A few moons ago, we published an article on our design and marketing blog about marketing to moms on Facebook. We have written a lot over the years, but that article recently debunked the king of popularity, "7 Marketing Agency Scumbags," in the nine-year history of our blog. Given its popularity, I decided that it was worthwhile expanding on that initial effort and share some of the insights we've learned and how to best capture this oh-so-desirable audience.
Moms are savvy. Don't think for a moment that they are just waiting for the first ad to pop up so that they can feverishly click through your ad and buy from you. A couple of years ago, Pew Research published some data that we found to be most helpful when creating the voice of advertising to target moms on Facebook. Pew's chart provided some deep insight into the way moms respond to different things, facilitating the messaging and setting the right expectations for engagement based on the offer or call to action.
Keep in mind that parents, especially moms, use social media to find support among family and friends; that is where laughter and tears find a willing audience that is ready to share in the grief or the celebration, whichever the case may be. According to Pew, 45% of moms say that they receive support from social media compared to only 22% of dads.
For mothers, Facebook is a place to find solace. They are there to catch up with their friends, as new mothers don't have as much time to get out. Facebook is also a place where moms often get their news. Time is short and given the option between Fox or CNN and Facebook, statistics show that social media channels are some of the most pervasive channels of news dissemination.
In general, mothers are growing weary of being the targets of direct marketing on Facebook and everywhere they go. This includes marketing from other moms on social media, too! Time recently covered this topic, with one writer saying, "to people pushing product on Facebook and fake wine nights, you read it here: Enough. If you want to be my friend then don’t sell me something."
Understand Moms To Better Serve Them
Mothers, like CEOs and other executives, are busy people. The affairs of the home lie in their care and they don't have a moment to waste. When they are on Facebook, they're there to catch up with friends – not brands. If you wish to have a chance to grab their attention and maybe get them to buy your product, consider the following tips:
- Pitch a solution to a common problem. Something that will save them time and make their lives easier. Huggies, for instance, provides great tips to moms before they try to sell their product. They catch moms' attention by providing useful, clever tips while surrounding their content with their shiny products and offers. Kraft does a similar job by offering recipes that are easy to make and that kids love before they pitch their product.
- Offer the product or service at a discount that is exclusive. If she can get it later on Amazon, she will. Don't waste your time offering something that can be found just anywhere. A great deal or special price is a crucial component of a direct offer.
- Align your brand with their cause. If you want moms to like your brand, give them something special to gain their trust and love. Always put together a touching campaign, "Like A Girl," and the brand found its way to the hearts of many women.
- Make the purchase easy. Didn't I just say mothers are busy? Two clicks, done. It is extremely important for them to be able to purchase immediately.
As you can see, marketing to moms on Facebook is not all that complicated once you understand their busy lives and the reasons why they are there in the first place. Offering anything that can facilitate or complement their everyday lives is a good start. Not everything will appeal to a busy mom. Don't argue with facts. If you can't give a mom an extra 30 minutes to her day, at least offer something that will make the limited time she does have as easy and pleasant as possible.
