but my passion must have been a selling point. We agreed that she would sell advertising from Momtrends on a commission structure. The more she sold, the more she made. We still have that arrangement today. Brooke has grown her representation into the company Power Moms Media, and she sells millions of dollars in marketing and research packages a year. All because someone asked her, “What if we try this?”
The first year we generated $7,500 in sales (mostly small banner ads). It was a start. I decided that I wanted to do some marketing to NYC moms. That’s where Team Member Two comes in.
I convinced a dear friend and consummate hostess, Sherri, to help me get into the event business. I thought it would be a great way to connect with readers and market the brand. Plus, every time you gather women in real life (offline), you’re bound to get more information than anticipated.
Our first event just about cleared $5 - barely enough for a Starbucks trip. My scrappy Event Manager was a genius at getting free space, but we were ALL OVER THE PLACE with messaging. We had some personal shopping, some snacks, and some toy testing. It was tremendously fun and unfocused.
Thankfully, adding Sherri to the mix meant adding a critic and voice of reason. With each event, we were finding our “voice.” Our events got prettier and prettier. We decided to focus on hosting online influencers and to leave other companies’ hosted events for the general NYC population.
After each event, the three of us - Editorial, Marketing and Events - would go to dinner to hash out what worked and what didn’t. I was blessed to work with two friends who had a knack for self-improvement. None of us took criticism personally. We all wanted to grow, learn, get better, and produce a better product… and make more money.
Opportunities started pouring in. By 2010, I couldn’t handle the workload. I added an Editor. This was the first employee who was not directly producing revenue. She was fielding pitches and helping me cover all the NYC events. As a professional trend spotter, I lived in the best city in the world. Every new product launch came through NYC. From 2009-2011, I attended every launch, product review, showcase, and press preview I could. I passed out cards and networked like mad. And it worked. Our tiny little brand was gaining readership and credibility. We let other blogs chase deals, coupons, and parenting trends. Momtrends focused on style-based editorial. We found our niche and we set out to do it better and better every year.
2012-2015 saw rapid growth. I carefully added team members when the workload got out of hand. I was always extremely careful to hire only when the workload got to be overwhelming. I never wanted to “overhire” and have to be in the position of firing someone because our numbers didn’t look good.
Solving problems was the key. Moms needed us. They needed to know what to wear, where to go on vacation, which stroller to buy, and how to mix a great cocktail (because date night is often a Friday night in). And we were there to help. Not as a know-it-all, but as a friend in-the-know. The girlfriend with the enviable contact list; the BFF who will give you an honest opinion when you are swimsuit shopping; and the bestie who is there to tell you there’s no such thing as a perfect mom. We’re relentlessly positive, we strive to be pretty, we inspire women to try something new, and we believe in being social and sharing.
Once we had a mission statement (and every brand or business needs a mission statement), it was easy to decide what editorials fit on our pages and which brands were a match for us.
Good timing helps too. I’ve been lucky enough to witness the evolution in digital media spending. Each year we see more and more money being shifted from traditional media to online publications, and we’re there to help and reap the rewards.
While we love helping brands spend money, we really love being able to help them solve problems. Client problems boil down to two things:
◊ They need to reach affluent, engaged moms who care about style.
◊ They need to find other bloggers who have strong networks.
I never tout myself as the smartest business woman, the best writer, or the most stylish dresser. What I do better than most, is hustle. Early on, clients were wowed by my professionalism, ability to meet deadlines, and follow-up.
At the end of a project, I kept hearing the same thing, “I wish there were more of you.” This got me thinking that I did in fact know “more of me” …well, not me exactly, but I had marvelous connections with blogging friends.
Why couldn’t I gather some peers to deliver great social media posts? A new segment of our business began. We called it Momtrends Blogger Outreach. We match bloggers up to campaigns for some of our favorite bands - like Hickory Farms, Hershey’s, Chase Bank, Amwell Healthcare, and more. Bloggers love us for providing new financial opportunities, and brands adore us for delivering results.
Whenever I spot a hole in the marketplace, I jump in. It doesn’t always work, but when I see inefficiencies, it makes me crazy. Seeing brands waste good money on bad events still makes me twitchy.
A recent Volvo test drive event in California is a case in point. I went out there as a brand fan, knowing in my bones that Volvo needs to be marketing to moms directly. They are wasting money on television and traditional media. I invested time and energy to woo the client. I haven’t convinced them to spend a dime with me yet, but usually my persistence pays off, and my instincts are reliable.
I know which stories and brands will resonate with my readers. My dogged pursuit of the best brands for my blog has reaped great rewards.
What else works? Turning down business that doesn’t make sense. It’s hard to turn down a five-figure deal with a fast food chain after a few slow months, but we do it every time. I don’t want a reader scratching her head when she sees me hawking fries after spending a decade encouraging readers to try to cook more homemade meals.
Authenticity and trust mean more than fast and furious growth.
I want this brand around for decades to come.
Now we’re a team of 10. I’m proud and inspired by the women I work with. Each day they bring a level of awesome to everything we do. We’ve moved out of my home, and in to shared space in Brooklyn called We Work.
My team is an interesting mix. Nine out of ten of us have children (one employee has grandchildren - that’s my mom). We range in age from 27-67, and we live in four different states. What we share is a common belief that motherhood can and should be fabulous. Each editorial meeting starts with asking: how we can delight our reader? What is she not getting right now, and what does she need more of?Analytics, social media feedback, and interaction at events fuel our research. We’re never happy with what we did last year. Over the years, we’ve strived to build our community by bringing in new moms. A big part of that is storytelling through pictures. We’re using original photographs and producing edited videos. The goal - drawing new moms in with images and keeping them engaged through storytelling and problem solving.
Do we do it perfectly every time?
Nope. But we never stop striving for better.
The same goes for parenting.
