Marketing Roadmaps

Charity

Power

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crossposted to Snapshot Chronicles. Warning: long post

Power. Of the collective. Of the parent. Of the blogger. That’s today’s topic.

Let’s start with what the collective can achieve when we come together. In this case, for charity. As you may recall, about two weeks ago, in one of my Camp Baby case study posts, I suggested that companies interested in reaching women bloggers put their money into the charities that we care about. Not that we don’t like schwag or free products, or hell, even some link love. But I have yet to meet a parent blogger that doesn’t contribute what she or he can to charity. It’s why BlogHers Act has such resonance for the community.

Which is why I was thrilled to get an email from Kristen Chase this morning telling me about the latest Parent Bloggers Network BlogBlast campaign. PBN has teamed up with Johnson’s to promote Johnson’s Baby Cause, the company’s new charitable giving site to support the health and well-being of mothers and children worldwide. Details of the promotion are on the PBN post, but short version, blog about how you’d like to be recognized on Mother’s Day. Both Johnson’s and PBN are donating prizes; I love the PBN prize — a $25 credit to donate to the cause of your choice at Baby Cause. Ten winners. There’s also a charity auction for gently used celebrity baby goods on eBay that will benefit Baby Cause.

Why do I like this so much? To start with, charity. That will get me EVERY TIME. Which I am sure Kristen knew when she emailed me. And then there’s the Johnson’s component. I absolutely love that this Parent Bloggers Network campaign came about as a result of Lori Dolginoff from Johnson’s and Kristen meeting at Camp Baby, a fact which I confirmed with Lori before posting tonight. (And perhaps of  Lori and Julie Marsh, Kristen’s partner in PBN, not meeting for all the reasons we already know.)

I’m sure the broader charity effort was well underway before Camp Baby earlier this month but as a direct result of the event, Johnson’s decided to team up with PBN to promote it. In short, it learned how valuable it is to work with people within the community, and that, my friends, is worth the price of admission.

Okay, you get here for free, but you know what I mean.

Another way we exercise our power as bloggers is when we help build our community. As Kim Moldofsky did today with a "link love" post for her Camp Baby friends on parentcenter. Yet another consequence, and hopefully not unintended, of getting 56 women with common interests together.

The power of the collective to effect change. Use it. Write a post. Help a friend with a little link love. Donate, to Baby Cause or BlogHers Act. But I’m thinking, buy a new diaper bag. 

Parent bloggers have power. And that’s the segue into my next topic, which is to tell you about a project that launched its public beta today called ParentPower. Full disclosure: I’ve been consulting for the company developing ParentPower, advising them about the parent blogger space.

What is ParentPower? It’s an application for parenting blogs. There’s a lot to it – a desktop widget, an index of top parenting blogs, links to sites we visit all the time like Flickr, Twitter and parenting sites, an RSS reader, the weather, and more. More details in the overview on the site.

Why do I like this project? Because Active Access, the company that developed the app, asked. And they listened. And not just to me and my colleague Kami Huyse, who brought me into the project. They did focus groups with parent bloggers. They’ve started talking in Twitter. We’re talking with BlogHer about the best way to work with the community. And we are asking for even more feedback in the beta process. So if you decide to download the app, please complete the Polldaddy survey or send email to myvoice@parentpowerindex.com

As everyone who reads my Marketing Roadmaps blog knows, I have my concerns about indexes, but Active Access has done a good job here. There’s no subjective component in the Parent Power index and blogs that score the same get the same rank.

Personally, I’m LMAO that my personal/parent blog Snapshot Chronicles, which isn’t even a year old and has a very small number of loyal, wonderful subscribers, currently has a better ranking on ParentPower than Marketing Roadmaps (three+ years old, 1000 plus subscribers) has on the AdAge Power150. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions, but (hint hint) I think the ParentPower algorithm is better (no offense meant,  AdAge 150), and  hope those parent bloggers whose blogs are not yet included in ParentPower will add them and knock me down the pegs I probably deserve.

The power of parents. That’s truly what the folks behind ParentPower want to support, and I urge you to give your feedback. On the application, on the index, on whatever floats your boat. The feedback from the parent blogger focus groups was invaluable, and really, we just want "more, more…"

And finally, power. As in laptop power supply. Marketing Roadmaps readers will remember rmy sad tale, posted on April 3, of a broken iGo power supply during my trip to NYC for BlogHer, the 4-hour search for parts and the $130 I spent on new cables because, contrary to the information provided by iGo support, neither Best Buy nor RadioShack stocked the part I needed. Well, today I got an email from a marketing manager at iGo offering to replace my broken part. While I am tickled pink? purple? some other color? at the fact that finally, a company actually read my frakking blog and responded, customer support already sent a replacement part at no charge to my home. Which is great and much appreciated, but does not compensate for the added costs or the wasted time while I was in NY. Nothing really can, but if they respond back to my  reply, I will tell them that I’d be thrilled with some  free product to give away on Snapshot Chronicles. (Sorry Roadmaps readers, all giveaways happen on the personal blog.)

