“Okay, seriously? This (Ruthless & Toothless) onesie is just so many kinds of awesometastic awesome that I think my head might explode. I want it NOW, you hear me? NOW. Because if this doesn’t make my baby the coolest kid at playgroup—and that is, after all, my life’s ambition—I just don’t know what will.” —Catherine Connors

How’s that for a product endorsement? Welcome to marketing to women 2.0, where attuned marketers realize effective brand ambassadors aren’t gold medal winners or high-priced spokesmodels (think Cindy Crawford pushing Kellogg’s), but mommy bloggers with an avid following.

Like most early adopters, Catherine Connors’ evolution from blogger to occasional brand spokesperson was gradual. “When I started out [in 2006], nobody was advertising and there really weren’t any marketing relationships... it wasn’t something I was pursuing, it was just something that happened.”

Companies started contacting her, Connors found herself an ad network and these days the Bowmanville, Ont.-based writer and mother of two fields as many as 25 e-mails a day from PR people and marketers hoping she’ll help generate buzz for their brands. It’s a full-time job (she earns more than she did as a sessional lecturer at University of Toronto) and demand is so great that she co-founded wecovet.com, a website dedicated to fun and honest reviews of products companies want on moms’ radar. And don’t assume that means just baby gear and cooking gadgets—featured items include everything from the latest Coach collection to 3M’s Nuclear Duct Tape and all kinds of electronic essentials.

Rising female consumer power is changing the rules of engagement. Studies show women do more research into purchasing decisions than men and tend to be less swayed by ads. And according to a survey by Compass Partners in the U.S., 40% of women consider blogs a reliable source of advice and information; 50% say blogs influence their purchasing decisions and 24% say they watch less TV because of blogs.

The burgeoning interest in female bloggers, moms in particular, is no surprise to social media and digital marketing expert Kate Trgovac. A blogger in her own right (mynameiskate.ca) and president of Vancouver-based LintBucket Media, she knows women wield major consumer power. “They spend the money and they’re more influential because they talk to each other,” says Trgovac.

Not only do women control the majority of household spending, they have an uncanny ability to shape consumer movements by generating word-of-mouth support for brands they believe in. As word-of-mouth is one of the most potent tools in the communications arsenal, it’s little wonder mommy bloggers are increasingly appealing to marketers. Their endorsement lends a level of authenticity: it’s one thing to espouse the benefits of your own brand in a 30-second spot; it’s quite another to have somebody else do it for you while sharing their thoughts with thousands of dedicated readers.

Marketing via bloggers is evolving into a significant strategy because “it’s fulfilling a very important role that traditional advertising had stopped fulfilling, which is trust,” says Trgovac.

McDonald’s, a brand that’s taken its share of hits in recent years, knows how important it is to have moms onside: the challenge was engaging them in a relevant way. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there about our brand,” says Ron Christianson, spokesperson for McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada. “We know there is a lot of conversation happening online and as an influential brand we certainly want to be part of that discussion.”

Last year the company introduced its Moms’ Quality Correspondents program. More than 300 women applied and five were chosen to participate in behind-the-scenes field trips, such as a visit to McDonald’s beef supplier in Edmonton. While no one was paid, McDonald’s covered the cost of the trips and everyone got a laptop to blog on while on the road.

“One of the key considerations if we were going to do it was we were going to have to be really open, honest and transparent,” says Christianson. The gamble paid off, with the women addressing a number of key issues. Ali Martell, a Thornhill, Ont.-based “career mom of three and urban hipster” reported on mcdonaldsmoms.ca: “McDonald’s hamburgers are made from 100% Canadian beef. No fillers, no additives. No preservatives. Beef. That’s it. I promise. And I can make this promise to you... because I was there to see it.” Laura Day from Halifax wrote: “My mind is a little more at ease now, knowing what extent they do go to accommodate the best interest of the cattle and the people handling them. They do handle things as humanely as possible.”

In an ad or on a corporate website, this information would fall flat (or at least generate a little eye rolling) but in a blogger context it’s powerful. “What’s important is that these are real moms: others can relate to them and that certainly lends additional credibility,” says Christianson. As is essential in any blogger-marketer relationship, he adds, the women were free to write what they wanted without censorship. “If you appear disingenuous you miss the mark.”

When it works, as it certainly did for McDonald’s, it’s a public relations coup. “It’s the golden ticket for corporate reputation,” says Trgovac. “It gets that content out there and the pay-back is ongoing.”

McDonald’s continued the conversation by partnering with urbanmoms.ca, an online community that features a number of high-profile bloggers, reviews, contests and games. As McDonald’s “official mom media,” the site endorses the quality correspondent program through blog postings and videos. For example, “Amazon Diary” shows how McDonald’s and Greenpeace are working to develop a plan to help control the destruction of the rainforests from soy farming.

“For a big brand like McDonald’s to open their doors to the public and allow them to ask questions is very brave,” says urbanmoms.ca founder Maier. “Once we understood what it was they wanted to do we felt it was very important. It’s a brand moms interact with.”

Urbanmoms.ca features other brands in various contexts, such as product reviews, general discussions and outright paid content. “When it’s hosted content or something is provided then we’re very transparent,” says Maier, speaking to one of the essential rules of combining blogging and marketing: everybody has to be upfront about who’s providing what and why.

