Kevin Burke, Lucid Marketing10.28.10
I understand the appeal in reading blogs written by women. They are honest and often explore deep emotional topics in a way that other media outlets can't or won't touch. Bloggers can write about issues with a rawness that people relate to. So many things in our world today are 'packaged' and lack authenticity, but this is not an issue for female bloggers and it is core to what keeps bringing readers back.
This past summer in New York City, a community of 2,400+ women (and a few guys) gathered together for the BlogHer'10 conference. BlogHer conferences are a unique event in terms of its size and the focus on women in social media. It was my third year attending.
One could, but should not, overlook the power of these women. They have a “bottom-up grassroots power-to-the-people” kind of power, not the “top-down hierarchical-type." To the outsider not involved in this community, it might be difficult to understand their power, but to see so many assembled together, interacting, writing, hugging, laughing, live-blogging, snapping pictures, and tweeting leaves you with the strong impression that these women are tuned in, vibrant and expressive.
I am certainly not the first to recognize that women bloggers are an influential group. Pepsico, Walmart, Ralph Lauren, Procter & Gamble, Boiron, Chevrolet, J&J and several others get it. Each had a significant presence and different experience designed to appeal to women at the conference in attempt to entice them their way.
Another big impression, it is a diverse group many ways -- racially, sexuality, style, parents or not, appearance -- except their gender. They are not a segment of society, they represent all of our society. And as a part of it, they have created a very tight-knit community with a common interest. Many know each other very well from reading their respective blog posts and comments. They are supportive and very comfortable challenging one another. And if you think about it, these are very healthy characteristics for a community.
Part of the community's strength is that there are many leaders, some formal and many more informal. The conference's organizers Lisa Stone, Elisa Camahort Page and Jory Des Jardins deserve a lot of credit for putting together successful events. They are smart enough to know that there's enough talent and interesting people attending that they don't need to be in the spotlight. They kicked things off, keep them going, and stay out of the way.
Unique, brilliant and it works. I learned a lot. It's likely that your business would too. Circle Aug. 4-6, 2011 for BlogHer'11 in San Diego.
About The Author
Kevin Burke founded Lucid Marketing to help brand marketers create and implement marketing programs that connect with moms and MomsWhoBlog, a news journal about mothers active in social media.
Through these endeavors, Kevin has worked with Disney, AOL, eHarmony, Boiron and others to build millions of lasting relationships with their customers. He has spoken at the Marketing to Moms Conference, Parent Publishers of America, KidScreen Summit, Word of Mouth Marketing Association, Association of Interactive Marketers, Association of National Advertisers, Association of Advertising Agencies, and Couture Jewelry Collection. Follow him on Twitter @kb33.