An Ad Femme Exclusive Interview with ConnectingMoms.com

Contact Information:
• Full name: Michelle Luba and Tanya Alvarez
• Title: Co-Founders
• Company: Connectingmoms.com
• Email address: Tanya@connectingmoms.com & michelle@connectingmoms.com
• Phone #: 212.254.3273
• State: New York

Company Information:
• Website url:  www.connectingmoms.com
• Company location: New York, NY
• # of employees: 9
• Years/Months in business: We have been in business for one year, but the website was officially launched in May, 2006.
• Target audience:  Our target audience is mothers of all ages and backgrounds.  We’re looking to bring together expecting, new and experienced mothers. 

Detailed Information:

• Can you tell me about the buzz surrounding social networking sites?
Social networking sites are becoming the largest force online.  With sites like MySpace being sold for $580 million and FaceBook being rumored to be valued at over $1 billion, advertisers are racing to reach the millions of users. Most social networking sites target the young and single.  ConnectingMoms, however, is dedicated to reaching mothers (CEO of households), the fastest growing online group.  Therefore, ConnectingMoms is becoming one of the best resources to reach the sought after mom market. 
Here are some interesting facts on the mom market according to eMarketer
• 82.5 million moms
• 32.2 million mothers online as of 2005
• 36.6 million projected mothers online by 2010
• 70% online mothers frequent social networking sites
• $1.6 Trillion Annual Market
• 4.0 million women become new moms each year
• Mothers control 80% of household spending
• On average, mothers buy for themselves & 3 others

• How do you differentiate ConnectingMoms from other social networking websites? 
 ConnectingMoms understands the mother demographic; we recognize that a mother’s time and privacy is precious.  Accordingly, our site is somewhat gated community, while remaining user-friendly and easy to navigate.  Unlike Friendster, our members meet other mothers through groups, discussions and common interests, which can be searched. It is because the design of our site is so respectful to mothers that we have received so much attention from both moms and advertisers. 
Our different features: 

• Yard Sale (classifieds catered to moms)
• Movie section (moms get updated on what other moms think of movies and if it is really G rated or should they take their children 10min late because the previews are not G rated)
• Shopping Mall (targeted to moms who love to save)
• Shop mail box (call to action advertisement for specific moms)

• Why do you think advertisers are drawn to social networking sites? 
Social networking sites, like ConnectingMoms, are like virtual malls or country clubs where a mass amount of people are socializing but at all hours. It is the best way to get mass exposure and actually interact with a wide range of consumers any time. Advertisers get immediate stats on how successful their promotion efforts are and can create a buzz where consumers refer others to the product.

• How does ConnectingMoms attract advertisers?
ConnectingMoms offers a unique form of promotion – we allow businesses to submit products for review by our users.  The promoter then chooses it from a list of options such as a giveaways, contests, surveys, etc.  Since mothers ask other mothers for advice more than any other group, this is an effective method of endorsement.  We also provide premium and targeted banner space.  Another bonus to advertisers is our mom board, which interacts with our members on a daily basis, they provide advertisers insight on how to target and assist on tailoring marketing campaigns to our mom members.

• Do you reach a large audience? 
We have a wide range of users, from the everyday mom to the stay at home mom to the working mom to the super accomplished mom.  Plus, we interview and feature mothers from all backgrounds and experiences.  We have members from all 50 states and age range (18 yr old to 55 year old mothers).
What would you say is the most valuable product/service you provide your members with? Why?
We provide a safe-haven and forum for mothers to make friends, seek advice, engage in conversation and share their experiences with other mothers.  Being a mother is an exciting, yet challenging job.  ConnectingMoms provides a virtual support group for mothers to learn that they’re not alone.

• How did ConnectingMoms start?
When Michelle Luba, co-founder and CMO(Chief Mom Officer), gave birth to her daughter Makenna in July of 2003, her brother Anthony Samadani, co-founder and CEO, approached her.  He asked how Michelle was handling her new role as a mother.  She conceded to her brother that while motherhood was rewarding, she also felt isolated.  The only refuge Michelle had was the short-lived hospital group designed to give assistance to new mothers.  But once the group ended, her feelings of isolation returned.  

