understanding of the mommy blogger world, but that’s my take on it. I also think as a society, it’s much easier for people to segregate us and put us (moms) into one box, rather than integrate us into the business world.
wow. Did that touch a nerve or what?
There’s only one concept I’m not on board with about what you said, and that’s the glass ceiling, male dominated world. In public relations, women rule — there are more women in PR then there are men; however, you do see men in the C suite very frequently (how did they get there?). What I’ve never done is worry about a glass ceiling; I’ve never been in the corporate world. Had I chosen that path, perhaps a career path to the corner office would’ve been more challenging. Male domination? Doesn’t exist in PR, IMHO. There are mid-range white collar men dead in the water with unemployment; women are outranking them in positions everywhere. (I’d need to back that up with data and a story.)
Not arguing with your points in the least; these are real for many people. If you make them your focus instead of your own career betterment, then that’s where the struggle resides.
Now, let me share that I’ve never been a conformist; I’ve quit a job with no job to go to to better my position. I have been self employed longer than employed and that began wayyyy early in my career. So, that said, perhaps I’m just blowing smoke! Thanks for your insight and I should’ve given you that link love from Gini’s … my apologies, Erica.
You’re on to something there, Jayme. I wrote a post about the mompreneuer and how quickly we are dismissed in the start up and business world and reasons why we should not be (over at Spin Sucks) and it still irks me that it’s perfectly acceptable to be a mommy blogger but not so as a mompreneur. My take is that the mommy blogger world is one created just for mommies and as such, the rules are different, the pecking order is different and the expectations follow suit. Whereas in the mompreneur world, we operate in a business (i.e. more male dominated world) and have to play by different rules, fight the glass ceiling and hit higher expectations than our male counterparts on a regular basis. I may be way off base here and operating from an ignorant understanding of the mommy blogger world, but that’s my take on it. I also think as a society, it’s much easier for people to segregate us and put us (moms) into one box, rather than integrate us into the business world.
wow. Did that touch a nerve or what?
Moms are cool, period.
I think you are on to something, you post makes a lot of sense. Who do I need to send this to?
I want a million dollars………..just sayin’………..
Hope your day went well.
Wanna be my agent?
Let’s make this thing happen……..
Arghh…may I abstain, refrain, back off, retract and every other back pedal?
I am a dad blogger and very involved in all of the parenting blogger business. I am actually a Nintendo Brand Ambassador and I work with other brands as well. There has been a serious problem with the interaction between PR and bloggers. I blame a low barrier to entry and a limited understanding of how business works. I don’t want to tell you how many of these bloggers work pennies because they don’t understand what they are doing.
That is not to say that the PR/Brand side isn’t culpable too. Some of them have taken advantage of people in ways that are just terrible. Anyway, I won’t hijack the thread with a rant.
Suffice it to say that I am very curious to see what happens.
Gosh. What did you start @a76049f6a32a1e633a732b81bafb98c9:disqus ? I just made a simple observation from a story I read, and all of a sudden I’m competing to be a mompreneur blogger. Not so; just sayin’.
Now, The Jack, what you have to say is far more valuable; perhaps you’d permit my Q&A with you for a follow-up feature? Or, you’d expound a tad to share your experience?
You know as well as I we have issues in PR; since I now see PR firms touting blogger relations as an entire service they offer different than social media (they’re pulling this out ala media relations), I’m intrigued with your parenting blogging. I’m innocent and not trying to ruffle anyone’s feathers…or am I?
When opportunity knocks……………….just sayin’……………
As you’re on PT time, I think; you have 3 more hours of awake than I. I’m going to ask the questions in this forum, and you can email to me jayme at soulati dot com. Whenever, but if you need something to do, we can polish this tomorrow and publish Wednesday? Some Qs for you, The Jack…How did you get involved in parent blogging? How’s the barrier to entry for dads? Do you have someone represent you to find opportunities? Tell me about your experiences with PR people working on blogger outreach. You’ve mentioned you’ve seen some pretty negative situations. What is the solution, Jack? What must happen for a cohesive working relationship from PR to blogger? From corporate marketing to blogger? From blogger to corporate marketing? Which line is most powerful? Can a blogger with a decent following get involved in this space i.e. touting product like you do for Nintendo? And, anything else you might like to share? (Thanks, Jack!)
