As the leaves turn colors and the temperature falls, it's time for marketers to think seriously about their holiday marketing efforts and how to turn connections with moms into sales. It's not too late to reach the powerful Mom Market.

With a targeted offer and the right messaging and execution, a through-school marketing program can be one of the most effective ways to engage health-focused moms, create brand goodwill and build long-term brand loyalty.

By the time our Moms reach the store aisle, they have more information, making them more confident in their purchase decisions. Chances are, if you haven't engaged them before they get to the store, you've probably already lost those sales.

Businesses must be willing to make an investment in better understanding her world and how a particular product or service fits into it. They also must invest in learning more about the communication styles that appeal to women.

For the first time, marketers can accurately gauge the influence of consumers to whom they direct offers by targeting these "connectors" who are suddenly easy to find using social media. Direct marketing sample sizes can shrink to include those consumers that are most likely to pass the word along. Response rates and, more importantly, buzz generated can vault to heights not seen before. Budgets can shrink ... or can they?

Seeking convenient alternatives to modify their family's eating habits, Moms will substitute fortified foods for their "regular" counterparts. Sixty-seven percent look for products fortified with minerals and vitamins.

Huggies is a great example of a brand leveraging the unique dynamics of this segment to maximize the impact of its message. In its weekly email communications stream, Huggies embeds links to download a pregnancy countdown widget. Once an expectant mother downloads the widget, she can choose to embed it in her social networking profile. Huggies sends relevant information to the mom through the widget daily -- information that she can then share and discuss with her friends and other expectant moms.

If businesses choose to support motherhood by embracing this group and trying to better understand them, the relationship has a win-win potential.

Now is the time when more thoughtful approaches to blogger outreach will bear fruit. Bloggers often act as alpha consumers rather than journalists. Their writing influences numerous potential consumers, but in many ways, they respond to outreach more as consumers than as journalists.

The success of a couponing promotion and its ability to convert new consumers into advocates relies on the brand's ability to first pinpoint which offer Moms simply won't be able to refuse.