Where Does Social Media Belong?

I must thank Twitter and everyone on it for continuing to expand upon the conversation that was generated from my previous post. Someone I follow on Twitter brought up the excellent point that I've singled out PR as the sole profession at fault here. She's right - I did. With that, I double-checked the letter that my friends received received and sure enough, the PR side of the agency wasn't credited - it was the Social Media Director. So, I stand corrected for blaming bad strategy & execution on their PR personnel. (But that still doesn't change my opinion that it is a flawed strategy with bad execution.)

But this did bring up a couple great points which I'd love to discuss further:

1. Who should manage social media outreach - PR, Marketing, WOM Agencies?

2. What is the definition of PR in today's social media world?

My fellow tweeter questioned "why is poor outreach always blamed on PR." I replied that typically PR agencies are assigned the outreach while marketing agencies develop a strategy. I want to clarify that PR does need to be part of any marketing strategy so we PR folk either work closely with those agencies or we develop client-direct PR strategies. One of our roles as PR practitioner is to understand how to effectively manage the communication flow and which tools are the best used in the process. What I'm trying to say is that when it comes to outreach, it typically lands in the laps of PR professionals, however she is right -  in today's multidisciplinary environment, all personnel under the communications umbrella should be held accountable. At very least I would expect that anyone managing social media outreach on behalf of a client should be communicating with other members of the communications team (including PR) to ensure the strategy and execution align with the brand itself.

The PRSA definition of public relations is "the practice of managing the communication between an organization and its publics. Public relations gains an organization or individual exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment." So in the traditional sense, one would assume that tweeting to gain exposure would fall under the PR category. 

There's an awesome post by @JasonFalls of Social Media Explorer that I feel presents a great argument for SM being handled by PR practitioners -"PR as social media owner in many ways also addresses the concern of the online community that marketers don’t belong. Assuming we can trim away the corporate speak and manage transparent communications efforts in years to come, public relations representatives are the least likely to sell and most capable of speaking as humans to humans, rather than up-selling hucksters to “consumers.”

So now its your turn, what is your definition of PR and do you think Social Media 'belongs' to any specific practice?

What Not to Do

In case you missed it, Twitter was all a-buzz yesterday when @TassimoCanada launched a twitter giveaway which stated:

“ONLY 50 TASSIMO Systems remaining for Twitter Giveaway. DM your email if you want one! You must live in Canada and have 500 + followers!”

(Now, don’t think that you have been living under a rock because you haven’t heard of Tassimo because I expect 95% of the twitter entrants hadn’t. Tassimo is a Kraft coffee machine that has “patent barcode technology” that will brew a cup precisely each time.)

In a subsequent tweet, @TassimoCanada responded to a mom blogger and stated:

“we are trying to give TASSIMO Systems to as many moms as we can ... thank you for spreading the word!”

Like all the other entrants, I was excited because …well, who doesn’t love free stuff! But what intrigued me the most was the strategy and execution of this PR campaign and the fact they are trying to target moms. On a base level, there were many flaws to this campaign, which I believe will ultimately negatively affect the brand.

1. EXECUTION: Twitter 101: As many of the entrants pointed out, you cannot DM someone if they aren’t following you back. So everyone (including me) sent a general tweet to @TassimoCanada which first pointed out that you can’t DM them but that you wanted to be considered. The big problem was that their entry guideline was flawed by a lack understanding of how Twitter works on a basic level, which can translate into a negative for brand value.

They also created a storm in a teacup, which could have gotten much worse. By singling out moms on twitter, a few dads got up in arms about why they couldn’t enter. The company quickly rectified the situation by offering a machine to a couple dads but this brings me to my second point -

2. NO TRANSPARENCY & GUIDELINES: One of the #1 rules to any contest is the entrant needs to understand how you are going to choose the winner and make it clear for the entrant on how to submit their entry in order to have the best chance of winning. Well, I met the criteria of being a mom, having over 500 followers (I have 1100 in fact) and being Canadian but somehow, I didn’t get picked. Yet 3 (count them 3!) of my friends did and 2 of them entered AFTER I did. Before you say I have sour grapes, I should mention that I have a kick-ass Saeco coffee machine (valued over $1,000) so I didn’t really want or need a machine. What irritated me was that no one truly understood that they were being judged on; obviously there must have been some other criteria than what they said otherwise I would have won.

