There was a time when marketing to mothers meant exclusively targeting Baby Boomers and Generation X. However, for businesses or organizations interested in reaching this audience, millennial moms are a group that can no longer be overlooked. As a millennial mother herself, Reed Public Relations founder and president Lauren Reed understands that having great organizational skills, managing time wisely and setting aside moments to relax and enjoy life are all qualities that are required of mothers today. Reed joined us on The Ghidotti Podcast to share her tips for marketing to the expanding audience of millennial moms.
Understand Your Target Audience
While the strategy for reaching a new audience of mothers may be different, the initial approach remains the same. Before you can ever start reaching millennial moms with blog posts, videos, podcast episodes and other valuable content, you must first understand exactly who you are trying to reach. What is the role of a millennial mother, what are her biggest needs and how can my business or service provide help? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered to gain a true understanding of your target audience and how to reach them.
“I’m kind of an old-school PR person and I think that whatever tools and trends we have, it all goes back to the story, the content and knowing your audience and what they are looking for,” Reed said. “As we really dig into those demographics, it becomes less about how we get in front of them and more about the story we’re telling.”
Meet Them Where They Are
The life of the millennial mother is not for the faint of heart. Much like Reed, millennial moms are often juggling numerous responsibilities for their families and their careers while wearing many different hats along the way. Marketing to millennial moms means understanding the challenging and often chaotic life they live, and developing a strategy to meet them where they are with valuable and relevant content.
“Something that has really changed over the years is that now millennial moms wear so many different hats,” said Reed. “Even for the mothers who stay at home, it’s not the same as it was twenty years ago. Our kids are so active and there’s always so many different things going on. Parenting feels like much more of a verb today than it did before.”
Be Intentional With Content
Part of understanding the busy lives of millennial moms and how to meet them where they are is knowing the importance of quality over quantity when it comes to content marketing. Anybody who has gotten lost scrolling through Instagram, Facebook or Twitter knows how easy it can be to spend hours at a time on various social media platforms. However, standing out in the mind of a millennial mom requires more than just a pretty picture or funny video to catch their attention.
“Millennial moms don’t have time for that right now,” Reed said. “Because of that, they have very high standards for what they do consume. There’s no mindless scrolling on Instagram or mindless scrolling on Facebook. The content has to be really intentional, thoughtful and make their lives easier.”
Provide Help
Whether they are running a business like Reed or spending their days as a stay-at-home mom, the life of a millennial mother is fast-paced and constantly moving. From homework and studying to sports practice, dance recitals and other extracurricular activities, there’s always something to do or somewhere to go for millennial moms. That’s why providing help is the easiest and most effective way to stand out from the crowd and develop a connection with the millennial mothers in your target audience.
“These mothers are just trying to make everything happen and we are all trying to do the best we can, while jumping from thing to thing,” said Reed. “The content millennial moms are looking for is the content that makes their lives easier. It may seem like something simple like sharing a recipe on TikTok, but it makes their life easier. Parenting is a verb these days and we’re going from board meetings to field days, trying to do it all.”