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Announcing the Linqia Referral Program: A New Way for You to Earn Rewards

Posted by & filed under communities, Facebook, word of mouth marketing.

Do you know other community leaders that write about Parenting or Home & Garden? Would you like to be rewarded by referring them to Linqia?

We are thrilled to announce another great earning opportunity for you: The Linqia Referral Program!

How it Works

Login to Linqia, and click Referrals in the header.

Referrals Tab

On the Referrals page, you can access your unique referral link and share via email, Facebook or twitter. For every Community Leader that applies and is accepted into the Linqia family of communities, you’ll immediately earn $5.

But That’s Not All…

We also pay you a commission of 15% of their earnings from their first Linqia campaign! You are paid via PayPal within 7 days of the campaign’s completion, so you get your reward fast.

Go tell your friends, tell your colleagues, tell your family…Linqia wants YOU!

Why is My Unique Referral Link Important?

We can only track and pay you for your referrals if your friends click your link. It’s how we know for certain that you referred them. Make sure that they know to click on your unique link to get to our Community Application. Otherwise, we can not pay you.

What Types of Communities Are Best to Refer?

(Or, which community leaders are most likely to earn me a 15% commission?)

Linqia is looking for communities that match the following criteria:

  • Parenting or Home & Garden focus
  • Minimum 1,000 members (Twitter followers+ Facebook likes)
  • Located in the US or Canada

We’re Speaking at ad:tech: Collaborative Marketing: Driving Consumer Powered Products and Marketing

Posted by & filed under ad:tech, word of mouth marketing.

Our CEO and co-founder Maria Sipka will be speaking on a panel with Brandon Evans, Founder & CEO, Crowdtap, Rob Salvatore, Cofounder & CEO, Tongal and Rustin Banks, Co-founder & CEO, BlogFrog about Collaborative Marketing: Driving Consumer Powered Products and Marketing.

Just ten years ago, Facebook did not exist. Communication was primarily one-to-one, and marketers focused almost exclusively on mass communication to a mass audience. The last decade saw rapid change and technological growth that marketers are just beginning to put into perspective; not only change in communications, but in empowerment, permitting consumers to influence and take co-ownership of brands. The common theme across all of this change is an evolution towards collaboration.

This panel focuses on the future of marketing – a future where brands must market “with” consumers, not “at” them, thinking strategically about how to invite consumers into the marketing process. A Collaborative Marketing Future is not a pipe dream. It’s a reality already set in motion, one that is consistent with consumers’ innate tendencies to share and contribute. It’s a future where the companies that are closest to those who buy, use and advocate for their products win.

Learn more about the Under The Influence Summit Moscone Center West, 747 Howard St, San Francisco, California, 94103 April 10, 2013 – 3:30PM to 7:00PM

Linqia will also be exhibiting at the Summit. You can request an appointment or visit us at Influencer Avenue booth number UI11 from the 9th-10th April.

Linqia selected as finalist at ad:tech Startup Spotlight

Posted by & filed under ad:tech, finalist.

General Mills has selected Linqia to be a finalist at the ad:tech Startup Spotlight in San Francisco. Linqia will be presenting as one of four finalists to General Mills Tuesday April 9th at 2:15pm.

The ad:tech Startup Spotlight Series is a competition that highlights the most enterprising new companies in digital marketing to find the next game-changer in social engagement. The General Mills Social Engagement Challenge is a hunt for the best new platform or service that helps marketers fully leverage social to create, syndicate and promote content across a variety of devices – including tablets, phones and connected TVs.

Hundreds of startups entered, but just four made it to the final round. We’re super excited to be finalists!

Come watch us present or visit us at our booth in Innovation Alley on the Show Floor.

7 Key Motivators for Community Leaders

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

For many Community leaders, blogging is a full time job. Moms who blog spend up to 40+ hours a week curating unique, authentic content for their loyal members.

Wait, what??? This means moms who blog have 2 full time jobs, some even 3? This begs the question, why? Why are Community leaders spending hours upon hours nurturing their audience and growing their following.

An article by Britopian titled, “Articulating Your Content Strategy Like a Child’s Book”, analyzes 7 key motivators for people. Let’s take a closer look at what Britopian claims motivates a person and see how these apply to a Community leader and their experience with Linqia campaigns.

