Marketing to Moms? Zenzi breaks down the top misconceptions in mommy marketing, and outlines the importance of genuine interaction.
Marketing to Moms? You’re not alone. A quick search on Google of “Marketing to Moms” yielded over 52,000 results in Google News, and more than 72 million results across the entire web. These figures are not surprising when you consider that mothers control an astounding $2 trillion of purchasing power in the US. $2 trillion dollars. That’s power.
So is your company hoping for a piece of the pie? There are some things you need to know first. As women, mothers and marketers, Zenzi sees the misconceptions in mommy marketing every day. Here are the top three mommy marketing myths, and our tips on how to avoid them.
Mistake #1: Moms are all the same
Quick: when someone says “mom”, what do you think? Loving? Happy? Stressed? Stays at home? Workaholic? Loves to cook? Avoids the kitchen at all costs? Drives a minivan? Drives a Porsche? The fact is moms are individuals, and treating them as a homogenous group is a huge mistake. It all comes down to a woman’s values, and how your particular product or service will speak to what is important to her as an individual, not just as a mom. The only way to know is to ask, whether through research studies, focus groups, surveys, online listening or old-fashioned one-on-one conversation.
Mistake #2: Moms are always happy, especially when cleaning
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never smiled while scrubbing the toilet. But tell that to the manufacturers of toilet bowl cleaners. Who are these women who enjoy cleaning so much? Most likely, they don’t exist. 75 percent of mothers say marketers and advertisers don’t understand what it’s like to be a mom, according to global market-research agency MinTel. Let’s break it down: moms control $2 trillion dollars in spending, but a full ¾ feel misunderstood by marketers. The good news? The marketplace is wide open for companies to connect with moms in a genuine way. Again, it comes down to understanding and celebrating what is actually true versus what society says is true. Do your homework, and ask the right questions to get to the heart of what matters to her.
Mistake #3: Women aren’t tech savvy
This is perhaps the biggest myth of all. If you’re ignoring women in your digital and social marketing efforts, you are missing your biggest opportunity to engage. With 94.5% of moms on the internet, and 76.2% of them on social networks, connecting with them online is essential for everything from driving awareness to closing the sales cycle. And you better be mobile. According to a study last year by Babycenter, “mobile phones – and smartphones in particular – have become indispensible to moms, who are 18% more likely than average to have a smartphone. Overall adoption of smartphones among moms has risen 64% over the past two years, and 51% of moms say they are addicted to their smartphone”. What does this mean? Your social and mobile business should not be relegated to a junior marketing associate, but rather should connect across all aspects of your business, from customer service to sales to marketing. It the most important thing you can do to grow your share of voice with moms. Period.