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June 8, 2015

5 Ways To Strengthen Parenting Influencer Relationships

6.8

I’ve been working with parenting influencers – aka “mommy bloggers” – for the better part of six years. There are a handful I’ve worked with consistently, who I’ve seen grow from little blogspots to fully sponsored, I-have-an-agent-influencers, watching them grow their followers and businesses. Over the years, I’ve learned a few key things on how to nurture strong relationships with these influencer powerhouses:

  1. Be loyal. Be loyal to them, and they will be loyal to you. Don’t send them every opportunity; send them opportunities that suit them specifically.
  2. Don’t tell them what to do. Guide bloggers and be clear with them about your campaign’s goals, but don’t do their work for them. Mom bloggers have evolved into creative thought leaders. Have conversations with them about what they think their audiences will latch on to. They know their audiences best and they’ve worked with the best brands in the business: Don’t ignore their expertise!
  3. Listen to them. Blogger compensation, trends, wishes and networks change all of the time. New players come onto the scene and one major campaign can change the landscape. Ask bloggers questions to learn from them.
  4. Challenge them. Bloggers have evolved because of many things, but partly because brands have pushed them. If something doesn’t meet your standards, tell them. If you think they can do something really cool and outside of the box, ask them to take a risk with you.
  5. Invest in them. Mom bloggers are the number one demographic on the internet – encompassing shopping moms. They aren’t going anywhere and they grown in influence and talent quickly.

I could go on about this because I’m fascinated with the growth and evolution of this industry. I’ve hosted and spoken on panels about parenting influencers, and they still excite me – their reach is ever growing and their influence is tangible. How could any PR team pass that up?

(Photo: Whistler’s Mommy Blogger by flickr user Mike Licht via Attribution 2.0 License)