1. Societal & Social Norms- “ We do things that we think will be accepted by, and acceptable to, our community or groups”.

  • When Community leaders nurture their own audience they are creating a place where people with the same or similar social norms can come together and collaborate, share, and be inspired.

2. Identity- “We do things that are aligned with our sense of identity, or how we perceive ourselves”.

  • A blog is a space that is designed to reflect the personality or interests of the Community leader, which in turn attracts people with a similar identity. This is how seemingly strangers can interact and feel connected without ever having met.

3. Morals and Ethical Beliefs-“We tend to do things that are aligned with our moral judgments and how moral we perceive ourselves to be.

  • A Community leader designs and builds their site to reflect their beliefs and morals. When choosing to work with a brand, they are telling their community that this is a brand they believe in and stand behind. With Linqia Community leaders have the choice to share content that resonates with their own values and those of their audience enabling their authentic voice to shine through. Through this authenticity, people build a relationship with the Community leader and looks to them to share quality stories from trusted brands.

4. Reciprocity-“We tend to do things for others in response to receiving a gift or a favor from them.”

  • When a brand selects a Community leader to work with, they offer rich, engaging content to be shared with their audience. In the form of a story, the Community leader sparks a conversation, which ignites the community into discussion. The campaign goes full circle when the conversation within the community makes its way back to the brand.

5. Task Enjoyment- “We may do a task simply because we enjoy doing it.”

  • Community leaders have a preference when it comes to the brands they work with. When they are passionate about a brand, a campaign becomes enjoyable to them. They can’t wait to share exciting content provided by the brand for their community.

6. Present Bias- “We do things that result in immediate gratification rather than waiting around for future benefits.”

  • Sharing within a community prompts an immediate response. There is an audience out there, waiting to see what the Community leader will share so they can provide feedback, encouragement, or gratitude.

7. Loss Aversion-“We do things that allow us to avoid the pain of losses, or at least delay losses so they occur in the future.”

  • Establishing a community can be like creating a journal. All of your thoughts, ideas, creative projects and yummy recipes can be stored in one place. Organized by tabs, dates,  or categories, you and your audience can go back in time to see what you have created.

Community leaders are motivated by many different entities, whether it be events, people, money, their own creativity, etc., there is something inspiring and encouraging them. While there is no exact mold of what motivates a Community leader to share their lives and brands, we can relate and understand certain elements.

If you are a Community leader, tell us what motivates you to nurture and grow your community.

 

The Anatomy of an Effective Sponsored Story Post

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Analyzing the performance of communities who are participating in our campaigns has been fascinating! To understand what helps a community over-perform, we took a closer look at their stories and analyzed key differentiators that made their posts stand out. To curate an effective and authentic sponsored story for your community, here’s what we learned:

A captivating story headline

Successful stories are lead by a powerful headline. Grab your audience’s attention and pull them in to read and engage with your story by creating a thoughtful, captivating headline. Here are a few suggestions to get your readers involved with your story.

• A “how to headline”

• Ask a question to spark conversation

• Tie in the theme of the campaign

Do Your Children Have Good Self Esteem?

If only I could live in France…

The Theme of the Campaign

After you have captured the attention of your readers, consider how the theme of the campaign relates to the content in your story. Try writing about something personal to bridge the gap between brand content and your community aesthetic.

For example, if you are given a brand recipe for a product, incorporate a memory or experience closely related to the dish or a similar one.

Ashley from Domestic Imperfection did an amazing job adding her personal touch to this post around the Mohawk Carpet Campaign.

Personal Photos

Connect with your readers and share your own images relating to the campaign. Your audience will appreciate the combination of your images and the brands.

Shareable Images

One of the most impactful differentiators is an image that can be easily shared through a pin, tweet, or Facebook post. You can present your images in a wide variety of ways.

When curating your sponsored story we have found authentic posts to be the most successful. Try implementing one of these tips the next time you curate your sponsored story post and see if it increases traffic to your campaign.

 

 

4 Simple Tips on Posting Disclosure for Your Sponsored Posts

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

The other day I was having dinner with a good friend of mine and we began to talk about make-up foundation. I had been on the hunt to find the perfect blemish cover up that would hide my dark spots while simultaneously preventing my skin from breaking out- a task that seemed impossible until our dinner.

