• by Maria Bailey , Columnist, October 4, 2019

Word-of-mouth marketing has long been a tactic for marketing to moms. The name may have more recently changed to influencer marketing, but it still remains an effective strategy if executed properly. 

Unfortunately, in the search for the silver bullet to drive sales, many brands are throwing caution to the winds when engaging with mom influencers. I’ve identified common mistakes made by marketers in hopes of helping you maximize ROI when using this tactic.

1. Using the same mom influencers everyone else is using.  The most effective use of influence is when a mom speaks passionately about a product or brand. It’s impossible for a mom to be passionate about every product or every brand. If you base your selection on the “popularity” of a mom influencer, you will fall short on the sincerity in her post. Believe me, her followers know whether she shops at Walmart or Target or eats beef over chicken. Find moms who align with your brand and values and may already be a loyal customer.

2, Not measuring engagement as a KPI. This is where the power of the micro-influencer shines. Effectiveness should not be measured by reach and impressions alone. The power of influence comes from engagement between the influencer and her followers. If a top-tier influencer has 100K followers but is only getting 300 likes and 10 comments, that is not good engagement, it’s a one-way conversation. Brands should want engagement, which means the message was powerful enough to have another mom share, comment or like it.

3. Accepting Instagram Stories alone. There are three challenges with Instagram Story posts: they aren’t permanent, they are difficult to measure and many moms are swiping past the #AD posts. Unfortunately, many mom influencers are getting lazy and simply posting to Instagram Stories when working with a brand. A sure sign to her followers that she isn’t 100% in on a product is that she throws it into a non-permanent story instead of on her Instagram feed. It’s okay to accept Instagram Stories, but also require that she posts to her feed or posts her Story as a visible Highlight that she keeps up for at least two weeks.

4. Sending the influencer’s post to the legal department for approval. I realize this one has just caused some brands to pause, but here’s my reasoning: The reason brands use mom influencers in the first place is to generate genuine, organic, authentic, firsthand conversations about their products. This cannot be achieved by inserting the legal department into the process. To ensure your brand standards are upheld, hire an agency that knows its influencers well and can educate them on brand messaging prior to the launch of a campaign.

5. Not looking back into an influencer’s history. This is probably the biggest mistake of all. Just this month I’ve seen a top mom influencer I follow post about her love for both Costco and BJ's. So which is it? As a follower, I’m confused and questioning the authenticity of this mom.

This is easily avoided by looking at an influencer’s feed to see what other brands she has worked with in the past six months.

As we approach the holidays, it’s important to empower yourself with the tools to help you engage with the right influencers for your brand.