3. RESULTS & MEASURABILITY: As I stated 3 friends have won machines. They received a nice long email from the PR company that stated they received 1 of 300 machines for free. But what shocked me was that they stated they ‘chose’ them because they “love to drink and talk all-things coffee and tea.” - which they don’t and that definitely wasn’t made apparent as part of the original criteria to enter into the contest. The letter goes on to say that they “did a search for active bloggers and social media enthusiasts in Canada and you were within our top list”. Hmmm, since when did tweeting that you want a free item make you an active blogger and ‘social media enthusiast’? What this says to me is they are looking for quantity over quality of results (assuming that results are defined as number of tweets, number of blog posts).

Sure, the PR company generated a bunch of twitter posts but they are all based on a FREE value proposition – which is an easy route to take and could actually hurt the company’s overall brand value. 

I also know that at no point in their communication with the winners has the PR company defined any obligation to post or tweet about the machine once they receive it. Perhaps they are hoping that everyone who receives a machine will do it, but I know from experience that unless you give people direct instruction and deadlines the novelty of the item quickly dissipates and so does the ‘buzz’ factor.

What are the measurements of such a program – number of tweets, number of blog posts? When I create a program I include those numbers as part of the measurement but I have quickly realized that the value of a campaign is in the quality of interaction and conversation with a brand – not in the amount of posts or tweets it receives. PR is about brand recognition and equity that is obtained through continuous, relentless and prominent presence in the media and key influencers. You cannot obtain this by ‘spraying’ a bunch of products into the twitter-sphere.

4. A "FREE" PROPOSITION DEVALUES A BRAND: At the core of my ‘beef’ with this campaign is the fact that when you give something away for free, you diminish its value. I’m sure this machine is great for rushed moms & dads who are trying to get out in the morning but instead of describing the benefits of how this machine will save time, save money and ultimately making these parents lives easier so they should consider BUYING a machine, they are doing us Canadians a favour and giving them away for free instead. In other words, why buy it when you can get it free!

As you can tell, I’m up-in-arms about this so I’m committing to the fact that my next post will be on how I would have done it differently. It will be a few quick tips so that hopefully you won’t make the same mistakes as these big players did. Stay tuned!

Necessity is the Canadian Mother’s Mobile Device

New Survey Reveals Canadian Moms' Mobile Technology Habits

Vancouver, BC/Toronto, ON (September 9, 2009) – As CEO of the household, busy moms are leveraging their mobile technology to help them be more productive and stay connected. And as Canadian moms prepare for their family’s return to a demanding schedule, 24% are also considering an upgrade of the item or service they have deemed a necessity – their mobile device/cell phone service.

This statistic is just one of the results of a nationwide survey conducted by SavvyMom.ca and limelitePR which set out to investigate Canadian moms’ mobile device habits.  The results of the survey, which collected the opinions of SavvyMom readers from across Canada, reveal that 70% of Canadian moms consider their mobile devices a necessity in order to stay organized and manage communication with friends, family and work. Not surprisingly, the device of choice of 30% of respondents was a multi-functional device or Smart Phone such as an iPhone, Blackberry or Palm.

The survey garnered over 1,000 respondents from coast to coast and polled Canadian moms on their mobile technology and how they most commonly use it. Respondents included stay at home moms (22%), work from home moms (13%), work outside of home moms (42%), as well as retired, pregnant and maternity-leave moms (23%).

More Than Just a Phone

Although 75% of Canadian moms are primarily using their mobile devices to text and talk with friends, 32% say they use it as a camera, 28% to stay organized, 15% to play music and 15% for web surfing.

Additionally, 32% say they let their children play with their mobile device, with 53% choosing “traveling in the car” as the primary location for this activity.

