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How to Reach Mothers With Social Media

Many authors have already broached the subject of how to reach moms online, pointing out that moms are using some of the newest Web 2.0 technologies, such as social networking sites. This new research has inspired my company to take a closer look at our own online strategy, since moms are our main target market. Today, I want to talk more specifically about how online marketers can interact with moms using social media to generate measurable sales results.

Here are four things you can do today to interact with moms on social networking sites:

Get to know the mommy bloggers.

Mommy bloggers are mothers who write and maintain blogs, either as a hobby, or in some cases, as a way to make money. Some mommy bloggers accept products for review, and post reviews on their blogs. Even large corporations have taken note – Johnson & Johnson has a wide-ranging mommy-blogger strategy that includes sending out product samples to mommy bloggers for review.

Engage mothers on social networking sites.

In early 2009, Nielsen Online reported that new mothers are drawn to social networking sites more than any other group. Some of moms’ favorite online communities are Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. To reach these moms, baby care and juvenile products manufacturer Evenflo started a Facebook page to promote safe use of child car seats.

Let the cameras roll.

Just like the rest of the online community, moms like to share their own videos and view others’ clips ranging from kids’ cute antics to how-to videos. There are several ways to use online video to reach out to moms. First, you can post your own instructional, inspirational or entertaining video clips.

Another option is to get moms involved in a contest that requires them to submit their own video. For example, Johnson & Johnson recently hosted a YouTube contest, “Big Bubblin’ Stars!,” which solicited funny bath time videos from mothers.

Offer an experience.

Consider whether there is a unique experience you can offer moms. Maybe you send influential mommy bloggers a gift certificate to be used on your products or services. Several companies, including Johnson & Johnson, have started inviting small groups of mommy bloggers to their main headquarters for personal tours and events. Dodge gave moms a one-of-a-kind experience by inviting them to test-drive a new, fully loaded, Dodge Caravan for an entire week.

There are several ways you can measure sales generated from your marketing efforts in the social networking arena. The most obvious way is to use web site analytics to keep track of where online purchasers come from – did they come to your site directly from your Facebook page, or from a mommy blog? If for some reason you’re not using a sophisticated web analytics system, you can do one of two things:

1. Insert a drop-down menu in the shopping cart area of your Web site that allows customers to select which web site referred them, or
   
   
2. have some sort of coupon code or answer to a secret question that is only available on your social networking page. You can also use a different code for each different social media site or strategy (e.g. one for your Facebook page, one for your MySpace page, one for your mommy blogger outreach). Finally, if your product is downloadable, you may be able to embed a download link directly in your social media platform.

These are four of the most important tactics to consider when crafting your online social networking strategy. For more information on marketing to moms, I recommend books like “Mom 3.0: Marketing WITH Today’s Mothers by Leveraging New Media & Technology,” by Maria Bailey.

Editorial provided by Mark Vance. Mark is the Chief Marketing Officer of RainSoft, a provider of home water treatment and air purification systems. For more information on RainSoft water treatment systems, please call 1-800-RAINSOFT or visit RainSoft.com.