There is no denying the statistics that repeatedly tell us mothers are one of the most powerful and influential consumer groups. A new study from Nielsen has found that nearly 20% of the active online population is women between the ages of 25-54 with at least one child.
What does this tell us?
First, that the Internet is a great place to reach this highly coveted audience of consumers and influencers, and second, that your brand needs to be connecting with that audience where they already spend time – online.
Next, the Nielsen study identified differences in online behaviors between segments of the audience as follows:
- Established Moms (age 40-50 with three or more children at home): Heavy online shoppers with Shopzilla.com, Walmart.com and Target.com being top online destinations.
- Newbie Moms (age 25-34 with one or two children at home): Heavy users of social networking destinations like Facebook.com and Blogger.com.
What does this tell us?
Simple — it tells you exactly where you need to start focusing efforts to reach specific segments of that coveted audience.
Finally, the Nielsen study reports that mothers are more concerned about the economy than ever (as one would expect based on the weak economic conditions around the world), and they are actively looking for money saving opportunities online. There is no denying that online coupon searches and coupon use overall is up significantly, and the Internet is a primary tool for finding discounts.
And what does this tell us?
That coveted audience is looking for brands that provide discounts, etc. Make sure your brand is represented online where that audience is and providing valuable offers that meet their needs and demands.
Bottom line, the statistics don’t lie. Mothers are powerful decision-makers and spenders, and they’re actively looking for brands online. Is your brand where the moms are?
Image: Flickr
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