The Top 5 Mobile Applications Downloaded by Moms:

1.    entertainment or novelty apps for moms (51%), with Facebook being one of the most popular choices

2.    schedule & calendar gadgets (45%)

3.    email applications (42%), Gmail was the most common choice

4.    Maps or GPS (39%), with Google Maps repeatedly mentioned

5.    entertainment apps for kids (25%)

Additional Mobile Moms Survey highlights include:

• 30% use it as a direct link to kids, nanny or babysitter (keeping the kids close)
• 27% of moms said they would like to make online purchases from their mobile device
• 25% have downloaded mobile applications
• 53% discover new mobile device applications via friends and other moms, highlighting the power of word of mouth when it comes to spreading the word about these tools

“While it’s not surprising that the typical Canadian mom has integrated mobile technology into her daily life, understanding the value she attaches to such a device provides marketers with the potential to engage with Canadian moms in a new way,” says Minnow Hamilton, Managing Editor, SavvyMom.ca

“We felt it was important to get a Canadian perspective on mobile technology within the mom market. The survey results demonstrate that Canadian moms view mobile technology as an integral part of their lives or more importantly, as a necessary tool that helps them save time and stay connected,” says Jeanette Miller, Principal of limelitePR.

About limelitePR limelitePR is a boutique public relations firm that is dedicated to creating a buzz and connecting leading brands with moms across Canada and the USA. By conducting traditional media relations, blogger outreach, and creating influencer mom-market activities and programs, the limelitePR team develops an integrated PR approach that will generate brand awareness at a consumer level, which directly increases sales and maintains brand recognition.

About SavvyMom Media SavvyMom is the trusted resource for time-crunched moms across Canada, delivering tried and tested practical solutions to everyday dilemmas. SavvyMom’s bi-weekly email newsletter reaches 30,000 moms across Canada. More information on SavvyMom Media and its subsidiary programs can be found at www.savvymom.ca, www.momentrepreneuraward.com, and www.sharesavvy.ca.

-30-

For more information contact:

Jeanette Miller, principal limelitePR

O: 778.786.1495  M: 778.552.2949

E : jeanette@limelitepr.com  T: @limelitePR

 

Manage work communication outside the workplace		28.8%
Text and talk with friends		75.1%
Download podcasts		3.0%
Play music		14.7%
Web surfing		15.3%
Distraction or entertainment		17.3%
As a direct link to my kids		22.8%
As a direct ink to my nanny or babysitter		8.9%
To stay organized		28.4%
As a camera		32.5%

The Essentials to Getting Coverage and Creating a Buzz: PR PREP

This is the first in a series of posts on how to create a buzz for your company via PR. This first post details the items you need to get you started.

Hi-res (300 dpi) photos of your products. These should be on a white background and in focus – if you have a product with labels then make sure when you zoom in you can read the label clearly. If you are service-based company then you need hi-res photos of images of you and images of what you represent (i.e. if you are a money expert and the PR campaign angle is about offering quick tips on saving money then have pictures of people pulling their hair out, sitting at a kitchen table looking over bills, enviously looking at a luxury family car). If the photos are too large to email then look at ways to share the photos via services like YouSendIt.

A press kit. Companies always ask if they really need a press kit. The short answer – YES. The media will not take you seriously if you do not put the effort into providing them with information on you, your company, your products/services, price, and distribution (retailer list). Have a professionally designed press kit which means get a graphic designer to lay it out (not your brother Tom who can do wonders in MS Word). The good thing is that a press kit can double as sales kits which means you (or your sales reps) can use it to solicit new accounts; the investment goes beyond media outreach. 
Bloggers are more forgiving so if you are planning on doing a blogger outreach campaign then you can typically get away with supplying them with photos and a brochure (along with a pitch letter). However if you are including e-newsletters in your blogger list then note that they do require a press kit.

Samples. Be prepared to send samples of your product or provide your services for free (if that’s possible). Bloggers and editors require samples; don’t expect them to give you coverage based on photos. Better yet, for bloggers, offer them samples or a discount they can offer to their readers.
If you are service then think about ways you can offer them your expertise. This could include quick tips, free tickets to your speaking engagements or cross-promotion of your blog posts.

Target list. Whether you are approaching media outlets or bloggers, you will need a contact list. This requires time to research the outlets and read/watch/listen to past articles/posts/reports in order to find out who the best person to pitch, if they write straight product reviews or take a larger look at an industry surrounding the product/service. For traditional media outlets, target the reporters or assistant editors vs senior editors.
Build your list in Excel with multiple columns headings: outlet name, web address, contact name, contact email, contact phone, address, twitter ID, facebook page, statistics (subscribers, number of followers, etc).

