The MomTV Online Network - 60 LIVE Weekly Shows with More on the Way

Ever since we started MomTV, we were excited to provide a platform for moms with passions, expertise, causes to be able to have a place where they can share with others - network live and in real-time. We started using Twitter to promote our site and the live web shows that we started with and over time we have been growing every month with new visitors, community members, and MomTV show hosts - including adding Dads to the mix.

We believe MomTV is the start of the conversation. We would love to have you join us and vote for us as the BEST TV Online Network for the Mashable Open Web Awards- as it represents YOU our members, friends, show hosts - a collaboration of parents - sharing friendship online on a platform that empowers us all.

Beyond Blogs: Niche Brands And Mommy Bloggers

by Maryanne Conlin, Wednesday, July 1, 2009

To date, all of the big news about marketing to mommy bloggers has been about how large CPG brands are diving in, wooing and winning them. But what about smaller and niche brands? Is it worthwhile to add blogger outreach to a niche marketing plan?

I think it is. In fact I believe that the real power in the mommy blogsphere is in the marketing of niche products. And a new generation of analytical tools makes this a real possibility.

Lists of bloggers and blog networks for advertisers and PR professionals usually include high-profile bloggers and blog networks with north of 200,000 or even half a million uniques per month. While each blog has its own profile, the audience of larger blogs is of course, varied.

On the other hand, a number of smaller blogs boast niche readership, which may be exactly the target market for smaller brands. The "Nielson-Online Power Moms 50" gives a nod to this theory by listing a number of much smaller blogs in diverse categories such as travel and green.

Yes, their readership is smaller but their reach in selected consumer segments is much greater. And, as any marketer knows, the innovators and early adoptors of just about any product category are research junkies, the ones most likely to be reading niche blogs.

Most important for niche brands, using the power of social media, bloggers have managed to expand their reach beyond their loyal readers to the wider world. In particular, bloggers on Facebook and MySpace straddle the word-of mouth worlds of real and virtual, as we've learned these sites are often a way to connect online with past and present friends and family rather then online buddies.

Twitter, too, enables bloggers to reach a wider audience than with a blog alone. Sophisticated search functions and hash tags alert those not usually inclined to read a blog to the interests and recommendations of high profile Twitter users -- who aren't necessarily top bloggers.

On one level what this means is that the reach of many bloggers is much broader than just their sites and heavily dependent on the blogger's use of social media. This impacts bloggers both large and small but is of particular interest when considering a niche blogger outreach program.

These same sophisticated search and analysis tools (of which there are a mind-boggling number) give marketers the opportunity to conduct research to narrowly target a specific set of bloggers that can best reach their intended audience. Keyword search and use of SEO research using various analytic tools can identify bloggers who write on a wide range of subjects and have a loyal following of both blog readers and social media users.

Finding bloggers who also participate in forums and online review sites is an added bonus! Since that moves their reach beyond the generally agreed upon 30% of Moms who read and write blogs.

Blogger outreach programs are moving into a new phase, where page rank and uniques may not tell the whole story or not the part of the story you need to know. Upfront research using keywords and analysis of social media use may be a better forecaster of blogger influence than sheer volume for niche brands.

Word Of Mom: Good + Bad Buzz

by Lolita Carrico, Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 1:00 PM

Good ol' fashioned sampling campaigns -- which put products directly in the hands of influencers for feedback and buzz -- have made a resurgence, thanks to savvy, new methods that target consumers via online communities, social media agencies and dedicated services. Even in a dismal advertising climate, eMarketer expects social media and word-of-mouth spending to increase by 17% in 2009 because such tactics can prove ROI friendly with greater engagement and reach than traditional media.

Programs like Psst, VocalPoint and ModernMom.com's Mom Tested empower consumers to try products and share their feedback -- whether negative or positive -- for their peers to consult before making a purchase.

So, why would a marketer take the chance of being panned by an influential target market in a mass forum? One word: authenticity. According to a recent eMarketer report, 50% of moms find online reviews from "others like me" to be a valuable source of information. One glowing review or a slew of positive comments lacks substance while, a majority of honest compliments among a few criticisms brings authenticity and is worth the risk.

