• by Chandler Sopko , Op-Ed Contributor, April 27, 2017

Consumers come out in droves every Mother’s Day to celebrate the mother and mother-figures in their lives, spending $21.4 billion in 2016. Mother’s Day is the third biggest spending holidayafter the winter holidays and back-to-school, and generates twice as much incremental spend as Father’s Day.

To find the perfect gift for the mothers in their lives, consumers increasingly turn to social media. More than 33 million people have Pinned about Mother’s Day on Pinterest, saving everything from gift ideas to brunch recipes. And since 61% of shopping occurs the week before Mother’s Day, brands have a long consideration period to work with to appeal to consumers on social media.

To break through to more consumers, advertisers should start running their campaigns early and deliver their messages across multiple platforms. Optimizing toward reach before, during, and after the holiday across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and Twitter will expose more consumers to a brand’s messaging. Here are some recommendations on how to inspire love for moms with paid social:

Be authentic

The increased spend around Mother’s Day increases the competition among advertisers to break through the noise to reach consumers. Engaging videos and high-quality images capture attention on a crowded feed and Mother’s Day sentiment holds interest. Tapping into the emotional side of the holiday will resonate with users and call forth images of their own maternal relationships.

Know your audience and personalize your messaging accordingly. Mothers are also wives, sisters, daughters, friends, and grandmothers, so all different types of people will be looking for gift inspiration for the various women they love. Customized copy may prompt a father or a brother to honor a wife or a sister when they normally may not have. And target moms themselves! They may also have gifts to give and are incredibly active on social platforms: U.S. moms check Facebook about 10 times per day.

Be helpful. If women are part of your core demographic, chances are your brand has a better idea of the perfect gift than most consumers. Make suggestions based on merchandise popular with your customer base that will inspire trust from prospective customers.

Make social work for you

Use keyword and conversation targeting to make your brand a natural part of the Mother’s Day chatter on social platforms. Use the hashtag #MothersDay, which will surely be trending on Twitter and Instagram. The native ad formats on each platform will blend your creative into the organic activity and make your brand a part of the holiday conversation.

Reach younger and social-savvy consumers with vertical video on Snapchat and Instagram. This format gives your brand 100% share-of-screen to promote your product, and returns high engagement rates.

Using CRM data can help brands re-engage customers who have viewed or purchased related products in the past. Target lapsed customers and create lookalike (or Actalike on Pinterest) audiences to reach similar users who may also be interested in your products.

Ad formats like Collection and Carousel on Facebook and Instagram allow you to showcase multiple products that moms would love. These visual units increase purchase intent, drive site traffic, and engage customers in the long run.

The more inspired consumers are to shower Mom with love and appreciation, the better the Mother’s Day for your brand.