Press release or social media release. This is a debatable essential. Bloggers don’t want to receive press releases but some will accept social media releases; the media are inundated with press releases but most of the time they don’t read them right away unless they know the sender or company. Sometimes a well written email can take the place of a press release. We recommend writing press releases for events, a product launch or if you are planning a wide distribution (via a service like Cision).
In the end, a press release is simply a tool used within a process, but it’s the process that really counts.

Next post will be on establishing a benchmark to determine success.

Cross-Promotional PR Programs with Canadian Mom Media

When trying to attract new customers and raise awareness about your product/service,  I regularly encourage my clients to consider cross-promotional relationships with media outlets, key influencers (mom bloggers), like businesses and other organizations. These type of relationships are a win-win situation that cost nothing and typically only require an exchange of in-kind services or products.

We recently took this same strategy for limelitePR and have implemented three unique cross-promotional relationships with two of Canada's leading online mom-focused publications:

This month SavvyMom.ca launched their third annual Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award and as you will see, limelitePR is one of the top 5 prizes for the grand prize winner!

Grand Prize – Take Your Business to the Next Level with $15,500 in Prizes!

The overall national winner of the SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year award will be crowned Canada’s Top Mom Entrepreneur and receive our grand prize, a custom package of cash and services valued at $15,500 designed to improve every aspect of a growth-oriented business and help the winner take her business to the next level. The grand prize includes:

• a cash prize of $5000 for investment in the business


• a Q & A feature on Todaysparent.com


• a full-year business mentorship with Canadian Sitter Inc. founder, Martha Scully, winner of the 2008 SavvyMom Mom Entrepreneur of the Year Award


• a workplace productivity assessment and program courtesy of Clear Concept Inc. valued at $3000


• a consultation and 90-day Action Plan courtesy of Limelite PRvalued at $6000


• a search engine optimization (SEO) assessment courtesy of Eighty8 Online 
  valued at $1500

In the fall 09, SavvyMom.ca and limelitePR will also be conducting reader surveys to learn more about Canadian moms' habits. First up is mobile technology - what brands are Canadian moms loyal to, what kind of applications are they downloading, why do they use it. Stay tuned for more details and results.

Finally, as we know the best way to interact with moms is to be part of their community and create a special experience that taps into their core values, feeding their desire to be better moms.  In partnership with yoyomama.ca (Vancouver's leading e-newsletter for mums on-the-go) limelitePR will develop custom interactive brand experiences that will raise brand awareness and develop customer loyalty. This grassroots influencer program is an out-of-the-box results oriented program that allows you to personally interact with yoyomama's loyal readers (across the Lower Mainland) and create a buzz within the mom community. Benefits include the ability to distribute samples, coupons, promotional items; cross-promote with local retailers and other like-businesses; develop strong strategic partnerships and effectively promote a unique marketing initiative to acquire customers.

Want more info? Contact limelitePR www.limelitepr.com 

Report: Growing Number of Moms Using Social Media

Mediaweek.com just published some great insight into moms' social media vs traditional media habits thanks to a new research report released by BabyCenter.

According to the article and the report, 63 percent of women report being active on social networks. When compared to a similar study done in 2006 when just 11 percent claimed to be social net regulars, we can see that moms' priorities and community is continuing to change. Most also claim that as their personal time is constrained, they end up sacrificing time with magazines and newspapers compared to before they had children. BabyCenter data indicates that "women with new babies at home cut back on media consumption by as much as three hours, with print taking the biggest hit. According to the report 49 percent of respondents claim to read magazines less after giving birth, and 46 percent said the same about their newspaper usage."

The article and report go on to details that "moms develop two distinct friendship circles: their real friends and their mommy friends - who they may or may not have actually met in person. Because these women are so social, and so information hungry, they often meet other mothers in similar child-rearing stages on sites like BabyCenter and a variety of mommy blogs."

