• by Maria Bailey , Columnist, September 16, 2009

Boomers. Gen Xers. Millennials. As Mom marketing professionals, we had to learn to connect with mothers from three distinct generations. Thankfully, as each of these cohorts has adopted new technology and social media, they have begun to behave more and more like each other.

Aside from the age-specific information and products they desire, their use of Facebook, video and networking sites have created a more homogenous multi-generation of mothers. However, this new generation demands a new generation of marketing with unique characteristics, benchmarks and tactics. Here are just a few to consider:

It's no longer acceptable to Market "to" Moms.

Today's Moms are savvy marketers. In fact, to read the Twitter IDs of many mothers, they even claim to be marketing experts themselves, challenging your years of experience. Moms today demand brand managers market "with" Moms rather than "to" Moms. Mothers must become your marketing partner rather than your marketing tool.

Marketers should see themselves as engagement specialists.

Call yourself a Mom engagement professional. In a generation of social media, we as marketers must be social. That means we have to socialize, interact and, most importantly, engage our target customer. It's not about "activating" Moms. Today's Moms are savvy to marketing. They no longer take our marketing messages, tagline and sound bytes and regurgitate them. They question them, customize them, and then they decide how they are going to share them with their peers.

Mom's peers no longer meet up at the playground on the corner.

The size and reach of a Mom's peer groups is growing as is her sphere of influence. Today's mother is increasingly becoming part of a virtual playground. She often will refer to "her online" friends or "virtual friends" and admits that some of her closest friends are ones she has never met face to face. Her virtual friends often know her better than her physical friends because of the inhibitions that come out simply by using the Internet. Sometimes she may develop a relationship without even knowing her friend's real name. There are many Moms who have multiple identities: Blog Name, Twitter ID, Skype ID, Facebook email. As a marketer, you need to be a part of her conversations in the virtual playground.

Bigger is no longer better. Better delivers Bigger.

Remember the old saying, "Bigger is better"? Well, in today's Mom market, "Better gets you bigger." The better relationship you have with a mother, the deeper relationship you have with her and the bigger audience you reach because, as her level of engagement grows with your brand, the more she shares with her peer group. A full-page print ad may make her aware of your brand and she may tell a Mom about you. However, if she is truly engaged in your brand, she will tweet, post to her blog, talk about you at her child's school and even post videos about you on MomTV.com.

Marketers need to restructure their marketing approach to truly engage with today's Mom market. This means giving Moms a platform to share with you as well as giving her the tools to share your brand messages with her peers regardless of where they reside.

Most importantly, apply new forms of measurement to the reach of your engagement programs. Be willing to cast a smaller net in order to connect more deeply with your target customer. You will be pleased with an increased ROI, higher customer retention rate and, ultimately, a more meaningful relationship with your consumer. Let me be the first to welcome you to the new generation of engaging with Moms.