Mothers Know Best About Social Media

Allison Howen — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:30:00 GMT

The social Web, it turns out, is full of Moms I’d Like to Friend.

A new study from performance marketing provider Performics reveals that mothers are more versatile, present and engaged users of social networking sites than other women. In fact, moms are 61 percent more likely to own a smartphone, 16 percent more likely to visit Facebook daily, 46 percent more likely to visit Google+ daily and 75 percent more likely to trust information that they receive from companies on social networking sites compared to women that are not mothers.

“Moms continue to take advantage of the little spare time they have by utilizing all the tools at their disposal. This includes their mobile devices and social networks,” says Daina Middleton, Global CEO of Performics. “Increasingly, as a segment of the social networking population, moms perception is their voice can be leveraged to influence, participate with, and promote brands.”

The study also shows that moms are not only more likely to trust brands on social sites, but also look to interaction with brands on social sites as a primary point of contact. This statistic is significant because mother bloggers, which is a sub category of moms, control more than two trillion dollars worth or purchasing power, according to the study.

Not convinced yet that your brand should be targeting Moms online? Well, another intriguing piece of data from the study reveals that they are also 45 percent more likely to make a purchase as a result of a social network recommendation, and are more likely to become brand ambassadors, or mombassadors, for their favorite brands via social media.

In fact, moms are 34 percent more likely to recommend a company or brand via social media, 48 percent more likely to discuss a brand on a social site after seeing the brand’s ad somewhere, 24 percent more likely to talk about brands that they follow on Facebook, 23 percent more likely to link to a brand, 53 percent more likely to post brand ads, and 50 percent more likely to post interesting or relevant content about a brand.

“Brands have an opportunity to motivate moms to participate through their social media properties,” says Middleton. “In this age of participation, moms expect a constructive, two-way relationship. To stay current, build loyalty and, in many cases, drive sales, brands must provide that meaningful connection with their customers.”

So don’t be shy. Show moms some social love because it could help your brand out in the long run.

Mom Shoppers Use Social Media for Purchasing Decisions

Mike Phillips — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 20:35:00 GMT

A recent report from NPD Group, a market research firm, found that mom shoppers are using social media friends and followers to help with their buying decisions. The study finds that 79 percent of mothers with children younger than 18 are active in social media - an impressive statistic. Of those active in social media, one in four said they purchased items on the recommendation from a Facebook friend, Twitter fan or other social media connection.

"Social media has become an enormous influence on purchasing," said Anita Frazier, analyst for The NPD Group. "But many marketers have yet to fully realize the potential of social media and the power of peer group recommendations."

To Frazier's point, perhaps the reason many marketers "have yet to fully realize the potential of social media" is that the majority of marketers do not yet believe that social media can drive actual purchases. It has been widely written across the Internet that social media is not a place where people make purchases. That might be true, in the literal sense, but at least this study shows that social media can indeed influence a decision greatly and, for all intents and purposes, help click the "buy" button. People have trusted their friends more than corporations for eons. Why would that change online?

'Net Features : mom shoppers

Mothers Know Best About Social Media

Mom Shoppers Use Social Media for Purchasing Decisions