To read the complete article visit: Report: Growing Number of Moms Using Social Media

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Canadian Moms' Media Habits

New Survey Reveals Canadian Moms' Media Habits

Vancouver, BC/Toronto, ON (May 6, 2009) - With moms controlling 85 percent of household spending and more companies focusing their marketing efforts on gaining the attention and loyalty of this powerful consumer market, limelitePR, Canada’s first PR firm wholly focused on connecting companies with moms, has conducted a nationwide survey in conjunction with Toronto-based urbanmoms.ca to investigate Canadian moms’ media habits. Results reveal that moms trust and refer to websites and TV for current and relevant information, are most interested in local stories and receive more information digitally than by traditional mediums such as magazines and newspapers.

“In order to develop impactful campaigns for our clients, we felt it was important to determine the most trusted and valuable mediums for the mom market,” says limelitePR Principal Jeanette Miller. “What this survey has produced is a deeper understanding of where moms currently turn for relevant information. We strongly believe that Canadian moms’ reliance on digital sources will grow as younger Gen Y moms move up the ranks but word-of-mouth (aka word-of-mom) will continue to reign as #1.”

The survey garnered over 700 respondents from coast to coast and polled Canadian moms on the sources they most commonly refer to and receive in their home.

The limelitePR and urbanmoms.ca survey highlights include:

• 73% of moms receive 4 or more e-newsletters
• 43% of moms consider websites the most trusted, valuable source for accurate & relevant information
• 37% of moms subscribe to 1-2 magazines, with 20% receiving no print subscriptions at all
  40% of moms refer to TV programs as their source for news and current events
• Canadian moms are most interested in local stories (30%) but parenting/family stories and lifestyle stories (food, fashion, trends) also garner worthy attention at 20% each.
• Moms’ community of peers and friends (including online community) overwhelmingly influence moms’ decisions by being the primary source when looking for information and recommendations on products or services.

“Mothers and community is not a recent trend. Throughout history moms have been depended on each other for connection and information. However, technology now enables moms to connect and share virtually which provides a trusted voice with a vastly broader scope and reach,” says Jen Maier, urbanmoms.ca founder.

“The survey results demonstrate that moms refer to online sources for stories about their community and rely on their peers and network to provide them with practical information that will make a positive impact on their families’ lives. We believe that it’s important to have multiple points of contact in order to create brand loyalty in the mom market,” says Miller.

About limelitePR limelitePR is a boutique public relations firm that is dedicated to creating a buzz and connecting leading brands with moms across Canada and the USA. By conducting traditional media relations, blogger outreach, and creating influencer mom-market activities and programs, the limelitePR team develops an integrated PR approach that will generate brand awareness at a consumer level, which directly increases sales and maintains brand recognition.

About urbanmoms.ca urbanmoms.ca, founded by Jen Maier, Toronto marketer and mom of 2, is Canada’s leading online community for moms. Based on the philosophy that when a woman has children she doesn't magically conform to a one-dimensional world of motherhood, urbanmoms.ca provides women with a forum to connect and build relationships while directly influencing some of Canada’s leading brands.

For more information contact:
Jeanette Miller, principal limelitePR O: 778.786.1495 M: 778.552.2949
E : jeanette@limelitepr.com T: @limelitePR

One final note: Hatley was generous enough to donate one pair of adult rain boots and one pair of child rain boots for one survey respondent. We hope you love them as much as we do!

PR That Gets Moms Buzzing

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

PR That Gets Moms Buzzing

View more presentations from Jeanette Miller.

What is Word of Mom?

Since starting this blog, I have discovered that blogging is more difficult than I expected. My admiration for those who blog faithfully has greatly increased, with a special spot held to mom bloggers because as a busy mom and entrepreneur, I find it incredibly difficult to squeeze more time out of day to write something inspired (in a peaceful, writing-condusive environment). I've been seeking advise from fellow bloggers about how to get through my "Bloggers Block" and have heard some fantastic suggestions. While I contemplate implementing vlogging (video blogging), some structure to my posts and peer blogger support, I have been watching the online mom blogger world join together to support one of their own - again proving the power of the word of mom.

