3 Quick Takeaways
 Marketing to moms is stage-specific, meaning that Maternal Instinct uses different criteria for expectant moms than new moms, and different still for toddler, grade-school and teen moms. While one size does not fit all, here are a few overarching truths that apply to marketing to most every stage of motherhood.
1) Make It Easy
When it comes to mothers, especially those with small babies, you simply cannot be helpful enough. Your customer is tired, distracted, and overwhelmed.
- She drives alone in the car and utters out loud "I am driving the car!" to remind her weary brain that it is not playing a video game, but operating a real piece of heavy machinery.
- She forgets to buy bread at the supermarket, even though her husband asks in the store "don't we need bread?" (His fatal flaw: gesturing to the baguettes instead of the needed sandwich bread, trusting her brain synapses to make the leap.)
- She greets the first book group member on her doorstep with a gasp of "Oh, my God, I forgot I was hosting tonight!" The visitor inquires "But didn't you send out the email reminder this afternoon?" The answer, of course, is yes.
These are all real stories from real mothers. Never underestimate how exhausting being a mother is, and the toll it takes on one's memory, energy, and capacity.
What you can do:
- Let moms research and/or buy your product online, preferably from their phones: 89% of moms use the Internet at least twice a day and 70% use search engines to research online purchases. Working moms are 42% more likely to download mobile content than other consumers. Invest in search optimization so it’s easy for moms to find you and optimize your site for mobile use.
- Send email reminders: preempt key buying cycles or important personal events (like a child's birthday) with a brief email reminder embedded with links that let a mom act (buy a product, save to a wish list, sign up for a pre-release, download a coupon). Guess who's really leading the charge on this front? Surprisingly, public libraries. Web-enabled libraries now send non-judgmental "Courtesy Reminder" emails the day before materials are due; a fabulous tip-off to busy moms.
- Create shortcuts: Let moms link directly to age-appropriate areas from your home page (even better, let her customize your site for her children's precise ages). Let her link directly to "wish lists" from an email and to saved searches from your home page.
2) Go Viral
Moms are heavily networked, both socially and technologically. A survey conducted by BabyCenter.com found that 40% consider other moms to be their best sources of consumer information — well ahead of famous spokespeople, family, and the media. Moms average 109 word-of-mouth conversations per week about products, brands and services. And pregnant and new moms have even more.
What you can do:
- Sponsor mom communities: consider underwriting a popular mom blog or a highly trafficked area of a top site for moms.
- Give moms a mechanism to share their enthusiasm: include "Forward to a Friend" links in your email newsletters, create reward programs for moms who recruit friends, let moms post reviews or blog on your site about your products.
- Join the conversation: 20% of tweets reference a brand or product by name. Lend an ear so you know what you’re doing right. And lend your voice so disgruntled customers know you’re committed to making it right.
 3) Walk the Walk
If you want moms to be your loyal customers, then run a business that honors women. Hire women, promote women, consult with women, and create advertising that depicts women in positive ways.
Obvious, you say? A quick anecdote. A large multi-million dollar ad agency (who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty) pitched a major car account. Their "pitch" team consisted of 16 men and one woman. Worse yet, they photographed each of these team members and put their photos in the presentation leave-behind. Face after face, male, male, male. When they didn't get the account, they issued a macho announcement within the agency saying that "those fools obviously don't know good advertising when they see it." What these fellas failed to realize is that women influence 80% of automotive decisions and account for over $80 billion in new car sales.
Lastly, whatever you're doing — get an outside opinion from folks who aren't "drinking the Kool-Aid." Sometimes a subtle observation can uncover an opportunity to launch your marketing to a new level.
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