The bond between moms and brands

The online survey was conducted among a random

sample of women from the SheSpeaks community,
elded in January 2011. 1,092 U.S. women
participated. The SheSpeaks community includes
women who are socially active, both online and
ofine. Results presented in this report focus on
moms with children under 18 (72% of the sample).
CONTACTS:
Aliza Freud
Founder & CEO, SheSpeaks, Inc
(e) aliza@shespeaks.com
www.shespeaks.com
twitter: @shespeaksinc
Facebook: facebook.com/shespeaksinc
Holly Pavlika
Founder, Mom-entum
Managing Director, Big Fuel
(e) hollyp@bigfuel.com
www.havemomentum.com
www.bigfuel.com
twitter: @HollyPavlika
Facebook: facebook.com/haveMom-entum
JUNE 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Overview
Soclal medla has noL onlv revoluuonlzed how women lnLeracL wlLh
each oLher onllne, buL lL ls also Lransformlna how women and brands
communlcaLe onllne. 8evond llklna" brands on lacebook or
followlna Lhem on 1wluer, women expecL brands Lo enaaae wlLh
Lhem bv answerlna quesuons, provldlna cusLomer servlce and
personallzlna conLenL and promouons.
1hls sLudv ls an explorauon of Lhls phenomenon.
Methodology
The online survey was conducted among a random sample of women
from the SheSpeaks panel, elded in January 2011. 1,092 U.S. women
participated. The SheSpeaks panel includes women who are socially
active, both online and ofine.
Results presented in this report focus on moms with children under 18
(72% of the sample). Demographic differences when compared with
non-moms and moms of kids 18+ are noted where relevant.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Executive Summary
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Moms are neavy Users of 5oc|a| Med|a, and ke|evant
Content Dr|ves 5oc|a| Med|a Use
Cver one-half (34) of moms use soclal medla over 10 hours per week, or well
over one hour per dav. And, 25 of moms spend 20 or more hours per week
w|th soc|a| med|a.
Moms' soc|a| med|a use out-paces that of non-moms, as onlv 42 of women
wlLhouL chlldren spend over 10 hours wlLh soclal medla per week. Moms are also
more llkelv Lo use soclal medla Lo communlcaLe abouL brands, as 74 have
posted comments about a brand on Iacebook, compared wlLh 39 of non-
moms.
1hls ls paruallv lnuenced bv Lhe facL LhaL moms are more llkelv Lhan non-moms
Lo be homemakers, as homemakers are more ||ke|y than emp|oyed women to
use soc|a| med|a frequent|y (33 of homemakers use soclal medla over 10 hours
per week compared wlLh 47 who work ouLslde Lhe home).
8elevanL conLenL ls kev, as 72 of moms sav Lhe re|evance of soc|a| med|a
content they rece|ve |s more |mportant Lhan who shares Lhe conLenL wlLh Lhem
(16) or lf Lhe conLenL ls personallzed (11).
A Simple Good Product Experience Makes a Mom Talk
About a Brand
The majority of moms (62%) say that a positive product experience is the
biggest motivator for them to talk with others about a brand,
compared with 33% who are most likely to talk about a brand when they have a
coupon to share or 6% who prefer to forward cool promotional content. Thus,
brands should consider creating positive product experiences as
much as they focus on promotional and couponing activities.
This is even more true for women over 40 (67% of whom tell others about a
brand after having a good product experience) compared with women 40 and
under (59%), as well as homemakers (66% vs. 59% of fulltime employed women).
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Moms Want to Connect With Brands on Social Media
Whlle Lhere ls much debaLe abouL wheLher or noL consumers wanL Lo connecL wlLh
brands vla soclal medla, the h|ghest propornon of moms who have connected w|th
brands on Iacebook (31) d|d so by |ook|ng up the brand on Iacebook of the|r own
vo||non. CLher mouvauons Lo llke" brands on lacebook were cllcklna on a llnk bv an
arucle abouL Lhe brand (23), an emall from Lhe companv (12) and seelna LhaL a
frlend llked" Lhe brand on lacebook (11).