Online sadness and heartbreak was projected worldwide last week when a 17 month old Madeline Alice Spohr died. I didn't know her or her family; I had never even read the family blog (written by mom blogger Heather Spohr of www.thespohrsaremultiplying.com) until numerous mom bloggers tweeted their shock and heartbreak and I just had to find out what they were all talking about. I was instantly in tears and emotionally distraught the next day as bloggers worldwide expressed their sorrow and started blogging about their grief. I couldn't stop reading, nor could thousands of others. These are the best of the worst kind of blog posts. They hit you in the gut and make you think about your own life. You relate in some small way to someone you've never met but now feel some sort of kindship to because of an experience, emotion, reaction. You see the bigger picture more clearly, realize that sweating the small stuff is stupid and discover that seeking support from your community is not defined by borders.

Mom bloggers came together to support one of their own. When floods of visitors overpowered the Spohr's website and their server dumped them for going over-capacity, mom bloggers banded together to get it transferred to another server (it was twitterer @princessJenn from Canada who came to the rescue, btw). In mere hours housands of dollars (there was a tweet about hitting $10,000 by mid-morning) were raised for the Walk of Dimes in Maddies's honour and teams across the USA have been formed to Walk For Maddie http://sarcasticmom.com/walk-for-maddie/

This universal support system, this innate ability to relate to another person soley based on the joint experience of loving a child, is the foundation of word-of-mom. I don't think even Maddie's mom could have envisioned the impact her experience would have on moms worldwide. When it comes to spreading messages, especially when its for the greater-good, moms are the influencer and source.

My thoughts continue to be with the Spohr family.

Marketing 2.0

While media outlets crumble and collapse because their conventional business model is broken beyond repair (due to a weak economy, changing consumer habits and online competition), mom bloggers across the nation are debating the demand to become better marketers, generate revenue, and question how to maintain editorial integrity while accepting advertising, free products and sponsorship.

Simultaneously, as Ted Murphy details on

his blog, Forrester Research released a paper about ‘Sponsored Conversations’ which proposes that marketers consider paying bloggers to create transparent and genuine content about the brand.

Bloggers are the influencers that traditional media outlets once were. The problem is that unlike their conventional counterparts, bloggers have to do everything – write and edit the content, SEO, solicit and listen to PR pitches, generate interesting promotions to increase and engage with readers, decide how to work with an advertiser – which has some mom bloggers questioning their role and how the competitive online marketplace could perhaps push the non-aggressive-marketing-mom-bloggers into obscurity. Most are adamant that they are writers first-and-foremost and the focus on how to make their blog bigger and better is a distraction from their true focus – to share information and offer insight in a well-written manner.

For those of us who want to work with mom bloggers in order to increase brand awareness and develop a stronger online presence, we must contemplate how the evolution of online content and influencers will push our conventional marketing approaches into uncharted territory; while also taking into consideration how marketers can support bloggers to remain true to their original intentions so that their readership doesn’t dwindle beneath the demand for a bigger and better approach.

Mabel’s Labels recently conducted contest for a blogger to win a trip to BlogHer’s annual conference. They asked bloggers to answer the question – What have been the rewards and benefits of participating in the blogging community?, which generated over 100 blog posts across North America. Ten finalists were chosen and then an online poll (where bloggers solicited readers via their blog, twitter, facebook to vote for them) determined the winner. This is a fantastic example of how to support (mom) bloggers in their writing pursuit while creating a buzz for your own company online; taking a traditional sponsorship activity to a whole new level.

I question whether sponsored conversations will be accepted by bloggers and readers alike – perhaps seen as a transparent yet obtrusive advertising method. Will readers simply ‘tivo’ past these conversations as they have with their cable channel ads, does this develop a pay-per-placement system and those with the biggest budgets win, will bloggers and marketers who adopt this system lose credibility with their readers?

Moms Are All a-Twitter!

I started twittering just before Christmas 08 and quickly became a twitter-evangelist. Within 24 hours of creating a profile, I was "followed" by two Mom PR experts (based in the USA), made direct contact with a woman who runs a number of mom blog networks and within 48 hours I connected with two new (prospective) clients. It became quite apparent that twitter is the place to be to engage with peers, clients and like-industry influencers and monitor the competition.

For those companies who want to connect with the mom-market, twitter is the mom-mecca of social networking. As long as you are honest, transparent and actively engaged in the community, you will experience significant results.