Michelle turned to the internet hoping to find some online groups for mothers to garner support and talk to other moms.  Disappointed in the lack of such websites, Michelle and Anthony considered creating a place for moms to connect online.  Anthony soon invited his colleague, co-founder and VP Tanya Alvarez, to join him and Michelle in the creation of their website. Tanya came on board and immediately made the idea into reality by creating user friendly yet visually appealing site. In May 2006,  Connectingmoms.com went live.

• Please describe the ways mothers get connected via your site.
ConnectingMoms allows mothers to interact with other women who understand the trials, tribulations and joys of being a mom.  Through groups and discussions, our users are able to seek and gain valuable, first-hand advice.  They can meet other mothers who share their interests, background and/or dilemmas in a warm, welcoming environment.  For instance, one mother whose child has autism was able to connect with another mother of an autistic child.  The two became fast friends, allowing them to share a struggle that only mothers of special-needs children could understand.  

• How did you get hooked up with BlinkAds & what does BlinkAds do for ConnectingMoms?
Tony and Tanya had previously worked together in online advertising and Tony saw Tanya’s creative potential after Tanya founded BlinkAds.  Tanya also felt the desire to empower and give back to women, after attending the all-girls school, Wellesley College.  Therefore, Tanya and BlinkAds was the perfect match for ConnectingMoms.  

• How are you getting mothers to your site?
We’ve been doing a lot of viral marketing and we often use other websites as forums to promote our site.  .  Our members themselves are our greatest promoters; they not only invite their close friends and support groups to join us but also voluntarily help spread the word via message postings on other sites that encourage mothers to join our new and exciting community! In addition we conduct interviews with moms in the media, such as Muhammad Ali’s daughter, May May, and we have formed alliances with companies like Paramount, King World Productions and Working Mother Magazine, which help spread the word. We are also working with Rachael Ray; our site and its users will be featured on her new show this fall.  We are also working with Rachael Ray’s producers to provide real life stories from our moms to be featured in upcoming episodes of her new daytime TV show this fall.

• Who are your largest competitors?
Our largest competitors are other parenting sites, but competitor is a strong word in this instance because there are no other sites that offer all of the same features that ConnectingMoms does at this time.

• What are the next steps for your business? Immediate and long term goals…
We are constantly working to improve ConnectingMoms.  It is an ongoing process to make our site more user-friendly and informative. In July, we launched a new section called “Yard Sale” where moms can buy, sell, or trade goods and products or look for job postings, housing, autos for sale, and services too all within the trusted mommy community of ConnectingMoms. Our goal is to reach one million users by next year. 

• Which business contacts are you looking to reach via Ad Femme?
We are looking to reach advertisers who are targeting moms as well as advertisers who are mothers themselves, new moms, older moms, expecting, etc. 

• Are there any new sections of ConnectingMoms we should look out for?
We have formed a strategic alliance with top producers and Paradigm talent agency that allows us to create, develop and produce original content driven shows for our site. Our moms will be selected to participate in our shows, thus bringing Hollywood to their homes. We are currently in development with a mobile tech company to help moms stay connected in the real world by the use of mobile phones. In addition, we are in development with providing moms the opportunity to support local and nationally run non-profit centers that matter most to our mothers. All these exciting opportunities will be coming soon. 

Spotlight on Michelle: 

• Before you became a mom where did you work?
Before I became a mother, I worked for AOL, LLC., for 10 years in the advertising and technology sectors. 

• How many children do you have and what are their ages?
I have one daughter named Makenna.  She turned three this July.  I would love to expand our family and make Makenna a big sister, if it’s meant to be.

• What employment opportunities do you recommend for stay-at-home moms?
I think that being a mother is the most important 24/7 job, but I also feel that women should follow their passion.  In other words, if a mother loves to create arts and crafts, she should continue to create them and consider selling them online or in local shops.  She can utilize our site to promote her products! 

• How do you find time to launch a brand new company and raise a family? What are your secrets?
It is both difficult and gratifying.  I am fortunate enough to be able to work at home, so I can be more flexible with my schedule.  Therefore I am able to focus on Makenna when she needs me and be a loving wife and good friend, while focusing on ConnectingMoms at other times.  I also feel that it is important to set aside some time for yourself each day. As a mother we tend to take care of others first which leaves very little time to take care of ourselves. That’s why I feel our site is important to others because it’s a way to take back mommy time and provides a safe outlet for mothers to relax and express themselves in a guilt free environment, even if only for a moment. :)

Interview by: Lindsay Mure, President of Ad Femme, Inc.