It’s no surprise that moms have embraced social media, yet they use Twitter and Facebook in distinct ways. Moms see Facebook as a place to connect with friends and family and Twitter as a more open network to receive articles, news, and engage with businesses. Facebook remains their dominant platform. Some 44% of moms maintain a Facebook profile while 1.8% use Twitter, according to BlogHer.
‘Twitter Feels More Like A Public Space’
“The differences suggest Twitter feels more like a public space than Facebook does, or perhaps Twitter’s 140-character limit inherently creates a presence that doesn’t intrude too much, says analyst Lisa Finn. “Although moms are open to marketers on both [channels], Twitter lets businesses show a more human face. With Facebook, moms [primarily] want companies to just show a coupon.” Finn’s report “Marketing To Moms on Twitter,” published by Lucid Marketing queried only the highly prolific users of Twitter who Finn suggests are mom influencers.
More than half of heavy Twitter-using moms consider Twitter important for following businesses they like or learning about new products (53%) and for keeping up with their own professional contacts (52%). These moms primarily check Twitter via their mobile devices, which may prove to be a fertile opportunity for location-based services.
Motherhood is a key catalyst in driving women to social networks. Pregnancy and birth trigger 94% of moms and moms-to-be to seek out information and share opinions online, according to BabyCenter. Moms who regularly use social networks fall into two categories: Influencers and the Influenced, says BabyCenter. The Influencers make up only 18% of online moms, but they wield 78% of the influence.
These influencers can be further segmented as their expertise and opinions exert power over other moms in various ways:
Field Experts: Stay-at-home moms that are most influential on parenting communities where they share mom-to-mom advice.
Lifecasters: Millennial moms who thrive on being the expert on a variety of topics. They are most influential on Facebook, but use the vast majority of social network channels. They produce light content, but also relevant advice and product recommendations.
Pros: Self-employed Gen X moms who consistently churn out information to enormous networks of readers. These moms do extensive research before making recommendations and tend to have been compensated in some way for writing about brands on their blogs. They are most influential on blogs and Twitter.
Despite the relatively small usage numbers for Twitter (compared to the millions of users on Facebook), Twitter is proving to be a fertile opportunity for brands to connect with heavy user moms. The largest proportion tweet three to five (29%) or at least two times (26%) per day, according to Lucid Marketing. Since more than half of these moms (54%) check Twitter at least 10 times a day, they clearly are interested in what others (including brands) have to say.
More than half of heavy Twitter-using moms use Twitter to keep up with new products or businesses they like, so Finn shares some of the more effective ways for brands to reach and engage moms:
• Keep it fresh. Moms don’t mind regular tweets as long as they are relevant or amusing. It’s also important to tweet throughout the day. Four in 10 (37%) visit the site equally at all times of the day.
• Link to articles. Moms are interested in content that helps them with their lives and their families. Finn recommends brands provide links to parenting articles, fun activities, or budget-friendly ideas.
• Reward loyalty. Provide followers with special discounts and coupons. Finn warns that in order to avoid being perceived as spamming, brands need to mix offers with actual information. Don’t barrage them, and insert humor or fun into a few tweets, she adds.
• Keep it real. Moms want to learn about the people behind a company. Finn suggests using funny or quirky tweets to create a human presence, such as Burger King’s King, and interact with followers.
• Make it a dialogue. Asking for moms’ opinions not only brings great ideas and honest feedback, but it turns moms into brand ambassadors. “Moms are extremely tech-savvy. I don’t know why companies continue to have this image of moms that is not as cutting-edge as they actually are,” says Finn. [Online/Marketing]
Contacts and Connections: BabyCenter, Tina Sharkey, Chairman, 163 Freelon St., San Francisco, CA 94107; 866-710-2229; tsharkey@babycenter.com; www.babycenter.com.
BlogHer, Elisa Camahort Page, Co-founder/COO, 805 Veterans Blvd., #305, Redwood City, CA 94061; 415-694-6703; elisa@blogher.com; www.blogher.com.
“Marketing to Moms on Twitter,” Lucid Marketing, Kevin Burke, Founder, 2 N. Main St., Allentown, NJ 08501; 609-208-2150; kevin_burke@lucidmarketing.com; www.lucidmarketing.com. Also, Lisa Finn, lisa@lisafinn.com.
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