We do have power as bloggers. Our opinions of companies do matter, as this study by SNCR demonstrates, and companies are starting to listen. Slowly.

So use that power wisely. Don’t bitch to hear the sound of your own voice or read the melody of your own words.

Write to change things for the better.

That’s power.

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Addendum – credit where credit is due (4/30/08)

Kim Moldofsky wanted to make sure everyone knows that
credit for the weekly post sharing idea goes to Jodi at www.momsfavoritestuff.com 

In my zeal to be transparent about my small part in the
ParentPower project, it came across to some readers as though this was my
project. While I think ParentPower is a great product and hope folks try it
out, I simply provided some advice about the parent blogger space. ParentPower
was developed by Active Access. Livingston Communications and Kami Huyse led the product marketing,
strategy and PR, and Shannon Whitley developed the Index algorithm.

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What I learned from Camp Baby (part 2 of 2)

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On Monday, I covered the the mom bloggers’ perceptions of Johnson and Johnson’s Camp Baby and I was hoping to follow that up with an interview with the event organizers. Unfortunately, they haven’t responded to my queries. I can only hope that it was because my emails got caught in their spam filter or something…

While I could take a guess at their goals for the event, my speculation would still just be my opinion, and I certainly can’t pass judgment on whether it was a success. That’s their call, based on what they hoped to achieve.

But I go on vacation on Friday and need to wrap up my J&J coverage before I leave. Other stories beckon. For now, we’ll have to be satisfied with their public statement about the event on their blog and this short article in BrandWeek.

Instead, this wrap-up post will focus on what we can all learn from Camp Baby. Starting with some advice from two women who attended. I asked them what advice they would give to another consumer products company considering doing a similar event. Jodi, from Mom’s Favorite Stuff said:

"I’d recommend re-vamping the invitation process.  It should have been more streamlined, and more explicit (ie: no kids, space is limited, etc). If another consumer products firm wanted to do something similar, I’d just recommend being very clear and transparent.  Explain the objectives, the expectations, and I think most mommy bloggers will appreciate it!"

Christina from A Mommy Story also pointed out that they packed a lot into a very short time, and it took her a couple days to recover from the exhaustion. Her advice for another company trying to reach out to mom bloggers:

"Events like these will work to draw in a lot of attention – just look at all of the Twitter noise from those three days! But be prepared for the snark as well as the positive blogging. And please, if you ask for our opinion about your products, be ready for a lot of criticism along with praise. We’re an educated bunch, and we know what we’re talking about. Take our suggestions seriously. I will be watching to see if J&J implements any of the suggestions we gave them."

Let’s make these the foundation for our learning points.

One. Be clear and explicit from the get-go. Make your expectations clear so the bloggers can set theirs. If you are going to do an event (more about my evolving opinion of events in a bit), define your group carefully and as narrowly as possible. If you can’t accommodate nursing moms or people who can’t stay the whole time, don’t invite them.

Two. Transparency. It is more than just asking bloggers to acknowledge the junket. It starts with clearly communicating the objectives of your event to the participants. It also means being honest about your agenda. Christina commented in her email, which I quoted in the earlier post, that it was clear that the sessions all had an unacknowledged product component. Guess what: the women figured it out.

Three. It’s not a one-way conversation any more. Just because a company says it is so does not mean that customers/bloggers will believe it. If you ask for feedback and opinions, be prepared. For critcism and to take some action. Or don’t ask. As Christina points out in her comment above, the women at Camp Baby had strong concerns about chemicals in baby products. Did J&J take them seriously? Only time will tell, but it does sound like the company was surprised at the strength of the bloggers’ convictions. And knowledge about the subject.

Four. You’ve read it here before. Read the blogs. Over time, not over night. You have to know what the bloggers are interested in — to invite them, to create a program that interests them, to have a relationship. There isn’t a ranking system or index available that can replace the knowledge gained by truly getting to know someone. At a minimum, as Julie (mothergoosemouse) says in the comments to my previous J&J  post, at least read the About Page. You’ll be amazed at the wealth of information.

Finally, and this is my opinion, not something from the feedback or comments about Camp Baby — consider that a blow-out event may not be the best way to engage over time with the customers you are trying to reach.

