marketing to moms

Back to School Marketing Trends for 2018

While many parents started their back-to-school shopping as early as July, marketing for this time of year is still in full swing. Last year, spending for back-to-school hit $83.6 billion, and in 2018, 56% of parents plan to spend more per child than in previous years.

Those dollars lead to competition among brands, with 75% of marketers saying they’ll change up their strategies in 2018. For 90% of brands, that means discounts and coupons. For others, increased mobile marketing will be the lion’s share of their strategy.

What can you do to capture the attention of parents dancing in the aisles as their kids go back to school? Here are some trends you can cash in on. More

Marketing to All the Types of Moms

Mom. You think you know her. But think again, because today’s moms have changed. Who are they? What influences and motivates them? And how are today’s brands marketing to all the moms?

There are approximately 85 million moms in the U.S. today, with spending power exceeding $3.5 trillion. Moms are the ones making decisions about the cars in the garage, the groceries in the refrigerator, and the clothes worn by everyone in the family. More

Marketing to Women: How to Get It Right

Marketing to Women According to The Economist, “The growing economic power of women is one of the most important trends of our time.”

Key growth drivers, such as delaying marriage and children as well as rising literacy rates, indicate the average U.S. woman’s salary will rise above the average U.S. man’s by the year 2028.

Women currently control $7 trillion in U.S. spending. And during the next decade, they will control two-thirds of the country’s overall consumer wealth. More

4 Strategies for Marketing to Moms During Back-to-School Shopping

That sigh of relief you hear across the nation is the collective hallelujah as moms send their bundles of joy back to the classroom this fall. Preparing for back-to-school can be an exciting time of year for both parents and students, but it can also be a time of extreme stress, something to consider when marketing to moms who continue to be the primary back-to-school shoppers for kids in elementary and middle school.

According to the 2017 Deloitte Back-to-School Survey, back-to-school shopping impacts about 29 million U.S. households, representing $27 billion in sales. This year’s survey marks some key findings: More

Latest Yoplait Ad Empowers Moms to Ignore the Haters

moms ignore haters

It’s never been easy being a mom, but in the age of social media it’s gotten more complicated. Wanting to shine a spotlight on the struggles moms feel in today’s judgmental world, Yoplait has unveiled its newest ad campaign from 72andSunny called “Mom On.”

The 60-second spot features a montage of moms talking about their experiences that have elicited judgment from family, friends and total strangers, including breastfeeding in public, working away from home, and having kids later in life.

The ongoing criticism moms face results in many of them losing their mom mojo, and even changing the way they parent. Conversations with moms, along with a study commissioned by Edison Research, reveal that:

75 percent of moms agree they’d feel happier if they felt less judged.
Nearly one in three moms (29 percent) adjust their parenting decisions in public because they worry others will judge them.
One-third of moms (32 percent) say they choose not to post, share or comment on social media because they fear others will judge their parenting.

As part of the campaign, Yoplait is also partnering with the comedians and moms behind the Facebook web series, #IMOMSOHARD. Jen Smedley and Kristin Hensley will bring their “Mom’s Night Out: Summer Break Tour” comedy tour about the ups and downs of motherhood to 40 markets across the country.

Yoplait’s tongue-in-cheek ad pushing back on the haters is a quiet victory for moms everywhere.

The Changing Face of Moms: What It Means for Marketers

marketing to single moms

Many marketers are missing the mark when it comes to reaching moms, relying on the one-size-fits-all stereotype of the married, harried mom. But the reality is that today’s mothers are ever evolving and multi-faceted. They are working moms and stay-at-home moms, single moms and married moms, boomer moms and millennial moms – moms of every imaginable kind. Not recognizing that moms are a much more diverse group than represented will result in marketers continuing to struggle to engage these consumers who make 85% of all household purchasing decisions.

The Rise of Single Moms

A generation ago, single moms were rarely if ever even recognized by marketers. Today, the birth rate outside of marriage has reached 41% compared to 20% just thirty years ago. Single motherhood is so common that statistics indicate half of all U.S. children will live with a single mom at some point before turning 18.

