Millennial Moms: The Misunderstood Influencer
By Annalea Krebs
There's a lot of uncertainty among brands about which consumer groups hold the key to influence in their digital marketing. Somewhere on the Venn diagram nestled between millennials and moms are the new power influencers: millennial moms. Did you know that 83 percent of new moms are millennials?
Unfortunately, the majority of millennial moms feel misunderstood by marketers. The problem is that marketers are still targeting moms as a group, but millennial moms aren't like other moms — and their families don't fit the "traditional" mold. But if you can discover a way to win their loyalty now and continue to engage them throughout their journey as parents, then they will become your biggest brand advocates.
First Off, The Millennial Mom is Not Your Average Mom
Gone are the traditional family hierarchies; according to a study done by Weber Shandwick, more than 30 percent of millennial moms are single and work full-time jobs. And Pew reports that 21 percent of millennial dads are stay-at-home caregivers, making the mom the primary breadwinner.
Whether breadwinner or homemaker, the millennial mom has a very different outlook from the average mom. Her family eats at least one of five meals in the car, and she is just as likely to mow the grass as she is to attend a PTA meeting. Gone are the days when she needs to show up manicured, cupcakes in hand, pretending life's a breeze. With the rise of social media and online mommy groups, the curtain has been pulled back. Moms are now finding connection in #realtalk.
The millennial mom is not looking for branded messages depicting perfection; she's more interested in authentic marketing that resonates with the realities of her busy lifestyle. Imagine if instead of running picture-perfect ads featuring Susie Homemaker, you focused on #realtalk. Think how much more it would resonate with millennial moms if a shampoo company showcased a mom in a shower with #momgoals #showerdaily. As an example of this marketing evolution, Dove did an ad campaign showcasing real moms.
Millennial Moms are Social Media Savvy and Highly Influential
This consumer group relies heavily on word-of-mouth advice and uses social media as a research and recommendation platform, spending almost 17 hours a week on their social networks. Millennial moms spend more time on social media than their older counterparts and are extremely influential within their networks, according to a report from Weber Shandwick, posting about their favorite products on social media (10.4 times a month) and asking for product recommendations (9.6 times per month). Millennial moms are also content creators. In fact, a Harvard study says that 60 percent of millennials post content online — videos, photos, blogs, and product reviews — and millennial moms are no different.
Even though millennial moms may not have the reach of a blogger, she is highly influential in her close-knit social network. A study conducted by Social Nature demonstrated that engagement rates on social product reviews from their everyday mom influencers outranked those of professional mommy bloggers. Marketers can activate millennial mom influence by designing beautiful products that get instagrammed, rewarding post-purchase sharing or investing in more social sampling strategies like So Delicious did in this successful example.
Stop Selling. Educate and Inspire Instead
Millennial moms aren't interested in being bombarded with branded messages and advertisements; they want to be educated, not sold to. As marketers, your content should answer questions, solve problems, and offer genuine support. Overall, millennial moms prefer companies that are honest, friendly, digitally savvy, socially conscious — and they are willing to pay more for those products. With only 33 percent of millennial moms buying products they grew up with, it's time for traditional brands to change their tune, and for emerging brands to gain market share.
Take, for example, Seventh Generation, a leading eco-cleaning brand whose customer base is mostly new moms. Seventh Generation created an online community called Generation Good, which offers its members a place to exchange tips, share opinions, try new products and receive exclusive offers. Seventh Generation knows that its customers don't need to hear from it, but from each other — turning its customers into powerful advocates.
In the next 10 to 15 years, 80 percent of millennials will be parents. What changes do you need to make now to tap into the growing influence of millennial moms?
Source
"Millennial Moms: The Misunderstood Influencer." MediaPost, 1/31/18.