It’s no surprise – and nothing new – that brands are looking to social media to market their products.

There have been plenty of lessons to be learned, and casualties along the way, as brands work out how to make social.

One of the key questions from the start has been how do you keep communities on your side while trying to sell them something and make a return on investment in a way that doesn’t look like you’re trying too hard? Enter Mumsnet.

The brand, set up shortly after the millennium bug failed to strike, has recently launched its bloggers network on the back of what started out essentially as an online message board.

In this video, co-founder Carrie Longton talks about how the brand came to be; how the community has grown bigger than herself and fellow founder Justine Roberts and how engaging with an online community can be tricky but is worth the time invested.

Original post (full video) on MediaWeek is here: