Blog Who? BlogHer

Megan Hostetter

When explaining to friends and family about my first BlogHer experience and the opportunities to connect with passionate, influential women, there was always that one question: what is BlogHer?

Reaching some 92 million people each month, BlogHer is the leading social media network created by, for and with women social media leaders. More than 4,000 bloggers, covering everything from mommyhood and parenting to food, lifestyle, holistic and green living took over Chicago—and Twitter and Instagram feeds with #blogher13—for the 9th annual conference in July.

As a new addition to Garden Media, I was thrilled to join seasoned PR maven Stacey Pierson, and attend and exhibit as the only gardening sponsor.

Elisa Camahort Page, COO and Co-founder of BlogHer, Inc., shared insight with me about gardening being spotlighted at the conference.

“We know there is a huge appetite for products and services that will help our home and garden bloggers inform, educate and entertain their avid readers. Our network of home and garden bloggers enjoys more than 24 million page views a month. It was gratifying to have Garden Media join the more than 100 sponsors at BlogHer'13 to represent the gardening segment.”

Working in a field that relies heavily on social media, and opinions of others, blogging is not foreign to Garden Media. But how influential can blogging be?

According to Wordpress, there are more than 45.8 million new posts published each month. Every day, blogging reaches new heights in popularity with more bloggers gaining greater levels of authority and credibility—and reviewing, recommending or criticizing new products. Brands in almost every category know the impact that bloggers have on buying decisions.

Susan McCoy, Queen Bee here at Garden Media Group, explained exactly why this conference is important to brands and retailers in the garden industry.

“Bloggers are directly influencing the successes and failures of many brands and products. We saw BlogHer as an opportunity to reach a new audience who could share the passion for gardening with millions. We wanted to communicate that gardening is much more than pulling weeds from your front yard. Gardening relieves stress, is a way to get involved with kids and allows people to connect with nature while also decorating your yard.”

We received a variety of opinions about gardening, from “it is overwhelming” to “I kill everything” or “I don’t even know where to start.” It’s important to connect the bridge between those who think gardening is work or claim to have a “brown thumb” with those who believe there’s something in gardening for everyone.

Bloggers are that bridge.

When BlogHer’13 planning was underway, Costa Farms marketing director Marta Maria Garcia was one of the first to jump on board.

“Bloggers are trendsetters in the area in which they write. Garden Media wanted to showcase what Costa Farms is doing to help spread the knowledge about the benefits of indoor plants. Being at BlogHer’13 put Costa Farms directly in front of new influencers who will share our story to their followers.”

To reach this important audience, we set up a pop-up “Garden Shop” that was modeled after the look and feel of a local garden center. The natural colored tent brought the outside in by featuring plants and products Garden Media has helped launch and promote. Costa Farms, Suntory Flowers and Longfield Gardens added fresh live plants and flowers, RESCUE!’s new OrnamenTrap was unveiled alongside their other best-selling all-natural pest control products, and Perky-Pet bird feeders showcased their new glass hummingbird feeders.

“The Garden Shop proved to be a great success, and numerous bloggers raved how Garden Media inspired them to explore ways to incorporate gardening into their lives,” says Stacey.

My experience at BlogHer’13 was a true whirlwind. I learned more about public relations and gardening. I connected, networked and shared with thousands of passionate women ways to help turn “brown thumbs” green.

The BlogHer’14 conference location has not yet been determined, however, you can be sure Garden Media has plans to represent gardening again and continue to cultivate the growing interest. GP

Megan Hostetter is an account executive at Garden Media Group, a public relations firm that specializes in the lawn and garden industry. She can be reached at megan@gardenmediagroup.com.