The current economic crisis has marketers more eager than ever to connect with mom bloggers and their audiences. “Marketers are seeing the value in this type of communication and it’s cost effective,” says Maier. “You don’t have to carve much out of a budget to see huge results online.”

That makes it ideal for brands of all sizes. When Julia Rosien, communications director for Cambridge, Ont.-based Natura World, joined the mattress company earlier this year she quickly tapped in to mommy bloggers.

“I want to connect with the end user. The benefits of having a mom blogger talk about our products is exponential,” says Rosien, who knew her company’s organic bedding and mattresses for little ones would strike a chord.

Before reaching out she did her homework, reading blogs, getting to know writers’ interests, understanding their audiences and seeing how effective they were at engaging discussion. Instead of taking a blanket approach, Rosien contacted a select few, one of whom was Connors. “I love her tone—it’s so honest and right to the core,” she says.

Rosien also knew from reading Connors’ blog that she was a sleep-deprived mom. She sent along some products—this is an essential part of the outreach; marketers can’t expect something for nothing—and Connors wrote a piece about her three-year-old’s sleep issues. “So we’ve tried all different kinds of sheets and mattress pads and blankets and nothing was working until Natura... It was, like, magic, for serious. Her first night with Natura’s hypoallergenic, organic and body-temperature-adapting mattress pad, pillow and quilt? She did not wake up at all. You hear that? SHE DID NOT WAKE UP AT ALL. And now we’re nearly a week on using the Natura bedding in her bed, and every night of that week has been a full night of sleep for her. A perfect, peaceful night of sleep.”

With Connors’ personal blog generating 5,000-10,000 views a day, not to mention the dedicated following of wecovet.com, this is a woman who clearly connects with other moms. When it comes to deciding which messages to bring to the masses, however, Connors is a tough sell: “I do a lot of deleting. It makes me delete if it’s just a press release, if they get my name wrong or if it’s clear it’s a mass e-mail.”

Blogger outreach requires a unique approach, says David Jones, vice-president, digital communications at Hill & Knowlton in Toronto. While more and more marketers are getting on board, few are doing a good job connecting in relevant and interesting ways. “Every blogger is different,” says Jones. “It’s a really personal relationship and you have to get to know each blogger well: you can’t just pitch them off a list... our goal with blogger outreach is to pitch less but more targeted.”

Connors says she’s always looking for incentive and context—an interesting story, not just a product to promote. “The prevailing approach is to see blogs as a broadcast media, which misses the greater value blogs have, being to spread messages socially,” she says. “There are limited growth opportunities for doing just promotion because it’s not interesting to read.”

Motorola hit the mark when it set Connors up with a new Motozine Zn5 camera phone to try out during an all-expense paid trip anywhere in North America. She took the kids to Disney World and wrote about it with her usual wit and candour: it didn’t read like an advertisement, it was woven into the story in an upfront but unobtrusive manner. “They were willing to let me promote them in a way I saw fit,” says Connors.

When it comes to blogger outreach, it’s not just about sending an e-mail and shipping a product, notes Trgovac. “When marketers think it’s hard and challenging and time consuming, I tell them it is. It’s such a minefield. It’s developing a relationship even when you don’t always expect something from them... (and when you do) your incentive to that mommy blogger has to be big.”

For Carly Biggart, director of marketing for Motorola Canada, it’s worth the effort. “With the devices we sell there is so much customization that traditional media can’t get the message across,” she says of the depth to which bloggers can explore and explain her products.

“[It used to be] a much more blanketed approach. This allows you to be a lot more targeted,” Biggart says of adding blogs to the marketing mix. “The brand used to skew more male, but now we have become a lot more relevant among females.”

Which, these days, is what every marketer wants.

Five questions you should never ask a blogger:

1. “How many readers do you have?”
Bloggers don’t owe you anything. By blogging about your product, they’re doing you a service. Do your research on Technorati ahead of time and remember you’re pitching them; they’re not auditioning for you. Bloggers want to know you’ve read their work and you’re familiar with their interests.

2. “Can I see what you write before it goes up?”
Big mistake. The most valuable element of blogging is honesty. Your goal isn’t to put out a controlled marketing message, but to generate discussion.

3. “What’s your real name?”
If you’re sending someone a pitch, do your homework. Spell their name right and never refer to them by their blogger handle.

4. “Why haven’t you answered my e-mail?”
Many bloggers have day jobs or they’re busy with families. Chances are if you don’t hear back, they’re not interested. Don’t pester bloggers, but do expect a much longer turnaround time than you’d get with a journalist.

5. “Can you do me a favour?”
These days it’s considered downright insulting to ask a blogger to do something with little or no payback. You have to make it worth their while with free products, sponsorship, trips, or giveaways for their readers. The issue of paying cash for coverage is a thorny one and offering money to some bloggers will blow up in your face. Others see blogging as a business service for which companies should pay. Tread carefully and get to know your blogger before making assumptions about compensation. And, most importantly, support bloggers in their efforts to be transparent with their readers.

MICHELLE WARREN is a freelance writer in Toronto