Single mothers may not have been attractive to marketers because they were perceived as younger and from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Today, many moms are single by choice — well educated, employed and financially independent. Some are even living with partners. Many are older and feel they’ve reached a benchmark where it’s time to start a family, with or without a husband.

Marketers need to recognize today’s moms as a richly diverse group and create campaigns that embrace that diversity. Following are some guidelines for reaching and connecting with this important demographic.

Portray Moms Accurately

Moms aren’t perfect, and they’re not striving for perfection. They’re ever evolving, emotionally complex and multifaceted.

According to Saatchi & Saatchi’s global study on “Moms and Marketing: IRL (In Real Life), 51% of respondents said advertisers don’t understand them. Not a good sign for marketers, given that there are approximately two billion moms in the world. Do the math: roughly one billion moms feel marketers are not speaking to them in authentic ways. That’s a lot of potential customers.

Keep It Real

Create real, inspirational stories that resonate with your target mom. Relatable, relevant content with information she can use and that makes her life easier. Moms not only do most of the physical work in the household but the majority of the mental and emotional work as well. They decide what needs organizing and what needs delegating. They do most of the worrying, research, information processing, and planning. Content that presents an honest portrayal of motherhood will say your brand gets her and will make her sit up and take notice.

Be Where They Are

The overwhelming majority of moms are online, researching product information, finding product recommendations and engaging with their communities. Brands that provide authentic interaction and meaningful connection can spark lasting advocacy and ongoing engagement with moms who come to view the brand as essential to her parenting experience.

Moms Are Mobile

American moms spend an average of 2.3 hours per day on their mobile devices. Mobile marketing campaigns are an important part of any campaign designed to reach moms.

Short videos and digital content designed for co-viewing with children that is both entertaining and educational will get her attention.

Support A Cause

By all measures, moms lead the way as the demographic most amenable to cause marketing. Moms want a better world for their children; to that end, 92% say they want to buy a product that supports a cause. They’re also more likely to switch to another brand if the other brand were associated with a good cause.

Most moms see themselves as a work in progress, which provides brands with many different opportunities in which to engage them. Smart marketers will recognize those opportunities and reach out authentically to understand and connect with them.

Marketing to Mothers In the Sandwich

Mom in the Sandwich I recently read an article by Liz O’Donnell about marketing to “mothers in the sandwich,” those women who are caring for their parents while also raising their children and trying to balance careers. Life in the sandwich raises unique challenges for these women, but also provides unique opportunities for those products, services and businesses that support these women. I should know, because I am one of those mothers in the sandwich.

These women are busy, savvy (they need to be; they are managing crises, averting crises, and solving problems every day), and influential. As Liz notes, they’re making health care decisions for three generations, managing money for three generations, consuming services for three generations, and purchasing products for three generations.

So whether it’s car services to transport seniors to medical appointments and children safely to afterschool activities, or errand and meal delivery service, these women have purchasing power that shouldn’t be ignored. Marketers would be wise to listen to them, support them, and help solve their problems. For that, they’ll be rewarded with a lifetime of loyalty.

Marketing to Breadwinner Women

Marketing to Breadwinner Women with a Marketing to Women Agency These days, when “Honey, I’m home!” is shouted up the stairs at the end of the day, it may very well NOT be the husband who’s come home from a hard day at work. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor, nearly 40 percent of wives now earn more money than their husbands. That’s a huge jump from just 11 percent back in 1960, and a staggering shift in our society.

Forget the Stereotype.

Today’s women are more than just sugar and spice and everything nice. One needs only to peruse the list of Fortune 500 or Fortune 1000 companies to see that women quickly are becoming as powerful and successful in business as men. The 24 female CEOs on the Fortune 500 list represent just a handful of the hardworking women that companies should be addressing in their marketing strategies. Women are also the dominant sex earning bachelor’s degrees, indicating that the trajectory for their earning power will continue to climb even higher over the coming years.

Know the Numbers.

