Mom Blogging for Dummies – Free Sample Chapter!

Mom Blogging for Dummies Free Sample Chapter

It is mid-August, Mom Blogging for Dummies (Amazon, Barnes & Noble) has been out less than a month, and so far I’m super-proud of how the book has done so far. I’ve gotten great feedback from readers – even from a few guys and dads!

I’m excited to present a free downloadable chapter of Mom Blogging for Dummies – no strings attached! You don’t have to give me your email address, sign up for anything, or even promise me your first born child. This chapter is simply free for the taking – please share it wherever you want or with whoever you want – as long as it’s legal, duh. :)

In this 20 page chapter I talk about:

* Understanding what makes mom blogs different

* Exploring the range of opportunities you can develop with your blog

* Avoiding some of the easiest mistakes to make

* Getting to know some of the blog-writing basics

Mom Blogging for Dummies Book Trailer

If you haven’t yet seen the book trailer, in it I talk more about who will get the most out of reading the book and some great tips to get started blogging:

And as a quick reminder – I’m traveling quite a bit in 2011 and 2012 speaking at conferences on the subject of blogging – if I’m in your neck of the woods, please come and say hi!

Filed Under Blog, Social Media Moms · 1 Comment  

16 Market Research Facts Proving Social Media Moms’ Influence

Social Media Moms RuleRight now I am up to my ears in writing my book, Mom Blogging for Dummies. I have a packed folder of bookmarks with tons of statistics and data on social media moms and mommy bloggers. The information has been surprisingly scattered all over the web and difficult to find. I really thought someone would have collected some solid market research for our industry and put it all in one place.

Then earlier this week, my friend Barbara shared a link on Facebook – 23 Social Media Facts to Share with Executives. Jeff’s post is truly worth a permanent place in your bookmarks. And at the end, he invites us to come up with our own posts on stats and facts. I happily took him up on it. So, if you were looking for proof that mommy bloggers are a force to be reckoned with, then you have come to the right place.

  • Parenting and pregnancy websites are the top source moms and expectant moms use to learn about products and services. (eMarketer)
  • 3.9 million women with children write blogs in the US. By 2014, that number will jump to 4.4 million.  (eMarketer)
Number of Moms who Blog

Number of Moms who Blog


  • 55% of active (daily) social media moms said they made their purchase because of a recommendation from a personal review blog. (NPD Group, Inc. via Technorati)
  • Of the 3.9 million mom bloggers, only 13% of them primarily write about parenting and 9% about family updates. That means mom bloggers are vastly more likely to write about topics other than being a mom. (Technorati)
  • Mom bloggers are 21% more likely than the general blogging population to be approached by a brand. (Technorati)
  • Moms are picky about what brands they blog about – a whopping 77% of mom bloggers will only write about products or brands that they approve of. Another 14% will write about brands or products they boycott. (Technorati)
  • 18.3 million internet users who are moms read blogs at least once a month. (eMarketer)
    (I estimate more than that, because not all people can distinguish between a blog and a website).
  • 60% of Mom bloggers say they blog about brands they love or hate, compared to only 50% of the general blogging population. (Technorati)
  • 87.1 million women online are active on a weekly basis in social media (including blog interactions, Facebook, message boards, and other social networking sites). (BlogHer/iVillage)
  • One in four of moms have purchased a children’s product because of a recommendation from a social networking site or blog. (NPD Group, Inc. via SFGate)
  • For the 20+ million BlogHer Network audience, engaging in reading blogs is their number one regular online activity, above watching TV, visiting Facebook, or reading other traditional media sources such as newspapers or magazines. (BlogHer/iVillage)
  • Because of blogging, 24% of surveyed women watch less television, 25% read fewer magazines and 22% read fewer newspapers. (BlogHer via Kim Vallee)
  • One of the strongest driving reasons that moms use technology is to be able to monitor what their kids are doing. (BlogHer)
  • Moms mention brands an average of 73 times per week compared with just 57 among males. (eMarketer)
Social Media Moms Talk About Brands

Social Media Moms Talk About Brands

  • 90% of moms are online vs. just 76% of women in general. (eMarketer)
  • 66% of moms believe word of mouth is credible. (eMarketer)

Do you have additional mom blogging statistics to add? Please leave them in the comments with a link to the source!

Filed Under Blog, Business, Social Media Moms · 15 Comments  

Momfluential Social Media Marketing: Making the Nielsen Mom Power Pack List

I woke up today to find my name on a list. It’s not just any list, but probably one of the most important lists I could be on as a mom in social media. Nielsen (yes, that Nielsen) included me on their Online Power Mom 50 list.

“Nielsen Online’s Power Mom 50 is a collection of leading voices in the mom blogosphere based on a blend of blog posts and comments, and inbound/outbound captured via Nielsen BuzzMetrics, as well as Twitter followers and other metrics.

The complete list is available here.”

-Jessica Hogue, Research Director, Nielsen Online
Power Moms Consumer Insight Report

Since I’ve been laying low lately as I launch my second blog network and take some much needed rest, I was especially pleased to know people haven’t forgotten about me. ;)

So what does it mean to be on The List? The following 16 “Power Pack” moms are considered “…Momfluentials that pack too much of a punch to be categorized. These women create powerful mom networks; speak around the world on the dynamic digital world of mom; and have legions hanging on their every word -via TV, magazines, podcast, blog or tweet.”

What an honor to be included with some of my favorite women in social media! I do want to say that I think Barbara Jones, Allison Worthington, Isabel Kallman, Michelle Lamar, Janice Croze & Susan Carraretto, Kristin Chase & Liz Gumbinner and Maggie Mason need to get squeezed onto this list somewhere (I say for fear of forgetting another awesome mom myself!).

Filed Under Blog, Social Media Moms · 10 Comments