Tots100, the UK’s largest community of parent blogs, has today published the largest ever survey of parent bloggers, The 2012 Parent Blogger Benchmark Survey.
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The survey, based on responses from 850 members of the Tots100, reveals that 93 per cent of women research products online before purchasing, while half have bought a product on the strength of a recommendation by a parent blogger.
Parent blogging is gathering momentum in the UK, with over 4,000 active blogs listed in the Tots100 directory with 97 per cent of these sites written by Mums who say that blogging is a way for them to explore their creativity and capture precious family memories.
Blogging is also a way for families to earn extra income and try out new products, with 92 per cent of bloggers keen to write product reviews on their sites.
Parent bloggers are also keen to attend brand-hosted events, and to publish sponsored content and advertising on their sites.
However, there is still some way to go in building better relationships between blogs and brands. One third of the bloggers surveyed say they have been asked not to disclose a paid relationship with a brand on their blog.
In addition, 70 per cent of bloggers say most of the information they receive from brands is simply not relevant to their blog.
Founder of Tots100Sally Whittle, said: “The results suggest that blogging is becoming an increasingly important source of income for many families, and it’s the perfect time for brands to build relationships with parent bloggers. However, brands and PR professionals must invest time and effort in to these relationships to reap the rewards.”
The results are published as Tots100 launches a campaign to find a charity partner for Tots100 Ads, the UK’s first advertising network exclusively for parent bloggers. The service provides thousands of Mums and Dads with a way to earn extra money from their blogs, with a third of proceeds going direct to good causes.
The full survey results are available to download at the Tots 100 website.