More than ever, women are driving household incomes and the global consumer economy itself. They influence or control 85 percent of consumer spending in the United States. That’s 68 percent of new car purchases, and 80 percent of healthcare spending. 91 percent of new homes, and 92 percent of vacation travel.

For those businesses that have yet to identify a strategy for appealing to the “breadwinner” women, author Bridget Brennan identifies three smart ways in her book “Why She Buys,” to approach this massive opportunity:

1. Invest in sales training, because women who routinely negotiate at work expect great service when they leave the office. Research shows that women have higher expectations of customer service than men do. How has your sales training evolved? Women will walk out the door and walk off the lot because of poor or frustrating service. Many service issues are based on a perceived lack of respect, attention or even dignity. Though it’s clear that women are changing, old stereotypes die hard. Some of the best advice for salespeople in the age of breadwinner women is this: don’t assume anything. Don’t assume she’s not the decision-maker; don’t assume she’s married with kids; and most of all, don’t assume she can’t afford whatever it is you’re selling.

2. Make her hours, your hours. When a woman takes a job outside the home, it impacts every aspect of her life, from what time she wakes up in the morning to what she wears, where and when she shops, and even what she eats.

If you’re a brick-and-mortar business, are you staffing up at lunchtime, when many women squeeze in their errands? Are you offering delivery options outside of traditional business hours, so she doesn’t have to take a day off work? Are you open in the hours before the workday begins? Take the time and effort to study the changing traffic patterns of your female customers to ensure that your hours of operation match hers.

3. Offer Services, Not Just Products. Women appreciate service as much or more than “stuff.” This is the sweet spot for Lexus – their warranty provides free, 24/7 roadside assistance; a bumper-to-bumper warranty; free loaner car with any servicing; free car washes; and free new owner events that help customers install Bluetooth and change automatic settings on seats and radios. Providing helpful service can ensure that women appreciate your business and recommend it to their circle of friends and colleagues.

A Marketing to Women Agency Can Help

To learn more about how Girlpower Marketing’s approach can help your brand, please contact us.

The truth is that no matter what you’re selling, what you’re really selling is help. And breadwinner or not, all women will thank you for providing it.

The 10 Commandments for Marketing to Moms

Holly Pavilka recently reminded us that the power of today’s social media connected moms is never going to go away. In fact, it will continue to grow. Yet despite the spending power of this important demographic, most brands are still not getting it right when it comes to connecting with her. Girlpower Marketing tips its hat to Holly’s 10 Commandments for Marketing to Moms:

The 10 Commandments of Marketing to Moms

1. Work with moms to get it right. You’re never going to get it right unless you talk to and ideate with moms. You need to solicit their ideas. The beauty of social media is that it’s easy to find them and to connect with them. Research and studies will give you clues, but not the rich real conversation moms will bring.

2. Keep it real. Real is real, inspirational stories. Relatable content. Relevant content. Useful content. Not manufactured, retouched or artificial.

3. Answer her when she’s reaching out. Engage with moms. A study by Acuity Group showed 73% of customer tweets go unanswered. What a missed opportunity. RedBull, a brand more associated with Millennials and daredevils, is terrific at listening and responding. My daughter was mugged for her latte and it blew up Twitter for a few minutes with 100+ tweets but not a word from Starbucks. Two other brands, on the other hand, responded with $5 gift cards because they wanted my daughter to know there were still good people in the world. If you take a look at the brands moms love, they typically are ones who are listening and responding.

4. Follow the moms that follow you back. When it comes to connecting to moms, brands need to follow the moms back. Stop thinking you are a celebrity and get real with your advocates. It’s the first step in the relationship, particularly if you want to grow an audience of moms.

5. Always layer in authentic conversation around your traditional campaigns. The days where brands can just rely on traditional advertising messages are gone. Today, a blog post or tweet a mom writes mentioning your brand is an ad. Organic, authentic real stories and conversation need to be layered in along with your traditional media. These are the messages she trusts.