After hearing my dilemma, she immediately began raving about her foundation and how it has completely changed her life. Well, I of course went straight to the mall the following day to pick up my very own compact of  “life changing powder”.

When a trusted friend recommends a product, you are likely to try it. Now, if that friend was being offered compensation to tell you to try something, wouldn’t you want to know? And if they didn’t tell you, would you feel as though you were being deceived or lied to?

This reason (and the fact that it is the law) is why posting disclosure on sponsored posts is so important. Your readers and followers trust and value your opinion and you have spent countless hours developing that trust. Though disclosure may seem insignificant, it could compromise the relationship you have with your audience.

Posting disclosure doesn’t have to feel like a burden, and you don’t have to adhere to a certain verbiage when posting. Below you can find inspiring tips on how you can get creative with your disclosure.

Tip 1: Use your own natural tone of voice 

Rather than sticking to the traditional “Thank you so and so for sponsoring this post” you can word your disclosure to convey how you feel on a topic. For example Theresa from Rock on Mommies participated in the Dove Self Esteem Awareness campaign, and wrote:

Tip 2: Tailor your disclosure

Depending on what you’re writing about, phrase your disclosure to fit with the aesthetic of the post.  For example, Melissa from The Inspired Room shared a story around Entertaining in Provence and her dream of living in the French countryside.  At the end of her story she wrote:

Tip 3: Use shortcuts

For sponsored Facebook and twitter posts simply use #spon or #sp to indicate your disclosure.  Alexis from the beauty bean disclosed and kept her own tone throughout her tweets.

Tip 4: Disclose at the end of a post

This minimizes your readers from feeling as though they are being “sold to” from the get go. You are simply indicating that you are receiving compensation for your opinions.

And finally! Our Philosophy

Not only is it the law to post disclosure on sponsored posts, we truly feel it upholds your integrity as a community leader. You invest hours curating quality stories and developing a connection with your audience, and it’s paramount to maintain that trust even if you are receiving deserved compensation.

As 100’s of communities have shared and participated in Linqia campaigns we have been admiring how so many have demonstrated transparency and creativity when posting disclosure.

 

*Big thank you to Linqia for sponsoring this post

The future of advertising: Reaching over a billion enthusiasts through online interest communities

Posted by & filed under advertisers, advertising, communities, community engagement, content marketing, engagement, influencer marketing.

A group of interior decorating enthusiasts gathers in a friend’s home to chat about decorating ideas for the upcoming Halloween holidays. They’re asking questions, sharing experiences, what they’ve seen in magazines, television shows and other homes.  They’re seated comfortably on sofas and plush cushions sipping tea, enjoying sparkling wine and nibbling on horderves. There is a natural flow to the conversation and the inspiring thoughts evoke a feeling of closeness and deepening of their passion.

Now imagine an advertiser barging through the door armed with offers, coupons, humorous acts and banners showcasing their latest items.

For decades, advertisers have subjected people not interested in being advertised to or being interrupted to an experience that is nothing short of abusive and disrespectful.  The highly centralized media channels have been the primary cause of this dreadful experience where a few ‘media moguls’ have controlled messaging to the masses.

This dynamic is rapidly breaking, as the population continues to shift online gravitating towards the social web to form and deepen human connections around shared interests. Advertisers have started experimenting in various ways to reach these highly engaged audiences.  It’s the holy grail of advertising that requires a very delicate approach.

The way to reach these audiences is simple. Be human.

Getting back to basics and drawing on one’s real life experience interacting with fellow human beings is how brands are starting to behave and formulating their approach.  Joining the conversation in a respectful way and offering something of value is how people are more motivated to form relationships with brands. Leave your sales and marketing spiel at home and start out by listening, learning and bringing to the table what people will find valuable.

Advertisers must transform their messaging from selling to informing, entertaining, inspiring or educating. This approach earns the advertiser attention, loyalty that permission to build new and ongoing valuable relationships. It’s no longer about investing the lion’s share of the billions of dollars into clever, beautiful and expensive commercials and advertisements. The guardians of these budgets need to delve into the hearts of their brand, business or organization and repackage the wealth of value that has been built over the life of that entity into relevant content and experiences that can be shared and repurposed to an engaged audience of people.