When I spoke to Annemarie Templeman-Kluit, founder of yoyomama.ca and yoyobelly.ca, about the impact twitter has had on her business, she cited twitter as one of the biggest referrers of website traffic (more than facebook, which they’ve been on for years). Her participation on twitter was also the reason she was recently interviewed by Canadian Family Magazine. “We've connected with people we would have never found any other way - we've connected across Canada with experts like Ann Douglas and Alyson Schafer, we've been interviewed by Canadian Parent Magazine about mums & technology, we've gotten advice on what we can do with kids with colds & coughs now you're not supposed to give them kids' cough medicine - and it's all thanks to twitter,” said Templeman-Kluit.

Twitter also provides a porthole into the lives of mom bloggers around the world. There’s no way anyone can read the thousands of mom blogs each and every day but with Twitter, you can get quick updates on the daily lives of some of the top mom bloggers, engage with them directly by relating to their mom-life trials and tribulations, send them congratulatory tweets when they win something, and support them by re-tweeting relevant posts to my own followers. That’s one of the best first steps into developing a relationship with these key mom influencers.

Also consider that most media outlets are on twitter, especially those specializing in the mom-market. Twitter is providing a foot-in-the-door to your next media pitch! Most of the outlets use a logo as an avatar(something that does irritate me but that’s for another post), which gives them the freedom to have multiple people tweet and participate in tweet-versations however, in the rare cases like with @yoyomama_van, you will see a photo of the person behind the tweets. In any case, you learn nuances of the editor, writer or researcher that are almost impossible to obtain unless you personally know them. You will learn what they like/dislike, their own daily struggles and how they like to engage with their followers. I have seen media tweet a call for people to be interviewed and products to be submitted. I've also seen companies subtly pitch Annemarie and receive a warm response. Note of warning: do not spam the media by sending them a link to a press release via twitter! Twitter is about learning, sharing, and engaging with your followers. If you spam, you will quickly be blocked or un-followed.

Twitter is easily the best business tool I have found to network with peers, clients, influencers and competition. It does require time and effort but so does any aspect in building a company/brand.

What’s stopping you? Get on Twitter today and when you do, send me a tweet @limelitepr

PS - Having trouble getting started, read this post on "Think like a Toddler and find your voice on Twitter", by Darren Rowse.

The ROI Conundrum

I was recently asked by a prospective client how we can demonstrate ROI within mom-market PR activities. Measuring the Return On Investment is a hotly debated topic within the marketing, PR and social media community because there isn’t an easy answer. There simply isn’t an accurate way or single, standard calculation that will prove the results achieved through PR and marketing equate to a higher value than the money it took to achieve them.

When it comes to spending dollars and cents, most business owners believe that in order to be profitable, there must be tangible proof or money made in order to justify money spent.

For results in traditional media, the PR industry measured impressions – how many articles/news reports and the size/length of the coverage – but it struggled with how to measure the quality of those impressions. You can compare an impression size and placement to the advertising value (how much would it have cost to place an ad that size) but as we all know, editorial is valued higher than advertising because there is a third party (reporter) involved. People read articles, listen to radio commentaries, watch TV news reports while they are likely to tune-out advertising. The question is (and still remains) how do you put a dollar figure on an intangible ‘higher value’ quotient?

In 2006, the CPRS (Canadian Public Relations Society) created the MRP system www.mrpdata.com which is said to measure any type of editorial coverage, provide clear metrics to evaluate media coverage, track total reach and cost per contact. This system “allows its users to qualitatively evaluate editorial tone and article content”. But, as some will say, MRP is not ROI.

For Social Media activities such as blogger outreach, facebook, twitter - all venues where moms converge and connect – the question of ROI is even more difficult because there isn’t a direct link from interaction and engagement (which is what you are doing with SM) to sales but rather an indirect link.

So, how do you ‘prove’ ROI?

I found a great discussion by a couple SM leaders - Jason Falls and Katie Delahaye Paine - which I encourage you to read & watch. But, to summarize their thoughts (which I agree with) here are few things to consider:

“The problem with trying to determine ROI for social media is you are trying to put numeric quantities around human interactions and conversations, which are not quantifiable.”

“Ultimately, the key question to ask when measuring engagement is, ‘Are we getting what we want out of the conversation?’”

The way we handle this ROI question at limelitePR is we develop a benchmark so that we can determine if our efforts are effective. It's not like we don't want to measure things, it's just what and how do we measure them. So, we start by asking and answering questions like:

• Are you part of the online conversation – how much & where?