6. Never market to them as a niche. There’s no one-size-fits-all mom. There are Millennial moms, Boomer moms, second-life moms, Latina moms … moms of every imaginable kind. Don’t stereotype and lump us into a singular “mom” bucket or you’ll miss the mark every time.

7. Remember she’s intelligent. Many stay-at-home moms are educated and have chosen family over career in many cases. With the economy being what it is, many moms are the primary breadwinners in their families. We like to talk about more than diapers, potty training or children. We have interests beyond gardening, cooking and reading books. Look at the types of blogs that are out there–everything from politics, business, women’s health issues and more.

8. Keep it beautifully simple. Moms are busy, and crave simplicity. Make it complicated, and you’ll lose them every time. One of the reasons Pinterest is popular with women is that, along with its simple design and curation of relevant content, it’s also pleasing to the eye.

9. Balance emotional messaging with pragmatic information. She still wants to be inspired, but she’s also pragmatic. She does her homework before making a purchase. It’s part of the job of being a mom – making informed choices.

10. Remember it’s about story-selling. Place the information within reach, and let her make a decision. Marketing to moms is about telling stories, not selling. Tell how it fits in her life, layer in people’s stories, give the back story on the product – she likes details, showcase testimonials and reviews. Sprinkle in lifestyle photos of the product in use, not just beautifully lit photos of the product. All of these tell her the story she wants to hear.

How Brands Can Celebrate Moms on Mother’s Day and Throughout the Year

Mother’s Day. The day I look forward to each year. The day when my son and I spend the entire day together – just the two of us. Whether it’s going to a movie, out for sushi, or on a road trip, that day is what memories are made of.

Though most moms say time spent with their loved ones and homemade cards are what they really cherish, the National Retail Federation says Mother’s Day spending will jump 11 percent this year to $20.7 billion, with consumers spending an average $168.94 on mom.

“It’s clear that Americans want to honor the women with the hardest job in the world this Mother’s Day,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shey. And for good reason. Moms are typically the household chef, chauffeur, organizer and primary purchase decision-maker for their families. But they’re not just buying for themselves; they’re also buying for kids, husbands, friends, sports teams and often their own parents.

Marketers are always looking for ways to reach moms, but it can be a struggle if they don’t understand how best to connect with them.

Tips to Attract and Engage Moms

Participate directly with moms. Brands trying to win over moms must participate directly with them, and develop a credible voice: one that is engaging, personal, authentic and participatory.
Research where she is online. Yes, moms like to shop and read blogs, but they also research health information, conduct online banking, watch videos and play games. Because patterns vary by life stage and interests, marketers need to understand their audience and how they are using the Internet.
Help her connect with your other customers. Moms gravitate toward brands that help them converse and connect with other moms. Brands can accomplish this through their websites, blogs and other social media sites where moms are connecting.
Don’t talk AT moms. Many brands create social media campaigns aimed at engaging moms, but fail because they end up talking “at” moms with self-serving advertising speak. Create added value for moms by providing them with information that is useful and interesting. Then provide tools that allow moms to interact not only with the brand, but each other. Listen to their feedback and make changes accordingly.
Respect her. Moms want brands to listen to them and respond to what they’re saying by showing respect and understanding their needs.
Don’t stereotype. Soccer moms. Helicopter moms. Boomer moms. Gen Y moms. Stay-at-home moms. A mom wouldn’t describe herself as such, so why do marketers? Appreciate the diversity of moms and connect accordingly.
Make her laugh. Moms love to laugh. Women’s humor grows out of identifying with another person in a funny situation, and recognizing their similarities. Help them find those similarities in humorous situations.
Concentrate on customer service. Word-of-mouth is the biggest factor in purchasing decisions for online moms. They look for recommendations from people they trust, and stay away from businesses if other moms relay bad experiences. Brands should make sure that word-of-mouth doesn’t work against them by making a commitment to impeccable customer service. Always go a bit further than needed, and include some form of “thank you.”
Remember that moms are not JUST moms. Moms are not one-dimensional — they have other interests, and don’t want to read just about mom-related topics. Moms also travel, race dirt bikes and collect fine wine as well.

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