Advertising channels, as we know them today – television, billboards, newspapers and magazines, radio and the like, are becoming highly decentralized as a result of the social web. The power is shifting from the Rupert Murdock’s of the world to Melissa – a stay at home mom of three in the Midwest who reaches and influences 5,000 other moms through her online community focused on parenting. What is astounding is there are 10 million people like Melissa on the social web today who have dedicated their time to forming and building communities around their passions and interests engaging people the ‘real’ way.  The Melissa’s of this world are using platforms like blogger, tumblr, wordpress, facebook, twitter, pinterest and instagram to reach their followers, fans, readers and members. And their reach is growing exponentially – sometimes 300% over 12 months.

Community influencers – the people who lead engaged groups of people around an interest topic are extremely powerful and effective in getting attention and inspiring their audience to take action. For example, advertisers who are investing into traditional adnetworks with sophisticated targeting and reach methods are achieving at best 0.05% click through rates, and more recently with ‘sponsored stories’ a 0.1% click through rate.  Brands activating community influencers and inviting the leaders to share their stories and content are achieving 2%+ click through rates with even higher conversion rates of 10%+ once the person has visited their site

Interest communities hold the key to how advertisers will reach and engage with the masses through the social web. Syndicating 100’s or 1,000’s of interest communities feasibly replaces one major channel and the experience is far more dynamic and effective for both the advertiser and the people receiving the story. The ability for advertisers to reach these communities and inspire them to share their stories and content means the advertiser benefits from an on-going presence – not disappearing when the campaign is over or the budget has reached it’s limit. These stories continue to live within countless communities, continue to be shared and positively impact SEO and on-going exposure.

People who have influence make things happen – they change the world – one story at a time.

74.4% of Moms Reading Blogs are Influenced by Brand Mentions

Posted by & filed under advertising, community engagement, conversational marketing, influencer marketing, moms, social media marketing.

We all know the power of moms and their ability to change the world we live in on a day-to-day basis, but did you know moms are now changing the world through social media?

A recent survey conducted by Burst Media sought to uncover deeper insights regarding audience interaction and uses with social media, as well as how blogs and bloggers can influence the purchasing decisions made by their readers.  The survey found that not only are moms highly active with social media; they also have the largest presence throughout the social web.

Three out of five moms visit their favorite social media sites at least a few times throughout any given day.  Moms are now engaging with family and friends through social media more than ever.

When it comes to “liking” or following their favorite content on social media, the survey showed that moms are the heaviest users of this feature with 70.6% frequently or occasionally liking a brand or product. So, what is the reason for such high numbers? Moms use this feature to gather and share content with their family and friends. They also want to be heard by the brand; therefore 33.3% say they follow brands on social media to share their opinions or comments towards the content.

With such strong statistics showing mom interaction with social media, it should come as no surprise to you that 3 out of 4 moms, or 74.4%, of moms who follow blogs say the mention or promotion of a brand within the context of a blog influences their purchasing decisions.

Moms and their opinions are now more valuable than ever to any given brand. This survey brings a new meaning to the saying, “Mom approved”.

Community Spotlight: Dinah of DIY Inspired

Posted by & filed under Community Spotlight.

After absolutely falling in love with blogging for a year and realizing it’s a lot of work, Dinah now calls herself a work from home mom instead of a stay at home mom. She originally decided to stay at home to ensure she didn’t miss those first special moments in her baby girl’s life. While being at home, Dinah decided to blog and share her love of creating, repurposing and decorating. She makes it clear that she is a self-proclaimed cheapskate and not a professional designer, decorator, or writer; but you definitely cannot tell from the creative, wonderful projects she puts together.

What inspired you to start your community?

Deciding that I would stay at home with our daughter was a big decision for my husband and me.  I had spent the last decade as a career woman and the switch was difficult, but rewarding.  The DIY Inspired community was simply an outlet for me to express my creativity.  It gave me the structure, control, and adult social interaction, that I craved being a former business owner and educator.

Why is your community meaningful for you?

DIY Inspired is meaningful to me in several different ways.  It’s a passion and now a brand in which I can completely take full ownership.  The validity of followership and new visitors is enough to keep me going.  I enjoy the emails and comments, the “likes” and shares.  I love that I can promote my beliefs in recycling and reuse in a creative way.  I love that I have the power to “publish” the creative genius of my friends, family, and other people whom I believe in.