Lindsay Ferrier (Suburban Turmoil) wrote this week about how the momosphere is changing, and  not necessarily for the better. The focus on monetizing the blog, getting ad revenue, paid posts and all expenses paid junkets, whether to New Brunswick New Jersey or Orlando, has created a different, less friendly world than before. So far 72 comments and counting.

So the question is, what is the best way for companies to engage with bloggers? With their customers.

Sure, a big event can be a lot of fun — even for the organizers, there is a certain exhiliration in having pulled it off, but wining and dining is a date. Getting to know someone, helping them achieve their goals, adding value consistently over time. That’s a relationship. As a marketer, I want a long-term relationship with customers. Not a one night stand. Generally, those aren’t terribly satisfying.

How can you help the blogger all the time, not just once? Access to company resources for research? Involvement in new product development? User Councils? Think outside the box, and not just about getting this or that product reviewed. What is the customer relationship with the company over time? What will make her love you? Why do you love her?

If you work for one of those consumer companies salivating over the mom blogger segment, or even a smaller firm that wants to reach women bloggers, including mom bloggers, I have some advice for you.

If you want to reach women bloggers, especially in the United States and Canada, don’t dump thousands of dollars into a big event. Devote a fraction, just a fraction, of that budget, to supporting a BlogHers Act initiative. This year, the focus is on maternal health in the US, the environment in Canada, but there are other causes within this umbrella as well. I guarantee you, you will reach more people, garner more positive attention for your company, your brand, than any slick event.

Here are just a few ideas, all of which I came up with driving to a business lunch today. Imagine what we could do with a bit more thought.

       

  • Make a donation. Through BlogHer’s widget or through a blogger whose cause you support;

    •    

  • Give products to women bloggers in your network for giveaways/raffles on their blogs;

    •    

  • Match donations over some specified period;

    •    

  • Create a contest or giveaway on your site to benefit BlogHers Act — more complex than the other ideas but potentially quite rewarding.

Keep in mind,  this is how I make my living, but today, in this post, the advice is free. I hope like hell someone pays attention.

But, no fooling, you want to explore one of these ideas and need some help, give me a call. 978 562 5979.

 

UPDATE 4/20: I have spoken to Lori Dolginoff, but just haven’t had time to write up the interview. Look for it later this coming week.

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The power trip

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Some of you may have seen my tweets yesterday about my broken iGo power supply. In which case you will know that the power trip to which I refer has little to do with my ego and everything to do with my journey to find something, anything that would power my laptop and my Blackberry.

Here is the woeful tale. On the train to NYC on Wednesday, my iGo power adapter cord broke. It being the ONLY power supply I have with me for my laptop and my Blackberry and my iPod, I was pretty well screwed. I called my husband from the train and asked him to call iGo customer support to find out where in NY, preferably near the hotel, I could get a replacement part. Luckily, I only bought it in late January and still had the box with the model number in my office.

God bless my husband and high marks for effort to the iGo support techs. They had to do multiple calls because they had to check with me twice with questions about the broken bits. The recommended solution was for me to pick up a replacement part here in NYC. The iGo support tech told David that Radio Shack and Best Buy stocked the part, so off I went to the Radio Shack in the Manhattan Mall right next to the hotel. Unfortunately, Radio Shack did not have the part, so the Radio Shack sales rep recommended a basic wall adapter. Ka-ching $40.00 Back to the hotel I go to charge my phone and get some work done.

Then we have the OOPS. The wall adapter does NOT work with the laptop tip, only the small device tips. Back I go to Radio Shack. Where I learn that you have to buy a full converter package to charge a laptop. Wondering why the Radio Shack sales rep earlier in the day didn’t know that, off I go to Best Buy (12 blocks away) to see if they have the replacement part.

Best Buy on 44th & 5th doesn’t stock ANY iGo accessories of ANY kind. And I’m getting desperate. So I buy a regular power supply. Ka-ching $90.00

If you are keeping track, I’ve now spent $130.00, and about 3 hours on my "power trip." On top of the time that David spent on the phone with the iGo support techs while I was on the train. Because a $130.00 product that I’ve had for about 2 months broke. If you are still keeping track, that’s $260.00 all in.

Now, iGo is sending the replacement part to the house, but really what the company should have done is fed-exed the replacement part to me here at the hotel. At their cost, not mine. From some of my husband’s comments, it sounds like he did discuss this possibility with the iGo tech, but the overnight shipping would have been at my cost, not iGo’s. Since all I needed to do was buy a replacement part, why spend the money…

Well, it didn’t work out that way. I think the iGo techs meant well, but the information was bad. And I wasted time and money.

