• by Aaron Baar , October 2, 2009

Marketers who wish to reach working moms should think about catching them on the run.

According to Scarborough Research, women who are employed full-time and have one or more children spend 21% more on their cellular bills than the average user ($94 for working moms, $78 for all cell phone users). What's more, they are 43% more likely to download content to their phones.

"It's no surprise that anybody who's working these days is technology-enabled," Howard Goldberg, senior vice president of advertising agency services for Scarborough, tells Marketing Daily. "It's more important to the working mom because she has to stay connected not only to her work environment, but for her family, too."

Working moms are also more likely to use their phones for things other than talking. Working moms are 43% more likely to download content to their phones than the average consumer, and their most common Internet practices are downloading coupons, finding local events and paying bills, Goldberg says.

"The cell phone device is used for more than just talking -- she uses it extensively, whether it's downloading coupons, looking up movies online or taking pictures," he says. "It's so integrated into her life, she's a prime target for reaching via mobile marketing because she's using it for more than just having a conversation."

Also, because of an increased amount of time spent in the car going to and from work and to and from children's events, working moms are much more likely to be heavy users of out-of-home media.

According to Scarborough, working moms represent 9% of the U.S. population (about 22 million), have more disposable income than families where the mother doesn't work, and are more likely to be well-educated and married. Working moms are also more likely to have technology items in the home -- from DVRs to MP3 Players to satellite radio -- and they are more likely to be looking to upgrade those items than the average consumer, Goldberg says.

All of those statistics point to a picture of working moms as much more tech-savvy than they have been given credit for, Goldberg says. "Not only is she tech-savvy about her phone, but she's tech-savvy with MP3 players, video game systems and satellite radios for the home," he says. "She's taking on the responsibilities for that as well."