About two-th|rds of moms (68) are amenab|e to a brand |n|nanng contact w|th
them on soc|a| med|a as |ong as the content prov|ded by the brand |s re|evant to
them.
Moms a|so trust the content they read about brands on||ne, and content d|rect|y
from the brand |s [ust as trustworthy as th|rd-party content. AlmosL Lhree-quarLers
72 sav Lhev LrusL conLenL on a brand/producL webslLe, followed bv Lhlrd-parLv
conLenL on lacebook or arucles (68 each) and conLenL on a brand's lacebook paae
(66). 1hus, send|ng a message d|rect|y to moms |s [ust as va|uab|e as gemng a
th|rd-party to va||date the brand's message.
Executive Summary
Email is Still a Very Relevant Communications Tool for
Learning About Products and for Customer Service
While much is talked about social media as a key channel for communicating with
moms, email still reigns as the best way for moms to learn about a
brands products and promotions (27%), followed by Facebook (19%), a
brands website (15%) and regular mail (12%).
Email is the top way moms want to hear from companies (29%), and is tied with
Facebook as the way to hear about brands and products from friends (29%).
Email is also the preferred channel for customer service (38%),
compared with phone (31%), online chat (15%), Facebook (9%), in person (4%) and
Twitter (1%). While relatively few say that Facebook or Twitter is
their preferred means of customer service, those who do say
quicker response time (47%) is a benet of customer service via social
media. Thus, companies should be vigilant about responding to customer questions
and posts via social media.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Her Social Media Use
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Number of Hours Per Week Using Social Media
1he ma[orlLv (34) of moms are uslna soclal medla aL leasL 10 hours
per week, or well-over 1 hour per dav. Cne-quarLer (23) of moms
spend 20 or more hours per week uslna soclal medla.
Q: How many hours do you spend using social media every week? (i.e., reading/posting on Facebook,Twitter, blogs)
Most Moms 5pend at Least 10 nours er Week
Us|ng 5oc|a| Med|a
MCM IAC1:
Cn|y 42 of non-moms use soc|a| med|a
at |east 10 hours per week compared to
54 of moms.
5|m||ar|y, 55 of homemakers spend 10+
hours on soc|a| med|a compared w|th 47
of women emp|oyed outs|de the home.
Her Social Media Use
Sunday, June 19, 2011
roduct Informanon |s More Interesnng
1han Cu|z kesu|ts
Interest Leve| of D|erent 1ypes of 5oc|a| Network osts
Q: Which of the following do you enjoy receiving from contacts/friends on your social network?
Her Social Media Use
Sunday, June 19, 2011
U|nmate|y, 5oc|a| Med|a Content |s Interesnng
|f |t |s ke|evant
Insp|r|ng Women |n Cur L|ves
Regardless of the source of information or whether or not it
is personalized, moms like social media content that is
relevant to them (72%).
n=742 moms who receive social media content
Q:Which of the following is MOST important about content you receive via social media? (choose one)
Her Social Media Use
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Q: Have you ever done any of the following? (check all that apply)
D|g|ta| Acnons ke|ated to 8rands
1he Vast Ma[or|ty of Moms nave Used D|g|ta|
1oo|s to Commun|cate About 8rands
Using email is the most popular way for moms to communicate with others
about brands and products (86%). Moms are also very active at posting
comments about products on shopping websites, message boards, and on their
Facebook pages.
Her Social Media Use
MCM IAC1:
Moms are more ||ke|y than non-moms to
use a|| these channe|s, parncu|ar|y posnng
on Iacebook (74 compared w|th 59 of
non-moms).
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Her social media behavior with brands
Sunday, June 19, 2011
A Great Lxper|ence W|th a roduct |s Lnough
for Moms to 5pread the Word
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Coupons and promotions (33%) and creative content (6%) inspire some word
of mouth about brands, but most often it is a basic positive experience with a
brand or product (62%) that makes a mom want to tell others about it.