Glenn Williams, a manager for P&G's Mr. Clean brand has gladly offered products for review to online users. "The reason we did it," he said, "is that we look at products like our Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and we know that the best influencer for the purchase of that is a peer. We wanted to get mom peers talking about the product."

So, how do marketers get involved in effective sampling and word of mouth campaigns? Some pointers:

1. Target the recipients of your product: You know your product best and who should test it. Determine a clear set of demographics and psychographics to fine tune your sample list against. Deploy a custom survey to further fine tune recipients if necessary. The key here is not to control the group, but place the product in hands of likely consumers. Target wisely: Don't send cheeseburger offers to vegans.

2. Look for a partner with an engaged community: Sites that offer reviews but lack consistent repeat traffic for other content and community lack engagement. Ideally, you want to look for readers who are connected to their peers and trust their opinions within a community that they are active in.

3. Continue to engage with your influencers: Consider making some consumers from these tests your product evangelists -- whether they offer feedback to you directly on occasion, or participate consistently on your brand site or continue to spread the word to potential consumers. "Real" consumers who believe in your product and can offer an honest voice -- though careful to disclose any relationships or compensation -- can prove to be highly effective.

Word of mouth strategies are effective on many levels. The key is to be authentic in your outreach and expect authentic feedback in return.

How did P&G's Williams feel about a few negative reviews of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser product?

"I was not disappointed that a small percentage of reviews were less than favorable," he says. "It only adds credibility. If all of them were favorable, well, that's not the real world."

FTC Changes And Social Media

by Robert Wheatley

Could proposed sweeping changes in Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines shipwreck social media marketing and alter the common practice of using third-party spokespeople to deliver brand messages?

"Agencies and clients, especially those working in the social media space, must understand that the FTC's efforts to address deceptive practices can create liability and exposure," said Michael Lasky, senior partner at Davis & Gilbert LLP, a New York law firm that specializes in advertising and communications law.

At issue are additions and modifications now under consideration in the FTC's, "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials." Final ruling on the Guides is expected sometime later this summer or early fall. Behind the proposed changes is what Lasky terms, "The 10 Commandments of commercial marketing as found in Section 5 of the FTC Act -- summed up as -- thou shall not commit a false or deceptive practice." The FTC is working to address this: A blogger or spokesperson's failure to disclose a fact or event that could alter the consumer's decision regarding a product or service.

The exploding role citizen journalists and bloggers now play, and the long-standing practice of employing third-party spokespeople for media interviews sit squarely in the bull's-eye of the proposed ruling.

Where's the Danger Zone?

Clients and agencies should look closely at the FTC's efforts in order to steer out of harm's way and any attending legal entanglements. The danger zone and acquired liability arise when marketers pay bloggers or provide other "consideration" such as free products and services in return for a favorable post. The problem is not in the consideration or payment but failure to disclose it. And, thus, tempting a breakdown of the Mom Test -- would mom feel differently about what she reads or hears in a blog post or interview if certain facts were disclosed, whether they be material data or the matter of payment?

Need for Transparency

With liability looming on the horizon, now is the time to carefully examine practices and procedures to help address the disclosure issue up front.

Written Guidelines

Agencies and clients, if they haven't already, should adopt written guidelines that come into play when any "consideration" is involved. The guidelines must work explicitly to "make it clear the company wants the blogger to disclose whether any compensation or any other item of tangible value, such as free product, has been received in return for a favorable post or review," said Allison Fitzpatrick, associate counsel at Davis & Gilbert LLP.

Spokesperson Agreements

When outside third-party experts or celebrity spokespeople are retained for interviews, the acid test is whether or not the consumer will recognize the relationship is paid. According to Lasky, if it is not readily apparent that a celebrity or expert is under contract, then the relationship with the marketer should be mentioned.

Again, the disclosure rule of thumb is transparency first. Spokesperson agreements should specify that the relationship be acknowledged in any interview. This can be accomplished through a statement such as, "I'm here today on behalf of (brand name goes here)."

Again, these rules apply when "consideration" is involved. The world changed concerning what is protected under the First Amendment during the famed Nike vs. Kasky case that put press releases in the spotlight as a commercial marketing tool.

So in the new age of transparency and disclosure, brands should navigate the communications landscape with care about being upfront. Look to the Mom Test as a starting point in your decisions about what to say and when.