Tuesday I wrote, once again, that companies don’t seem to be replying to bloggers’ unsolicited comments, and it doesn’t seem to matter whether the posts are negative or positive. The silence is generally deafening unless it is a very high profile blogger. I have no illusions about my  profile so it doesn’t surprise me that I’ve never heard from AAA, who I blasted in December, and Verizon Wireless, whose customer service I have complimented on more than one occasion both here and on Twitter.

Let’s see if iGo is paying attention to the the blogosphere beyond the A-list…

The really top marks for this whole mess go to my husband for trying to sort this out for me while I was on the train. If you see him, tell him I said so.

He doesn’t read my blog either.

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Slurping Life and love for Parker

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cross posted to Snapshot Chronicles

Last month, I  told you the story of Katie Gardner, off to Uganda to take photos with children in the IDP camps. Katie was a recipient of donated photo gear that HP sent bloggers who wrote about the Capture Your Ever After photo contest.

Today, I want to tell you what Melody from Slurping Life has decided to do with her thank you gear. She is hosting an "online love offering" to raise money for the healthcare costs of a young boy with numerous medical issues. The HP photo gear is the featured prize in the associated raffle.

When we came up with the idea to give the bloggers some gear to donate to a charity of their choice, we knew they would have no trouble coming up with deserving recipients.

But the creativity of their choices has exceeded my wildest expectations. That a digital camera and printer and some photo paper could make a real difference in the life of a sick little boy and his family… That a digital camera and printer and some photo paper could make a real difference for the children in the IDP camps…

Makes you feel good. Real good.

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Finding Hope in Photos: Children and Uganda

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cross-posted to Snapshot Chronicles

This spring, as I wrote in May, I did some blogger outreach to mom bloggers about HP’s Capture Your Ever After photo contest. This post is a direct result of that project.

The background: Part of friendship is to say thank you. We decided to thank the bloggers who wrote about the contest by making a donation of an HP digital camera, compact photo printer and some supplies to a charity of their choice.We also decided to send the gear directly to the women, so they could have the pleasure of donating it personally to their favorite local charities.

Because the donation aspect was not promoted in advance, it was a bit of a surprise to the bloggers when they got the email offering them the gear, but  none of them had any trouble thinking of a cause that meant something to them personally. They also all took the time to let us know what they planned to do with it, even though we didn’t make it a requirement that they do so.

Tracey Clark’s donation is going to war-torn Northern Uganda next month with Katie Gardner of San Diego.

Katie is part of a group connected with Children of the Nations. They will be spending three weeks working with children and families in the IDP (internally displaced people) camps.  Some of the folks going will be doing counseling, but Katie and small group of four or five others will be doing photo projects with the children.

She told me that working with third-world children, giving them a chance to use photography as a creative outlet has been a dream of hers ever since she saw the documentary Born into Brothels which documents the lives of children who live in Calcutta’s red-light district.

"When kids take pictures, they have a unique view. I’m really looking forward to helping these children experience the world in new ways through photography. I hope it gives them hope for the future."

Including the camera and compact printer donated by HP, Katie has two brand new digital cameras, two printers, a handful of used polaroid cameras and cash donations from friends and family to purchase supplies. They still need a scanner so they can scan in the polaroids and leave the originals with the children. If  you’d like to help, drop Katie a note at katieann10@gmail.com.

Katie thinks it’s important that we hear and see the smaller stories from Africa and other third world nations, not just the larger than life efforts of celebrities like Madonna and Bono so she is developing a blog to document her Uganda trip. You’ll also be reading more about Katie’s project on Snapshot Chronicles and on Tracey’s blog, Picture This.

Over the summer, Katie’s kids in Uganda, Tracey’s daughter Julia (age 9) in California,  my son Douglas (age 7) here in Massachusetts and two friends of Katie’s in San Diego, ages 7 and 9, will take pictures using some simple themes, including laughter, friends, sunshine and where I live. When Katie returns in August, we’ll do a series of posts showing their worlds through their eyes. It should be interesting to see the differences and similarities between the American and Ugandan children.

Katie says she hopes these pictures will help Americans better understand what is happening in Uganda:

"Not only do I want the kids in Uganda to have a creative outlet to think about their lives in a new way, I want people back home to be transformed by seeing the world though these kids’ eyes. And I want both sides to really see the potential for hope in places where people have been suffering for so many years. I want people back home to be moved to see how they can make a difference; and even if not in Africa, then how can we make a difference in our own backyard? I’m lucky enough to go overseas, but it’s so easy to be the catalyst for change in our own families and neighborhoods when we allow ourselves to open our eyes to what’s going on around the world."

Bon voyage, Katie.

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Check out Invisible Children, another group that helps the children of Uganda.

Update, 27 June: Tracey’s post Picture Hope

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