Q: Consider a situation where a brand that you like follows you on Twitter or friends you on Facebook.
What would your reaction be?
GLNLkA1ICN & LMLCMLN1 IAC1:
Women age 40 and over are even more
|nsp|red to te|| others about great product
exper|ences (67) than women under
40 (59).
5|m||ar|y, homemakers (66) outpace
fu||nme emp|oyed women (59) |n
shar|ng |nformanon aher a great product
exper|ence.
Her Social Media
Behavior with Brands
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Q: How do you MOST like to learn about a brand's products and
promotions? (check one)
!"#$%&'())"*%$+%,"(-)%./+0$%1-+203$#%
()2%1-+4+5+)#%
Moms top three channels for learning about products and promotions are
digital: email (27%), Facebook (19%) and a brands website (15%). The ofine
methods including regular mail (12%), TV ads (10%), magazines (6%) and at the
store shelf (3%) are less likely to be moms favorites.
Lma|| |s Moms' Iavor|te Channe| for Learn|ng
about a 8rand's roducts and romonons
MCM IAC1:
Wh||e moms prefer Iacebook (19)
over brand webs|tes (15) to |earn
about products and promonons,
non-moms prefer brand webs|tes
(21) to Iacebook (13).
oss|b|y moms prefer the commun|ty
|nteracnv|ty that Iacebook oers to
converse about brands.
Her Social Media
Behavior with Brands
Sunday, June 19, 2011
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A posL from Lhe
companv on lacebook
Lmall from Lhe companv
Q: Which of the following is the MOST influential way for you to learn about a
product or brand from a company?
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)2%+(*%+30-."'(
Q: Which of the following is the MOST influential way for you to learn about a product
or brand from a friend?
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Moms 5omewhat refer Interacnng
W|th Ir|ends Cver Compan|es to Learn about
roducts and 8rands V|a 5oc|a| Med|a
Her Social Media
Behavior with Brands
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Q: If you have "liked" or become a fan of brands/products on Facebook, what MOST often
inspired you to do so? (choose one)
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While many brands work hard to encourage moms to like their Facebook page,
moms (31%) said they were most likely to take the initiative to look up a brand
they already like on Facebook on their own. Liking the brand from a link on the
companys website or a relevant article was the second most popular reason.
Encouragement from the company through an email (12%) or a friend (11%) to like
the brand were less impactful.
Other reasons included product promotions that encouraged women to like
the brand.
Moms 1ake the In|nanve to "L|ke" 8rands
on Iacebook
Her Social Media
Behavior with Brands
Sunday, June 19, 2011
MOM FACT
8rands Can In|nate Contact W|th Moms on
5oc|a| Med|a.If the Content |s ke|evant
While there is debate about how much moms want to hear from brands via
social media, it really comes down to relevant content. The majority of moms
68% - would not even object to a brand initiating contact with them via social
mediaas long as the content is relevant. Only 11% of moms object to a brand
following or friending them.
Q: Consider a situation where a brand that you like follows you on Twitter or
friends you on Facebook. What would your reaction be?
!"#$%&'()&(*+#',(-'.%#%'/(0'/#/"1"')(&'(
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Her Social Media
Behavior with Brands
MCM, AGL & LMLCMLN1 IAC1:
Women w|thout k|ds are much |ess
w||||ng to be contacted by a brand,
w|th 23 say|ng the|r reacnon wou|d
be "neganve" (compared w|th 11 of
moms) and on|y 58 say|ng they
wou|d be pos|nve. nomemakers (71)
and women under 30 (72) are a|so
re|anve|y more favorab|e about
hear|ng from brands than emp|oyed
women (61) or women 30+ (62).
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Shopping Online
Her Shopping Online
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Q: Keeping in mind how this influences your intent to purchase, what is your
level of trust with each of the following online channels?
!"#$%&'"%()*+$$,'-,.)/)%01,2('33)*/,4(0**+1$5,
Moms trust content from a range of third-party and brand channels. The most
trustworthy source is a brands website (72%), and content from third-party
social media (68%) and magazine sources (68%) are not much more
trustworthy than content from the brand itself via Facebook (66%) or the
brands blog (65%). Twitter rates lower because it is a less-used online channel.