• Are your competitors part of the conversation – how much & where?


• What are people/moms saying about your brand?


• Are people/moms commenting on your blog? Are there certain topics that generate more response?


• How are you part of the mom community?

Once we have a benchmark, it's then possible to track and see the growth we’ve achieved through social media and traditional media PR tactics. It also provides us with information on how we can be reactive with our communications.

Really, the definition of ROI is in the eye of the beholder. “Return” is all about what you want to achieve and then developing and implementing a plan that will raise awareness, gain loyalty and ultimately put your brand into the hands of your consumers – moms.

If you want to learn how big brands are using Social Media, check out this presentation by Graco’s Lindsay Lebresco at Blogwell San Jose. She walks you thru Graco’s social media strategy and the tactics they've used.

A Savvy Strategy for Method

In this age of engagement, blogger outreach should be an integral part of your public relations plan especially when it comes to moms. Between 50-60% of all moms name blogs as their favourite form of online media.

So what does it take to gain a blogger's attention and trust? Mom in the City blogger recently posted why she love Method - as a company, product, brand. Here are some key points but I encourage you to read the entire post to get more details and ideas on how you can step up your own efforts.

1. Method marketers are friendly, respectful and enthusiastic about their brand.

2. Method is innovative

3. Method is responsive to moms overall

4. They have a wonderful line of products

5. They consistently connect

6. They treat me as an individual

7. Method never asks me to write about the things that they send me

Pitching Value

Results of a new study from Miller Zell, an Atlanta-based retail consulting company, reinforces what a lot of us already know - moms are in charge of household purchases and the family budget. What's most interesting is the study shows that the current economic downturn has moms changing the way they shop including "eating-in more often, with 68% saying they spend less at restaurants; changing channels, with 50% moving from premium grocery stores to discounters; and trading down, with 87% switching brands at the grocery store and a third buying private-label clothing." The report's author then recommends that companies need to "ramp up their value message".

Simultaneously, media outlets are focusing on value stories. In Canada headlines such as "Be Fashionably Frugal", "Buy the Best Quality You Can Afford", "Budget Friendly Family Meals" have been popping up in newspapers across the country. Each article listed a number of great value-conscious ideas that readers can easily implement in their life.

To take advantage of this universal state-of-mind (value is #1), start thinking of ways that your brand presents value-based ideas and promote the details to the media in a Top 5 List. Let's say your company produces eco laundry products - distribute a list of Top 5 Ways You Can Save On Your Laundry Bills (wash in cold water, spin the clothes twice so they dry faster and use less power, etc).

You are more likely to garner media and blogger attention if you provide a context to your brand that is useful and relevant to their readers/viewers lives and moms will value your brand even more because you are providing them with useful tips they can apply to their busy life.

How to Reach the Mom Market

I watched this interview with Tricia Mumby on "Word of Mom" marketing a number of months ago but was recently reminded of it (thanks to a posting from Mommy Blog expert Jennifer James). Tricia gives some good insight into how to reach moms; a must see for anyone who wants to tap into this market.

"At the recent CMA From Mass to Grass conference, Tricia Mumby from Mabel's Labels gave a great case study on the power of "Word of Mom" marketing. Here, she spends a minute busting the myth that you can't find women online and offers a suggestion on one way to reach these powerful moms offline."

Newspaper Niche

I just read a great article about alternative business models for newspapers which referenced this article from the Wall Street Journal on how local media companies are launching websites aimed at mothers.

#1 lesson to be learned: '"Face-to-face interaction helps build loyalty back to the site, says Karen Gutierrez, managing editor of CincyMoms.com. "People start to feel responsible for the well being of the site."'

Even the media are learning it takes more than just great content to capture the attention and loyalty from the mom market. Participate in local events in order to mingle with moms in your community, hold a mom mixer so they can have the opportunity to experience your product and meet the people 'behind the scenes', even develop unique in-home parties that provide moms with a fun, comfortable environment in order to experience your brand on a whole new level.

To feel the impact of their purchasing power engage directly with moms through multiple points of contact so they can develop a loyalty to your brand and a passion to help spread the word to their network of friends.