Gone are the days of handwritten grocery lists and family calendars hanging on the fridge. Moms today have gone high-tech.

From cell phones to blogs, more and more mothers are using technology to organize their busy lives. According to Maria T. Bailey, author of Mom 3.0: Marketing with Today’s Mothers by Leveraging New Media & Technology and CEO of BSM Media, in 2009, moms will continue to leverage growing technologies and combine multiple high-tech devices to simplify their daily schedules.

BSM Media, Bailey’s mom-centric marketing firm, surveyed 3,000 mothers and found that 65% of them use five or more forms of technology everyday. As Bailey explains, “Moms today actually act in a 3.0 fashion using Web 2.0 technology.” From using cell phones to stay in contact with their families to using blogs to converse and connect with other mothers, moms are finding new ways to leverage existing technology to make their hectic lives easier. “Moms are driven by certain key emotional motivators,” says Bailey, “They want to feel connected to family, feel validated, and have a sense of accomplishment. Moms have discovered technology can help satisfy these emotional triggers.”

According to Bailey, cell phones are the most popular technology with these women. Her research found that most commonly, mothers use them to stay connected with their families through texting and to stay in touch with childcare providers. The next most popular technology moms use is social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. “Moms like using those sites because they can stay connected with family and friends, and 37% are using it to reconnect with old friends,” says Bailey. Research also showed that working moms are more likely to text using a cell phone than in-home moms, while in-home moms are more likely to use blogs and social networking sites. “The similarity between traditional working mothers and in-home mothers is that the majority are using some form of technology to gain specific purchasing information on products,” says Bailey.

 

 

for the rest of the article please visit  http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/News/News-Feature/Mom-3.0-Marketing-to-High-Tech-Moms-52710.htm
By Eileen Mullan – March 2009 Issue, Posted Feb 27, 2009
http://www.econtentmag.com/?ArticleID=52710
All Content Copyright © 1998-2009 EContentmag.com – All Rights Reserved

 A university is to offer a master’s degree teaching students about social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Bebo.

The £4,400 MA in Social Media will also explain how to set up blogs and publish podcasts.

The one-year course at Birmingham City University will consider social networking sites as communications and marketing tools.

The course, which will start next year, was advertised through a makeshift video on the university’s website.

Jon Hickman, the course convener, said he had received a good response from potential students and described what the course would entail.

He said: “It’s not for freaks or IT geeks, the tools learnt on this course will be accessible to many people.

“During the course we will consider what people can do on Facebook and Twitter, and how they can be used for communication and marketing purposes.

“There has been significant interest in the course already, and it will definitely appeal to students looking to go into professions including journalism and PR.”

 

for the full article please visit http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/5073683/University-offers-social-media-degree-about-Facebook-Twitter-and-Bebo.html

Let’s talk about budgets.

It took a while.

Even though tens of millions of users were flocking to social media sites every day, most marketers stayed away. They either didn’t understand how to join the conversations—without sounding like shills—or they were frightened away by the prospect of associating their brands with questionable content.

But things are changing.

Companies are learning how to leverage social media and tap into the rising tide of consumers participating in social network sites, blogs, wikis and Twitter.

According to the “The ROI on Social Media Marketing” report from the Aberdeen Group, sponsored by Visible Technologies, marketers have developed the tools and methodologies to drive marketing ROI by listening to and learning from customers and prospects.

 

Originally posted on emarketer for the rest of the article go to http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1006989

BuzzCity, which provides wireless communities and consumer services, has announced the results of its quarterly Global Mobile Advertising Index. According to BuzzCity, the results show that the global recession is having little to no effect on mobile advertisers or user habits. The Index documents the growth of mobile Internet advertising and represents inventory sold across the BuzzCity Mobile Advertising Network in more than 200 countries globally. It indicates growth in the number of users accessing the mobile Internet, in spite of declining public confidence in the economy and security in the job market.   
In the first three months of 2009, the BuzzCity Advertising Network delivered 8.5 billion paid advertising banners, an increase of 11% over the previous quarter. The top 10 countries by the number of paid advertising banners delivered in each are:

  1. Indonesia: 4.4 billion (23% growth)
  2. India: 842 million (+16%)
  3. United States: 527 million (+38%)
  4. South Africa: 428 million (-8 %)
  5. Egypt: 162 million (+8 %)
  6. Romania: 161 million (+9 %)
  7. China: 130 million (+67% )
  8. Philippines: 125 million (+8 %)
  9. United Kingdom: 113 million (+54 %)
  10. Bangladesh: 112 million (-16 %)

 

See full article at http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/2009/04/mobile-advertising-recessionproof-says-buzzcity.html

I saw a Facebook status update the other day from a busy working Mom. “waiting for Grace to finish practice so I have time to check in with Facebook”. How often do Moms……and Dads find themselves with a little a downtime and reach for their smart phone, ready to check in with their favorite, or multiple social networking site? Very often and growing is the answer. The recent “Power Moms” Study by Nielsen reports some findings that validate what we are seeing and hearing:

“Women ages 25 to 54 with at least one child are nearly twice as likely as the average American Internet user to provide frequent online advice about parenting and family issues (88% more likely), non-food household products (84% more likely), and beauty/cosmetics (82% more likely).

These “power moms” are also 51% more likely than average Web users to provide frequent online advice on clothes and fashion, food and beverage products (39% more likely than average), home decorating (36% more likely than average), and health, dieting and exercise (27% more likely than average).
“We’re seeing women using online avenues like email, online forums, and social networking websites to extend a role they’ve long held as information seekers and relationship builders,” Chuck Schilling, research director, agency and media analytics, Nielsen Online, noted. “Moms, in particular, look to the Web to connect with other parents for tips and support, and they aren’t afraid of new technologies – this group is nearly 25% more likely than average to author a blog.”

 

By perianne for the rest of the post click  perianne.wordpress.com

Package-Goods Brand Earns $1.28 Million in Sales From $1 Million Social-Media Campaign

Package-goods brands are still cautious about social media, figuring that the return on investment can’t be accurately measured. After all, marketing on Facebook or MySpace might generate a conversation but not necessarily a sale. Now, however, a method is emerging to relate one to the other, potentially eliminating a major impediment.

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Last week, TechCrunch reported on rumors that Google was in “late-stage talks” to buy microblogging service Twitter.
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Moms are one of the Internet’s most desirable groups. eMarketer estimates that there were 35.3 million US mothers online in 2008, a number that is expected to reach 39.6 million by 2012. New communities and content sites for moms appear practically every day. Marketers and advertisers are constantly trying to reach this all-powerful group, who not only carry strength in their numbers but also in their purchasing power.
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According to research just released by MySpace.com, over 73,000 Australian mothers between the ages of 21-34 are using MySpace.com. Traditionally considered the realm of young adults or teens, these findings are consistent with Nielson’s demographic insights, which tell us 68% of the total Australian MySpace population, around 2 million users, are 18 years and above.

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At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Consumer Electronics Association announced it expects mobile phone unit sales in 2009 to grow some 31 percent in North America, with global unit sales reaching approximately 1.2 billion.

The announcement validates the mobile market as a wellspring of untapped potential, but it also poses the challenge of how to effectively engage audiences increasingly selective about how, when, and where they buy.

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