Engaging Moms with Social Media

Moms make up one of the largest online groups emerging on social media sites, just their presence on Facebook alone has boomed over the past six months. This massive audience is vocal, eager to learn about and try new products, and eager to share that product's review with all of their friends. According to <a href="http://www.comscore.com/">comScore</a>, year-over-year growth of women 25-54 with children in the household has gone up nearly 50 percent on Facebook since November of 2007. Café Mom, a social network specifically for moms, has seen equally impressive growth, albeit from a smaller base of 34 percent. Further, MySpace continues to gain strength among online moms, and while MySpace's 4 percent growth was slower than rival Facebook's, MySpace still attracts more moms on a monthly basis overall. There are also several smaller social nets dedicated to women and moms, like SisterWoman, that are likely to have experienced similar growth over the past year. A 2008 study from MindShare estimated the number of moms on social networks to be around 33 million, and that number has only gone up since then. In another important fact, discovered by <a href="http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/22277.asp">John Gray of iMedia</a>, we learn that as the sheer number of moms on social nets climbs, so does the amount of time spent on these sites overall. The average MySpace mom spends more than 12 hours on the site per week, according to a recent MySpace study. Interestingly, the same medium that women are spending more time with is the one that 75 percent of moms voted saved them time, according to the same MindShare study. And beyond saving them time, moms selected the internet as their second favorite pastime behind reading. In the "<a href="http://digitalmom.razorfish.com/publication/?m=4248&amp;l=1">Digital Mom</a>" report, co-written by Razorfish and <a href="http://www.cafemom.com/">CafeMom</a>, purports to give marketers insights into the most effective ways to engage Web- and mobile-adept mothers. The first section of the report is based on surveys of 1,500 women with at least one child in their homes, who tried at least two "emerging technologies" and who researched or bought something online in the past 90 days. The second part focused on 1,740 active CafeMom members and included the site's behavioral and usage data. The study says women with children place high value on <a href="http://www.socialamerican.com/creation">social media</a>, mobile and other digital technologies "as a convenient means to stay connected, seek advice and information, shop and learn about products, meet others like themselves and simplify the many dimensions of their lives." The researchers found that 47 percent of the moms with children 12 and older use social networks to monitor their children. These mothers are much more likely to watch <a href="http://www.socialamerican.com/tag/video-marketing">online video</a> than mothers with kids under 12, says the study. It also says the age of the mothers plays a big part in the moms' level of comfort with "newer communication platforms," including social networks, SMS and mobile browsing, with those under 35 being significantly more likely to use the latest technologies. Older mothers, those 45 and beyond, more often use the Web to access informational tools and sites, such as news sites and online consumer reviews, says the report. "Social media and text messaging, instant messaging and gaming, now used by the majority of digital moms, are no longer niche activities," says the report. "It will be necessary for marketers to embrace channels that engage more than 50 percent of all digital moms, particularly as mass marketing channels shrink."  Right now, today's Mom Market holds the key to over $2.1 trillion dollars in annual US spending. Connecting with Moms in the online space can be tricky.  These women's schedules are full, and their circles are tight, so to break in you must really prove your value to the group.  <a href="http://www.mom-wise.com/">MomWis</a>e, an marketing agency that specifically targets Moms expounds "Whether it’s about nutrition, starting school, or worrying about teenagers driving safely, Moms have a lot on their minds. Have you ever tried shopping with a long grocery list, an irritable 2-year-old and a need to be at kindergarten pick-up in an hour? We thought not. The way Moms shop is unique, both on-line and in-store." Here are some quick facts, from <a href="http://www.m2moms.com/">M2Moms</a> and <a href="http://www.marketingtomoms.com/">Marketing With Moms</a>,  about Moms to help you understand the way they think and shop: <ul> <li>Moms buy for their children... they buy for the home...and they also buy for themselves.</li> <li>Moms buy everything from diapers to divans, lipstick to laptops, moisturizers to mini-vans, and soup to nuts...</li> <li>60% of Moms feel that marketers are ignoring their needs.</li> <li>73% of Moms feel that advertisers don't really understand what its like to be a Mom.</li> <li>80% of moms have watched an online video in the last week</li> <li>87% of moms read blogs</li> <li>90% of mothers use the same products at home and the office</li> <li>5 million moms own their own business</li> <li>88% of mothers refer to themselves as household CFO</li> <li>For the first time in history, four generations of mothers comprise the Mom Market</li> </ul> So how do you reach this busy audience? <ol> <li>Determine your Mommy Target Market: For the first time in history, we are now seeing four generations of Moms in today's market.  Who are you looking to talk to?  Is it Gen X moms with new babies or boomers with teens? Knowing how you need to deliver to your message will help you to shrink the universe of 83 million moms.</li> <li>Go where the Moms are. Look for social networks that specifically target Moms, such as <a href="http://www.cafemom.com/profile/register_landing.php?cb_id=sweatpea_reg&amp;topic=general&amp;utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=sem&amp;utm_content=2464475305&amp;utm_campaign=General&amp;utm_term=social%20mom&amp;p_id=low&amp;sendroicid=09A9DBC9-BF40-488E-AB85-E0D6DC7EEACD&amp;sendroiad=2464475305&amp;sendroikwd=Social%20Mom&amp;gclid=COu_xsjVz5kCFQRkswodR2Dutw">CafeMom</a>, <a href="http://connectingmoms.com/index.php">ConnectingMoms</a>, <a href="http://www.mothersclick.com/">MothersClick</a>, and <a href="http://community.babycenter.com/">Mayas Mom</a>.</li> <li>Don't be afraid of engaging using new technologies: Never before have so many moms researched a product or service online. Moms don't have time to go to stores to shop around, nor do they want to bring their kids to the store if they don't have to.</li> <li>Begin by developing a relationship with online Moms: Marketing with Moms continues: "Today more than ever, taking the time to establish meaningful relationships is imperative, particularly with mommy bloggers. The backlash that can occur when public relations and marketing agencies don’t take the time to get to know their target consumers has been well chronicled online in blog posts, tweets and social networks. Nothing can ignite the fuse between bloggers and marketers faster than an irrelevant press release or pitch sent blindly to a mom blogger."</li> <li>Find your Mom Mavens: "You've heard about the power of word of mouth and you've read the headlines about Mom Influencers. Also known as the "Go-To" moms, these women share information on products, services and retailers regularly with other moms. As you might guess, Mom Mavens earn their spot at the top of the pyramid of peers from their extensive breath of knowledge. We have identified that Mom Mavens share common behaviors and traits that make them an influencer."</li> <li>Lastly, teach them something new: Moms use the internet to educate themselves. Offer valuable content that moms can reference as a way to bring them to your site.</li> </ol> 2009-04-03T19:07:20Z

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engaging-moms-with-social-media

2009-04-10T11:05:52Z

2009-04-10T05:06:40Z

Moms make up one of the largest online groups emerging on social media sites, just their presence on Facebook alone has boomed over the past six months. Learn how to connect with this valuable audience...

Engaging Moms with Social Media

2009-04-10T05:06:40Z