What a mom wants…what a mom needs…

There’s no doubt that moms are spending a lot more time online. As a representative of the mommy population, I so often wish that the Internet had arrived on the scene back in the days when my children were young (and that was in the nineties…not exactly in the distant past)! Today I find that the opportunities to connect with other moms, research children’s issues and save money are infinite!

Women…especially moms are a powerful audience. Studies have shown that 85% of the women in the US make the purchase decisions in a given household. So how exactly are moms responding to online marketing today? What gets their attention and keeps them paying attention to the message?

Prospectiv, a firm that specializes in women’s marketing, recently released information from their “What Women Want Consumer Survey”. The study shows that more moms than women without children actually like seeing online discounts and coupons for products of interest to them. Moms also had a higher level of trust in online coupons than those women online without children.

What content would moms like to see in email marketing? Number one is information that pertains to their lifestyle. Surprisingly, 21% of women with children also report being interested in “anything they send me” whereas 35% women without children say “don’t send me anything at all”.

The most effective way brands can reach online female Internet users is through product samples offered, followed by coupons. Emails, banner ads on websites, and blogs were only marginally effective, according to the women surveyed.

Now imagine the value of this information to those who market diapers, or snack foods, or children’s sporting goods–or really just about anything used in a household with children of any age. Raising children today is more expensive than ever, and most moms are looking for ways to give their family everything they want at the lowest cost. Brands that allow web-savvy moms to learn about product features, find those products easily, sample them and at the same time save money will have the best chance at truly reaching moms—and making them smile. And when momma is happy, brands marketers are happy too.