• by Maria Bailey , Columnist, May 1, 2013

May is the month for Moms.  Between Mother’s Day and National Mom’s Nite Out, www.momsniteout.com, there’s a lot of celebrating around motherhood. As marketers join in the celebration to connect with moms, I thought it would fun to take a look at some of the brands that are executing interesting marketing campaigns around mothers and where the opportunities are for companies who still want to jump into May with moms.

First, let’s take a look at brands that are celebrating moms in May: 

• Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration has built a reputation among social media influencers as the “must-attend” conference and media event. For the past five years, Disney Parks and Resorts has entertained, educated and engaged bloggers, vloggers, podcasters and Facebookers and their families. They showcase not only all their magical world has to offer, but social media moms enjoy top-notch speakers during three days of learning. Past keynoters have been supermodel Kathy Ireland and Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop. This year the invitation-only event takes place over Mother’s Day weekend. The conference works because it provides a bigger purpose for the mom attendees; it’s more than a tour of company headquarters or a photo opportunity with a hired celebrity spokesperson. It allows the moms to learn, network with peers and create memories with her family all in one weekend.
  
  
• Are you friends with your mom on Facebook? Do you have “Gems of Wisdom” from your mom that stick with you? These are the questions that Zales, the Diamond Store, is asking mothers this month in a clever campaign celebrating moms and Mother’s Day. At the core of the campaign are the “Friend Your Mom, Join the Movement” and “Gems of Wisdom” themes that encourage moms to friend their own mothers on Facebook and share personal gems of wisdom.  They are delivering their messages through videos posted on their Facebook fan page and on YouTube. The YouTube videos, posted late last week, are already receiving more than 4,000 daily views. The campaign works on many levels: it features popular mom bloggers delivering the messages through video, and the comments on both “Friend Your Mom” and Gems of Wisdom” are evoking emotional and heartfelt responses from moms, about moms. Mom marketers have been slow to adopt video, which is a mistake.  According to our research, 90% of moms have watched a video online in the last seven days, a number that is twice as many as those who have read a blog in the same time period.  Millennial moms, and an increasing number of mothers from across generational lines, are visual consumers and video is the way to connect with them.

Is it too late to engage with moms for Mother’s Day 2013? No. Certainly the Zales and Disney campaigns were planned well in advance. However, with Mother’s Day only two weeks away, there’s still time to celebrate motherhood and connect your brand with moms in May. 

• National Mom’s Nite Out on May 9 will draw millions of moms – online and offline - across the U.S. to celebrate a night out before the actual May 12 holiday. Get your brand in front of these moms through digital socials such as an online video event or Twitter party.
  
  
• Pinterest is the place to reach millions of moms who value “rich” social media. Pin your products on boards that let mom look at (and forward) ideas for herself and the other moms in her life. In a recent shopping survey, we found that a source of frustration for a majority of moms is the hard-to-buy-for female relative (ahem … mother-in-law). Moms also buy gifts for their own moms, aunties and friends. One mom on my team says she forwarded several pins to her husband when he asked for Mother’s Day gift ideas, which leads me to this last-minute idea for Mother’s Day.
  
  
• A Mother’s Day Pinterest promotion that lets moms pin their wish list is a quick and inexpensive way to get your product and brand in front of this highly visual group of women. Post boards with your own products and post other ideas as well. Moms love to share, and they love it when you share, too. From relaxing spa and manicure images to recipes and decoration ideas for Mother’s Day brunch, start pinning now. 

Remember, for this Mother’s Day and throughout the year, upload videos! As I mentioned earlier, not enough brands are using video to reach moms, and now is the time to use what moms are looking for in their busy lives. As summer approaches, think of ways to engage with moms as they plan summer break activities: camps, day trips and family vacations, to name a few.