For Kimberly-Clark, it was a consumer market just waiting to be tapped. Natalie Hudson is the founder of Facebook group Eastern Suburbs Mums, which has nearly 6,000 members. Credit:Dallas Kilponen "We've been working with these types of groups for the past two years. They are real mums connecting with other mums on so many interesting and relevant topics to Huggies and our other brands," said its marketing manager for baby and childcare, Burcak Sezer. ​While online parents forums and mummy blogs continue to thrive, the growing breed of Facebook mums groups is cementing its presence in Sydney, with at least eight geographic-based groups springing up in the past five years. The growing number of members - the latest tally is 75,000 - has turned the groups into fertile ground for corporate giants that are keen to pay for promotional posts and sponsor community events.

Groups discussions range from school, product and restaurant recommendations, to the best school holiday activities, influencing the sales and reputations of local businesses. Rachel Chappell - with her children Zara, 4, Ella, 11 months, and Scarlett, 6 - started a group to help her make connections with other mums. Credit:Dallas Kilponen A post from a mother in one such group about her child being diagnosed with autism was swamped with support and recommendations. A post about bad experience for example, at a nail salon or restaurant, gets deleted because of defamation laws but the damage to the brand is often already done. Some posts are public safety alerts, with a post on "Attempted abductions in Coogee Area this week", receiving more than 100 shares and 50 comments from worried local mums. One in a series of three posts Huggies paid to have shared on the Eastern Suburbs Mums Facebook page. Credit:Facebook

Consumer power In another sign of big business taking notice of their influence, Ryde District Mums, which has more than 2800 members, has partnered with real estate group McGrath to hold community events, and with women's fitness club Fernwood to offer special discounts. Community chatter about favourite local services has seen a car washer be booked out six to eight weeks in advance, and a hairdresser with a home salon enjoy a steady stream of new, local clients. "If you're a new mum in a new area, if can be stressful and isolating. The group pulls down walls and helps form friendships," said Rebecca Lee, an admin of Ryde District Mums. "Mums are looking for local businesses they can trust, an electrician, a hairdresser, and feel in touch with the community."

Facebook groups such as North Shore Mums, Hills District Mums and Inner West Mums have launched websites with a local business directory, charging from $50 for a social media shout-out, to $1000 for prime advertising space. Inner West Mums charges a business $130 a year for a listing in its directory. "All the mums want to hear from other mums. As mums are the decision makers of households...businesses want to advertise straight to the mums," said Inner West Mums founder Anita Vitanova. "If you advertise in the local newspaper it can cost $1000 for a third of a page, but if you advertise to Inner West Mums...it's $130 a year and straight to your target market." Social media marketing professional Tiphereth​ Gloria, herself a mother to an 18-month-old girl, said the groups were out of their infancy and maturing rapidly, looking for lucrative opportunities.

She said while "mum bloggers" had gained a large following, Facebook groups were successfully using "local-ness" to their advantage. "They end up having a lot of influence through the collective. It's the collective that offers the power, hence a lot of businesses are interested in communicating with the women directly," she said. "The interest goes both ways. I know a maternity hospital was approached by a Facebook mums group asking if they wanted to sponsor the group and get a mention." About 70 per cent of parents are part of an online-based parenting support network, website, forum or app, according to new research by breast pump manufacturer Medela. It also found 70 per cent were attracted by its 24/7 availability, while only 5 per cent cared about the relative anonymity it offered.

Conversation starters When Natasha Stewart created Mum CFOs in April last year, it was less about communicating with mothers nearby, and more about a common topic.



"It was bit of a joke between my husband and I that I was the 'mum CFO' of our marriage. I was always the one looking at getting us more financially ahead," she said. "I just wanted to open a conversation...a forum where everyone felt it was a safe house to discuss budgeting, saving, electricity plans, investing." It seemed Ms Stewart had answered the call of other "mum CFOs" everywhere, with the page now hosting more than 6500 members and running paid-for pinned advertising posts, which run in high demand.



"We're booked two months in advance at the moment. It's a really potent advertising strategy because it's a very captive audience."

Rachel Chappell, founder of the North Shore Mums Facebook group and website, said she rejected nearly half of the 100 requests to join the group each day because profiles looked suspicious or were missing too much information. Advertisers on the website include the Sydney Opera House, Chatswood Chase and private schools such as Barker College and Loreto Normanhurst. "We're very strict on not allowing business Facebook posts outside the set times twice a month. Even if someone says, 'found an amazing painter for $2000', we would delete that," she said. "There's no way of knowing if they're affiliated. We don't want to be a free ad board. We want genuine recommendations." More than just business

While all of the groups can prove their consumer power to small and big business, they also hold important roles in the community; from fundraising and donation efforts, to meal rotations for struggling families. Over the past 12 months Inner West Mums has assisted up to five women fleeing domestic violence, part of its role as a "non-judgmental and supportive network," founder Ms Vitanova said. "Most of the mums who are fleeing domestic violence leave with the clothes on their back. So we can put out anonymous posts for clothes for the kids, a bed, furniture, everyone who can donate comes together." And through its partnerships with groups like Eastern Suburbs mums, Huggies donated $150,000 to Children's Hospital Foundations Australia, taking advantage of the "reach and the power of the online channel", said Kimberley-Clark's Ms Sezer.