Wendy Hirschhorn, a veteran publicist with blue chip clients, has launched Wendy's Bloggers, a bridge for brands to create valuable relationships with influential mommy bloggers and their followers.
Mommy Bloggers are typically defined as stay-at-home moms in their 20s or 30s with at least one or two children. Many of them got into blogging to supplement their family income and found that they really liked sharing tips on saving money, raising kids and reviewing products. For many, their honesty and opinions attract thousands of like-minded women.
Three years ago, Hirschhorn began to build a powerful network of mommy bloggers who regularly reviewed and posted her clients' products on their websites and hosted product giveaways.
"Although there were nearly four million mommy bloggers to choose from, it was not an easy process to find really great Mommy Bloggers," Hirschhorn said. "At heart, they are moms and wives first, bloggers second. I had to screen hundreds to find those who met my professional standards. That included the ability to write cohesive reviews, to generate sufficient traffic to their sites, and to use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr and other social sites to promote their product reviews and giveaways."
"While most Mommy Bloggers wanted to be brand ambassadors for a select group of brands, it was difficult for them to penetrate companies that would provide products for review," Hirschhorn continued. "Moreover, they felt unappreciated and underutilized by the companies whose products they did review."
Hirschhorn understood. "I knew they were up against companies that just didn't have the time, staff or, in some cases, the inclination to follow up with them," she said.
That was the "aha" moment for creating Wendy's Bloggers. "I had what brands, retailers and consumer products companies needed: the experience, the time, and a network of dedicated mommy bloggers," Hirschhorn said. "And I had what mommy bloggers wanted: an advocate, a soundboard and the means to contact the brands, retailers and consumer goods companies they longed to reach.