Moms 1rust 8rand Content on D|g|ta| Channe|s
Her Shopping Online
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Q: Which of the following have you done in the past month or two-three months? (check all that apply)
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*percent who have done the activity in the prior 3 months
kead|ng Customer kev|ews and Cther Content
are the Most opu|ar D|g|ta| Acnv|nes
Her Shopping Online
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Moms Use 5oc|a| 5hopp|ng for Dea|s and kev|ews
Q: IF YOU USE "SOCIAL SHOPPING" WEBSITES (SUCH A GROUPON, LIVINGSOCIAL
OR TIPPR), WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU AGREE WITH MOST STRONGLY
REGARDING THESE SITES?
n=560 moms who use social shopping sites
*percent who agree strongly or somewhat
!"#$%&%"'()*+,"(%"(-.&(/%0,#(
Seventy-one percent of moms use social shopping websites such as Groupon.
Of those women, 93% say these sites help them get the best deals and a similar
proportion (92%) trust the ratings/reviews from other shoppers.
Her Shopping Online
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Her Customer Service Needs
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Iour |n 1en Moms keach Cut to Customer
5erv|ce at Least a Iew 1|mes er Month
Q: How often do you reach out to a customer service
representative? (on the phone, via email, in person, etc.)
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Most moms reach out to customer service representatives, and 40% contact a
customer service representative at least a few times per month.
MCM IAC1:
Moms contact customer serv|ce
representanves more frequent|y, as
40 of moms ta|k to a representanve
at |east a few nmes per month
compared w|th non-moms.
Her Customer Service Needs
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Lma|| |s the referred Channe|
for Customer 5erv|ce
Q: What is your preferred channel for getting customer service from a brand?
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Moms would most like to conduct customer service with a brand via email
(38%), followed by phone (31%). Customer service via social media is relatively
less preferred (9% for Facebook and 1% for Twitter).
Her Customer Service Needs
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Cu|ck kesponse |s the 8eneht of
Customer 5erv|ce v|a 5oc|a| Med|a
Q: What, if any, of the following are benefits to receiving customer service via
social media (instead of private service by phone or email)?
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Almost one-half (47%) say that a quick response is the greatest benet of
receiving customer service via social media. Thus, while few women prefer
social media as a customer service channel, brands should closely monitor
customer service inquiries on social media channels so they can respond
quickly.
In addition, over one-quarter (28%), like the benet of a public arena to
discuss customer service issues with a broader audience.
Her Customer Service Needs
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Her Smartphone Use
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Andro|d and |hone are 1|ed for the
Most opu|ar 5martphone
Q: What, if any, type of smartphone do you use? [A smartphone is a
phone that also offers Internet connection, email, etc.]
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Sixty-two percent of moms have smartphones.
Equal proportions have iPhones (19%) and Android phones (19%).
MCM & AGL IAC1:
Cn|y 54 of non-moms have
smartphones compared w|th 62
of moms.
And, 65 of women under 40 have
smartphones compared w|th 47 of
women 40+.
Her Smartphone Use
Sunday, June 19, 2011
1ak|ng hotos and 1exnng are
the Most opu|ar 5martphone Acnv|nes
Q: If you have a smartphone, which of the following features/
applications do you use?
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Taking photos (60%), texting (58%), and sending/receiving email (56%) are all
more popular than making phone calls (54%) for moms who use smartphones.
Moms also do a range of other activities on their smartphones, involving social
networks, videos and games.
MCM IAC1:
Moms are more ||ke|y to do a||
suggested acnv|nes on the|r
smartphones when compared w|th
non-moms. 1he greatest d|spar|ty |s
|n tak|ng v|deos, where on|y 38 of
women w|thout ch||dren take v|deos
w|th the|r smartphones compared
w|th 49 of moms.
Her Smartphone Use
Sunday, June 19, 2011