This is the results of the survey undertaken by leading UK social media agency Shiny Red into the British Mummy Blogging community.

1. Conversations with
mummy bloggers
October 2009

2. What is mummy blogging?
“When companies plug-in
to a network of mummy
blogs they are in effect
getting in on the mother-
to-mother conversation”
The Times May 28, 2009

3. A mummy blogger...
1. Uses blogging software
2. Writes in an informal diary-esque style
3. Blogs about their children/parenting issues
Why mummy blogging is popular…
1. Mums can blog at home
2. Mums can use blogging to connect with others
3. Mums use blogs to record key events (images, video)

4. How influential are mummy bloggers?
• 700-1000 live parenting
blogs in the UK
• Growing readership
• Massive footprint on
social media (Twitter,
Facebook, Ning)
• Engaged, trusting
community
• Can have negative
impact on brands –
Dooce and Maytag

5. The American experience

6. The American experience
• According to Nielsen, Power Mums (25-54 yr olds with children)
are 20% of the US online population
• Importance of Dooce – blogged about parenting issues since
2004 and has inspired a generation of mummy bloggers
• Massive growth – Blogher conference in summer 2009 attracted
22,000 attendees
• Niche blogging emerging - Tech mommy bloggers
(geekmommy), Green mummy bloggers (Tiffany Washko),
Christian mummy bloggers (Cindy Rushton)

7. Mummy blogging in the UK

8. Mummy blogging in the UK - facts
• First Mummy bloggers emerged in 2005
• Explosion 3-4 years ago – Dulwich Mum, Potty Diaries, Sticky
Fingers
• Over 650 members of British Mummy Blogger network
(influential Ning-based social network for bloggers)
• Pro mummy bloggers – Parentdish (AOL), Alpha Mummy (Times)
• 2009 was a watershed year for brands approaching blogs
• Many established mummy bloggers have seen traffic rise by 50%
in the last six months

9. Top 10 UK mummy blogs
1. A Modern Mother
2. Alpha Mummy
3. Jo Beaufoix
4. The Potty Diaries
5. English Mum
6. All That Comes With It
7. Crystal Jigsaw
8. Molly Chicken
9. Noble Savage
10. Sticky Fingers
* source – whoisthemummy.co.uk

10. Not all UK mummy blogs are the
same... Classic parenting blogs
• Likely to have been blogging
for several years
• Tend to write diary-esque posts
• Use blogs as an outlet for their
creativity to share experiences
and engage with others
• Large group of followers and
very influential in the
community
• Less interested in monetising
their blogs

11. Not all UK mummy blogs are the
same... Emerging parenting blogs
• Only started blogging about
parenting issues in the last
year
• Often written by journalists
• Pro-actively engage with
brands – very keen on
reviewing product
• Very interested in monetising
their blogs
• High turnover – many do not
blog for long

12. About our research
Why they blog… how
We asked 20 mummy they feel about brands
bloggers... approaching them…
how they use social
media… where they go
for advice and support

13. Who are they?
Middle class Expressive
Community Well
focussed educated

14. Common characteristics
• Proud of their content (integrity)
• Blog is a conduit to a wider community
• Increasingly using other aspects of social media

15. Why do they blog?
88% 81% 81% 12%
enjoyment connection outlet money

16. What do they write about?
Diary Experience Community Product

17. Diary – personal memories
“Diary” posts act as a record for
parents who want to record special
moments in their child’s life, and
preserves them in a place where
they can share with friends and the
wider mummy blogging community.
These posts are completely unique
and personal to the blogger, as it is
directly about their life and family.

18. Experiences – sharing lives
“Experience” posts are different to
diary posts in that they are about
experiences that are shared amongst
the parenting community.
Bloggers frequently share these
experiences - whether that’s their
thoughts on a particular newsworthy
topic, passing on recipes and
parenting tips, or starting a debate
about issues relating to being a
parent.
An example post could be about the
ethics of slapping, tips on fussy eating
habits or recommending a location for
a good family day out.

19. Community – posting about blogs
Mummy bloggers have created a
very self-referential community,
frequently devoting posts to the
subject of mummy blogging, other
blogs, and approaches PR people
have made to them about their
blogs.
An example post could be a list of
the blogger’s favourite posts from
other blogs, sharing an award that
they have created, or posting a list
of the top 100 British Mummy
Bloggers by their traffic and
influence rating.

