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!
