Psychology Of New Moms Fits Direct Marketing Perfectly

by Maryanne Conlin, Oct 19, 2011, 8:07 AM

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For brands that market to new moms, it’s always a changing landscape. Unlike in most businesses, consumer retention takes a backseat to enticing trial. Brands are constantly seeking new customers and, while those customers are a fairly constant demographic in many ways, the psychographics these days change rapidly as head-spinning changes in technology influence not only the way we receive information, but the way we view everything from privacy to relationships with brands.

As social media and web marketing have flipped the traditional “one to many” marketing strategy on its head, the lessons of direct marketing have become important reading material for brand managers. A recent study sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association, shows just how important that is for brands marketing to new moms and, quite frankly, moms entering any new stage of child rearing.

The latest generation of moms, really whether they are truly GenY digital natives or 40-something first-time moms, all know that the best place to seek out new information is online. While we have learned that consumers have become accustomed to researching products online prior to purchase, the DMA study found that 95% of new moms go the next step and seek out digital direct offers online.

But a stunning 64% of new moms have also gone the next step and made a purchase via direct marketing in the past year (almost half in the last month.) While, as a marketer, these strike me as a high numbers, as a mom, this purchase behavior, seems, well, perfectly reasonable. Who among us doesn’t remember those days, after sleepless nights, when anything that seems to meet one of our needs as a new mom is a good thing and buying it right away seems even better?

The psychology of new moms fits direct marketing perfectly and the numbers bear this out. Eighty-three percent of the survey’s new mom respondents are likely to opt-in product and retailer emails that use email and daily deals (like Groupon or Living Social).

While the study focused on direct marketing, many of the findings provide useful information for brands targeting new moms that sell through distribution, too! Finding that 84% of new moms use Facebook was interesting, but not surprising. Learning that 72% of new moms “like” brands is a key finding.

A study by PRdaily.com, just released, found that only 45% of Facebook users “like” brands. That means a full one-third more of new moms “like” brands. And … bear with me here … I’m going to add one more study into this mix. A new study on Facebook fans and brands, finds that 56% of consumers said they are more likely to recommend a brand to a friend after becoming a fan on Facebook.

So why is the intersection of these three studies so important for brands that market to new moms? An information vacuum exacerbated by a lack of mobility (especially in those first few weeks when getting out of pajamas can be difficult) drives new moms to the web and especially to that paradise of actual social interaction, Facebook.

New moms, looking for advice as they enter this alternate universe of “new mom land” are seeking advice and can find it from brands that actively and effectively use Facebook as a key marketing tool. That’s not earth shattering news, but the role that Facebook can play, with almost three-quarters of new moms primed to hear a brand’s message, may be quite a bit bigger than we ever knew.

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