20. Products – reviews
Some mummy bloggers are keen to share their
thoughts on products or services with other
mums, which can be a good opportunity for
brands.
However, brands looking to be reviewed on
mummy blogs need to be careful: they will not
review just anything they’re asked to, they have
to already have a strong interest in the product
and view it as worth the time and effort to use it
and write an interesting review on it.
Some bloggers get offended when they feel that
brands think they can be “bought” with freebees,
or when they don’t acknowledge that product
reviews are work to the bloggers.

21. What prompts mummy bloggers to
talk about brands?
80% 80% 60% 50%
opportunity to try an interesting being invited payment
the product or story that fits in on a trip to find
service for free with their blog out more

22. Brands:
The mummy blogger’s perspective
On reviews in mummy blogs: “As long as “Most mummy bloggers are willing to engage
the review is 100% honest then I will always with businesses that sell products that are
trust their views more than the one exposed relevant to our daily lives. We are consumers –
in the media if it is in the form of we buy your products, use them daily, and have
advertising.” Anon mummy blogger our opinions. But we're busy. Our blogs are our
hobbies. We enjoy them. We aren't journalists
(though many of us have been journalists or
“If I respect and trust the blog then I'm marketing professionals). With a little research
happy to get some insider information that and creativity, you can capture our attention.”
is written in a language I enjoy reading.”
A Modern Mother
Anon mummy blogger
“I would never just agree to anything because I
“If PR firms actually took the time to read can get it for free. I like to keep a nice balance
my blog it would be appreciated.” and a do one or two reviews a month on great
Anon mummy blogger products that would interest my readers too.”
Anon mummy blogger
“...from now on I’ll [be] sifting the offers and
...if that means no more freebies then so be
it, I’m not a performing seal.” Little Mummy

23. Where do mummy bloggers turn to for
information about parenting?
The order in which they’ll
trust them:
1. Other parents 94%
2. Parenting blogs 82%
3. Magazines 62%
4. Books 58%
5. Newspapers 50%
6. TV 47%
7. Forums 35%

24. Mummy bloggers and social media
88% use both Twitter
and Facebook
70% of tweets by Two thirds of mummy bloggers
mummy blogs are @ read 11 or more other mummy
replies to each other blogs – a third read 50-100
660 are members of a
closed social network for
British mummy bloggers

25. Key trends # 1 More UK brands will
target mummy bloggers
• Significant rise in brands pitching to mummy bloggers in 2009
• Leading bloggers now being pitched 10-20 times a week
• Good results – campaigns and events that chime with mummy
bloggers have generated great coverage for brands
• However, in our survey many mummy bloggers complained that
brands and PRs are still approaching them in an insensitive and
inappropriate way

26. Key trends # 2 Shift to new blogging
formats
• Mummy bloggers are ideal candidates for the new
breed of blogging formats like Posterous and Tumblr.
• These make it very easy to create short posts and
embed images/video etc
• They also work seamlessly with social networking sites
like Twitter

27. Key trends # 3 Growth of mummy
bloggers on Twitter
• 80% of the mummy bloggers we surveyed are on Twitter
• Although most will use the format to have conversations, an
increasing number of emerging bloggers will use Twitter to push
content.
• Pushing content to gain traffic is now even more important due
to Twitter and Microsoft/Google deal. Twitter could significantly
grow traffic on key blogs
• Brands will start to approach mummy bloggers/influential mums
on Twitter

28. Key trends # 4 High turnover of new
mummy bloggers
In spite of the explosion there is a high turnover of mummy
bloggers because...
1. Difficulty of finding time to maintain a blog
2. New breed of journalist mummy bloggers becoming aware that
it is extremely difficult to monetise parenting blogs
3. Bloggers lives move on – returns to work etc
4. Shift to Twitter – and other micro blogging formats

29. The opportunity for brands is to
connect with a community…
…that’s engaged and intelligent
…that’s growing very quickly
…that’s increasingly influential – with a huge social media
footprint
…and that wants to have conversations with brands
BUT in the right way.

30. Contact Shiny Red
Our website – www.shinyred.co.uk
Our blog – www.shinyred.co.uk/our-blog
For more information – info@shinyred.co.uk
Or call - 020 7520 9530

31. Conversations with
mummy bloggers
October 009