What do your members value?

I think, and I am completely speculating, that my members appreciate the brand.  They know that they can visit DIY Inspired as truly a one-stop resource for crafts, party ideas, and DIY tutorials.  I think the emphasis on reuse and recycling is a bonus too.  Repurposing is not a new concept by any means, however the competition is low on the web. Also, my members can always rely on me to reply to comments and emails and answer their questions in a timely manner.

What has been your experience engaging with brands in the past? 

I honestly have had nothing but positive experiences engaging with brands.  If I don’t believe in the product, or if the product does not fit my brand, than I don’t accept it.

What are your future goals for your community? 

I am focused on continuing to publish original and useful content. Now that I have spent the last year on building the community, I’d like to “monetize mommy” without compromising the DIY Inspired brand.  Perhaps an eBook is in my future!

How do you feel Linqia can serve your needs? 

Linqia can definitely aide in the future goals I just mentioned.  That’s honestly why I love being a part of Linqia.  It is a fantastic way for me to earn money, by promoting brands I support in my own light.  The platform allows me to be rewarded for expressing my creativity. How much more could you want?

*You can learn more about Dinah on her DIY Inspired blog.

About the Opportunity for Communities:

At Linqia we are on a mission to increase the visibility of quality communities like yours among brands. Through Linqia brands engage with your community by providing you valuable content that’s appealing to your community members. We then recognize and reward you for doing so. If you’d like to register your community to the Linqia platform please fill out this simple form.

Community Spotlight: Amanda of Mommy of Two Little Monkeys

Posted by & filed under Community Spotlight.

Amanda spends her days playing with cars and blocks, changing dirty diapers, kissing boo boos and somewhere and somehow she finds time to shower, get a bite to eat and run her thriving community, Mommy of Two Little Monkeys. She is a loving best friend and wife to her husband and a busy mom to two little children Andrew, age 4 and 20 month old Andrea. Mommy of Two Little Monkey’s is Amanda’s outlet to share both the joys and frustrations of being a parent and to connect with other moms who blog to support each other in the journeys of parenting.

Image

What inspired you to start your community?

Mommy of Two Little Monkeys was created in 2010 shortly after the birth of our little girl, Andrea. There were a lot of challenges to becoming a mom of two children and my blog was a way for me to connect with other moms, to share my experiences, and to document those special moments of life with my two little ones. After connecting with other mom bloggers, I was introduced to the world of blog hops and product reviews. This new venture grew Mommy of Two Little Monkeys into something I never expected.

Why is your community meaningful for you?

The brands that I have developed relationships with are names that have been used in my house for years, and some are new that I have quickly grown to love. My blog has grown a readership that I have connected very closely with. It’s important to me that I can share honest reviews of products that can help make another family’s life easier and more fulfilling.

What do your members value?

My readers are moms, just like me. They know that they can come to my blog and read my reviews of products that I can stand behind.

What has been your experience engaging with brands in the past?

I have been developing relationships with brands since 2010. I have worked with reps by phone and email on a daily basis, we connect to talk about product review ideas, twitter parties, company contests, and more.

What are your future goals for your community?

I never realized that Mommy of Two Little Monkeys would be what it is today. I’m so excited to have a voice that other moms look to when trying to decide on the best products for their family. I plan to continue building my readership and keep sharing product reviews. Giveaways will always be an addition too, they are great to help widen the awareness of a brand and they give my readers an opportunity to try it in their own home before deciding to purchase.

How do you feel Linqia can serve your needs?

Linqia has become a valuable resource that connects me with brands I trust. The content that is shared with my readers is engaging and has helped create a new level of communication with my readers. I appreciate that Linqia recognizes my community efforts and rewards me for engaging with my readers.

*You can learn more about Amanda on her site at Mommy of Two Little Monkeys.

About the Opportunity for Communities:

At Linqia we are on a mission to increase the visibility of quality communities like yours among brands. Through Linqia brands engage with your community by providing you valuable content that’s appealing to your community members. We then recognize and reward you for doing so. If you’d like to register your community to the Linqia platform please fill out this simple form.

Join Now Arrow See how Linqia helps Brands connect with communities

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