Moms are a force to be reckoned with online. From product ratings and reviews to social networking to spreading messages in word-of-mouth viral style, moms are an important group that marketers should take advantage of. According to three separate studies conducted over the last year (by Pew Internet & American Life Project, the National Telecommunications & Information Administration and Experian Consumer Research), about 86% to 87% of parents are online. Experian found that the figure rose to 94% among women who expected to have their first or second child in the next year.
In addition to the high Internet penetration of moms, eMarketer reports that the number of US adult female Internet users with children is about 34.2 millions. Nielsen Online (32.4 million) and comScore Media Matrix (30.1 million) also reported similarly high numbers. eMarketer also found that nearly 44% of all adult females who go online are mothers.
Whether online or off, new and expected moms are talking about products to friends, family and colleagues. According to BSM Media, 64% of moms asked other mothers for advice before they purchased a new product and 63% of mothers considered other moms the most credible experts when they had questions. Keller Fay Group and BabyCenter.com, in a 2008 study that compared women in the general public to new and expectant mothers, found that each week, women in the general public have 83 total conversations about products and 59 of those conversations mention a specific brand. For new and expectant mothers, those numbers rise dramatically to 109 total conversations and 70 brand-specific mentions, leaving the door wide-open for brand-related word-of-mouth pass-along. In fact, the same study found that 70% of pregnant and new moms trusted what they heard from other moms and more than 50% said they tended to pass that information along to others. Further supporting mom word-of-mouth, NPD Group found that nearly three-quarters of the mothers surveyed received product information via word of mouth or online, and SheSpeaks found that 87% of female Internet users will mention a favored product in conversation, 67% will call others to let them know about the product and 64% will forward an e-mail link to others.
Marketers are beginning to realize the power that moms are wielding online. A small cross-section of the power of online women can be seen in the popularity of “mommy” blogs (blogs written by and for mothers and expected mothers) and entire women-focused blog networks such as BlogHer. Just a few years ago, women had to rely on their own moms, other mothers, books and offline groups to find and share motherly information, now those women are doing these things online – tracking down parenting advice, researching products, joining groups alongside other mothers and sharing their experiences with other new and expecting moms. From online ad campaigns that stretch across mommy blog networks to BlogHer sampling programs, marketers want to get their products in front of moms and mothers-to-be. With the propensity of moms to seek out and then share information, marketers want to get their products in the hands of would-be users and clearly broadcast their brand messages. To do this, marketers are using tools that encourage trial and information sharing, including: product sampling, couponing, blog tags, portable content that can easily be picked up and shared across the Web (including the use of tools such as ShareThis), brand blogs, testimonials from real moms and even connecting directly with bloggers to secure product reviews, which can be very powerful when a blogger has a strong following or belongs to a network of bloggers and posts a positive review. Like marketing to any other group, negative word-of-mouth is a risk that marketers must face when approaching moms online – you must be credible, respectful and above all must have a product that has a perceived benefit in order to effectively use these tools.
New and expectant moms make up a perfect group for baby- and mom-related marketers. This group is the epitome of a target market – large size, large spending power, shared interests, strong desire for information and the desire to share product experiences with others. From women’s social networking sites to mom-friendly products, marketers are taking advantage of the power of moms and expected moms. If you have a product or service that is aimed at moms or expected moms, you are missing a tremendous opportunity if you are not taking advantage of the online tools that are available to you. When in doubt, go ask your mom if you can go online and play.
