• by Maria Bailey , Columnist, February 7, 2022

It’s a new year, which brings the need for new marketing tactics to keep pace with the shift in media consumption and shopping behaviors of today’s Gen Z and millennial moms.   In my 25 years of studying marketing and mom consumers, I think 2022 is likely to rank as one of the greatest years of change since the birth of the mommy blogger. 

Here’s a list of the marketing tactics brands should be testing to sell products or services to mom consumers this year.

Social sampling: COVID eliminated the opportunity for brands to sample products at large events, but moms are stepping in to help. Social sampling is a way to use mom influencers for more than just posting about a product in the digital space. Brands can utilize these influencers to share physical samples with playgroups, classrooms, sports teams and Scout troops offline, while also engaging them to post their sharing with moms on social media.

Amazon streaming: Sales-driven brands are finding new ways, like Amazon live streaming, to link influencer marketing directly to online sales. Wouldn’t it be great to have a mom talk to her peers about your product with a link to buy right under her live video? It happens every day on Amazon, but few brands currently use mom influencers in this way.  I believe in the future the compensation model for influencers will be determined by sales rather than impressions. The reward is greater for not only the brand, but the influencer earning commission on the sale as well.

Podcasting and audio content: Clubhouse, Fireside Chat, Wonderly: Moms are listening to more content than ever before, and they love the relationships they are developing with brands.  Trader Joe’s, Disney, and others have a larger portion of mom’s attention thru audio content. If producing a podcast or hosting a Clubhouse room is not in your budget, take the route of booking your product experts on shows that attract your perfect customer.

Cross-platform integration: Moms are consuming content and researching products on multiple platforms. In recent research, over 80% of moms planning a birthday party said they visit more than six platforms before deciding the theme of the party and products they’ll buy. 

This means marketers need to deliver their message on multiple platforms.  Gone are the days of posting a photo to Instagram and walking away.  In 2022, your message should be delivered in at least three to four formats. For example: still image, video clip, live mention and audio file, with longer life content living on Pinterest, blogs and websites.

Video reviews: There’s still a place for written reviews, but the spoken word about a product is much more effective for today’s mom. Video reviews can come in the form of TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts or Amazon Product page videos.  Short demonstrations with an explanation for the purpose of the purchase, all under 45 seconds, are a great way to earn mom’s dollar in 2022. 

The Metaverse: It’s time to learn about it if you haven’t already.  Mom influencers are already minting URLs and creating NFTs.

If the mommy bloggers of 2005 taught marketers anything, it’s that where they go, brands should follow.