Answers are forthcoming.
Yeah, like Jack would be ‘that guy’ who’s actually going to stand up and speak his mind………………:)
I saw a post at @shonali:twitter ‘s about a fumbled pitch last week that speaks to the failure to communicate between PR blogging and PR pitches. It seems there is a lack of understanding of one side about what the other side is doing, to me. https://www.waxingunlyrical.com/2011/06/14/how-not-to-pitch-anyone/
As for being a mommy blogger, well… I can’t say I’m familiar with that aspect of things, since I tend to blog just as a ‘preneur (I actually don’t like the term “mompreneur” much, descriptive and apropos as it is, but I don’t like the term “entrepreneur” much, either–brings to mind an ice cream stand, or something a bit more brick-and-mortar than what I’ve got going on]). Interestingly, Jayme told me she saw a certain amount of “mom” coming out in my posts anyway (the “Fans/Apple Juice” post and the childhood jeans post. I didn’t see it that way myself, but it makes me wonder now what others may see. Am I a mommy blogger?
Also, @soulati:disqus I like your $ description of us. I do think as long as my personal life doesn’t disrupt (there’s a difference between that and “interrupt,” I think) my business, people don’t seem to mind how many kids are tugging at my skirts during an email or Skype exchange. In person, though, a whole lot of other factors come into play for women, of course, and being a mother is just one more thing people expect us to use as baggage the first chance we get.
I saw @soulati:disqus ‘s post in my Reader, but since I’m neither a mommy blogger nor mompreneur, didn’t feel qualified to comment. However, since @TheJackB:disqus has done so as a dad blogger, and you brought me in here, Shakirah, I will. 🙂
From my outside perspective, could it be because “mommy bloggers” tend to blog about “mommy” stuff, and “mompreneurs” tend to blog about “preneur” stuff, as you say, Shakirah? And thank you for sharing the PR/blogger post!
Thanks, @Shonali:disqus for biting the bullet and stopping in! I believe there are many lurking b/c they don’t feel they’re qualified to weigh in on this topic without the word “parent” emblazoned on the forehead. People love to add labels to everyone and everything we do; it’s the fault of marketing (heh, not PR this time!). Whether it helps or hurts, there are categories of bloggers banging it up and others trying to capitalize on the phenom.
That’s my point. I never imagined myself as either a mompreneur or a mommy blogger (another term I really don’t like). Your perception shocked me, but perhaps (please let it be so!) you have it only because you know I’m someone’s mother. But I’m not a mommy blogger whether kids are hanging off my skirts or not. I enjoy using real life experiences, some of which might have to do with parenthood, but most of which really don’t. In any case, I think I kind of moved off topic somewhere along the line.
Sheesh, @Shakirah and @Shonali:disqus . I just had to alliterate with “sh” in case you didn’t catch that.
You said a mouthful, Shakirah; in fact it’s a whole blog post about persona, kids on the leg and Skype; is that the image you want to put out there? Kinda like an actor that can’t get away from the part they play for years; once a mommy blogger always a mommy blogger. Should you define yourself as such?
I knew when I became a mom, my introduction would never be, “Hi, I’m Yazmin’s mom.” It is and always will be, “My name is Jayme, and this is my daughter, Yazi.”
That’s a tough question Jayme — might be as simple as mommy bloggers have a much larger audience on average than mompreneur bloggers, or it
might be something more tricky. I think why mompreneurs have more trouble (outside of their blogs) relates to what Erica and you speak about below.
I will say this: I wish the new agency much success, but I will be very curious to see where it is in a year. I’m having a hard time seeing how the economics is going to work. It will probably be good for the bloggers (depending on the contract).
The woman who launched this apparently is a pioneer in relating to bloggers via Edelman Digital. To make $1 million who first year out is substantial for a start up, eh? Thanks for coming by, Adam.
I still want to make $1 million…………
Get. In. Line. Dude.
@soulati:disqus Bill, you can pull it off in no time. Just find a way to get paid per comment! 🙂
Hey, that’s my new business model; I think I can work with it………….:)