Americans spend a lot of time consuming media throughout their day.
A recent study shows that American adults are consuming 666 minutes of media each day. That’s 11.1 hours a day, and it represents a 20.2% increase in media consumption since 2011. It’s clear Americans can’t get enough of different types of media.
We already know that mom is an important person to listen to. But moms control 85% of purchasing decisions in a household, which means even businesses should stand up and take notice of what she thinks and has to say.Because of that, it’s important for companies who want to reach moms to connect with them through the media moms love. The COVID-19 pandemic significantly changed the way that we consume and create content. It required a shift in the way that we think about media and events.
WMEE’s annual Baby Fair and Family Expo is a great example. The event gathers valuable resources for moms and puts it in one giant event. Moms can get professional information from experts, participate in giveaways to get items that make their lives easier, and chat with professionals in different industries.
Last year was the Baby Fair’s 34th year, but the pandemic caused us to get innovative with how we thought of the event. What would normally be an enormous in-person event became virtual only. Pivoting allowed us to continue the event and taught us a few things about the way to effectively use media to connect with moms along the way!
Let’s take a closer look at the way media habits changed for moms in 2021.
HOW MOMS ACCESS MEDIA
As mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have become popular, it shouldn’t be a surprise that more moms are using them to enjoy media. In fact, 89% of moms own a smartphone, and 68% own a tablet.
Modern moms are on the go and have a mobile-first mindset. Moms prefer to be able to make purchases on the go, because it’s all about time management. If they can shop on their phone while they’re waiting to pick their children up from school, moms today are all about it.
Also unsurprising is that a whopping 93% of moms have access to the internet in their homes, and 81% are using their smartphones to access the internet throughout the day. On average, moms say they’re using the internet about 4 hours and 16 minutes a day to access different types of media.
But that doesn’t leave other media completely out in the cold. Moms are still watching an average of 2 hours and 11 minutes of television a day and listening to 1 hour and 12 minutes of radio a day.
That’s an average of 7 hours and 39 minutes of consuming media a day!
SOCIAL MEDIA
One thing is clear: moms love social media.
Moms are super social online, and they use about every platform that’s available to them.
Facebook still dominates the market share, with an overwhelming majority (85%) of moms who used it at least once in 2021. It’s lost some of its dominance in the social media landscape this year, but it’s still the most used social media for moms.
But Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and TikTok all saw an increase in use from past years. Only Snapchat saw a decline in use by moms.
The most important part about social media is the fact that it’s, well, social! And moms use it for exactly that purpose. When it comes to products 90% of Millennial moms say they share information on social media about their purchases.
Websites, blogs, email, and video are all viable ways for brands to communicate to moms, but an astounding 81% of moms say social media is their preferred method. That means that, while the rest of your content is important, your social media presence is critical to reaching moms.
The Baby and Family Fair is advertised heavily on social media. WMEE creates a Facebook event and boosts it to target parents in the greater Fort Wayne area. The station also runs ads on Facebook and Instagram promoting the event.
Moms also like to check-in places and let others know what they’re up to. That can include checking into businesses, events, and interactive activities. Moms will even check-in with vendors they connect with at a large event, which is a great incentive to have an awesome booth!
VIDEO
Video content is an important educational tool for moms. When they’re watching videos, moms tend to view YouTube videos to watch how-to videos and for DIY ideas. For moms today, it’s about showing them how something works and not simply telling them.
Video doesn’t only exist on YouTube, though. While it may be a popular resource for moms, it’s important to remember to meet moms where they are. Video content shared on social media is just as important as organic search. Play around with creating and sharing content to find out what your mom audience loves.
Interactive activities at your events are a great opportunity for you to create Facebook Live videos to share — moms will probably record and share their own videos too.
A great example is the Diaper Dash during the Baby Fair and Family Expo. Babies who are crawlers race from one parent to another in an effort to win free diapers. It’s adorable. It’s also great video content that moms love sharing with one another, and it’s something they want to compete in.
That’s not the only way to effectively use video, though. Since the Baby Fair was exclusively virtual in 2020, we learned how valuable video streaming can be. WMEE used video to bring the experts to our audience. It allowed WMEE to continue providing valuable resources to moms and connect them with experts, even if we couldn’t all be together in person.
AUDIO
Moms love to listen to audio content, too.
The percentage of moms who listen to online audio has steadily risen through the past five years. Today, 76% percent of moms say they listen to audio content online weekly, and they’re spending 15 hours a week doing so. That includes AM/FM stations as well as online-only content.
Podcasts have taken an increasing share of the audio content that moms are seeking out online. Today, 64% of moms say they’ve listened to at least one podcast, but 28% say they listen to podcasts weekly. On average, those moms are listening to 6.4 podcasts each week.
CONTENT THAT PROVIDES VALUE
Moms are increasingly looking for content that provides value to their lives.
Before they make a purchase, they’re using the internet to research products and services that are useful to them. That means things like educational blogs, infographics, charts, and FAQs are a high priority for them. Millennial moms in particular find blogs to be useful, as 69% say they use them to learn about new products.
But just because a mom makes a purchase doesn’t mean she stops learning. In fact, moms will constantly be seeking out new information about being a parent — most of us are learning as we go! In fact, 75% of moms say that they use the internet for parenting advice, and that they’re at least twice as likely to use the internet for advice than to ask a friend or family member.
Because moms today are more digital savvy, they want brands to interact with them in an authentic way. Seven out of 10 moms are working in some fashion. That means the days of pushing out content about being a Super Mom are gone — who needs that kind of pressure to be perfect?!
Instead, moms today want to see content that they can relate to. Moms today feel more connected to brands — and the content they create — that are connected to charitable giving, and that promote safety, healthiness, and education.
The important distinction is to have a conversation with moms and not talk at them. By providing resources through multiple channels, moms can interact directly with brands and other moms and find value in the content.
