A mother’s influence can play a huge role in the makeup of the average American family. Marketers and businesses have known that for decades and targeted them accordingly, but it’s worth bringing up for the simple reason that moms are taking to today’s technology, particularly blogs & social media, at an impressive rate.
99% of moms polled by eMarketer regularly use a laptop or desktop computer. 56% own a tablet and 49% own an eReader. With parents and grandparents being much more plugged in than years past, blog engagement is on the rise, as over two-thirds of the moms polled said it was their most trusted source of information or advice.
The following percentages of moms polled said they made a specific decision based on a blog they read:
60% read a specific book
56% purchased a food product
54% watched a TV program
45% purchased a toy
Moms are interacting with social media, with 64% trusting Facebook, 30% trusting Twitter and 22% trusting Instagram for parenting advice or guidance.
The numbers prove it – not just in terms of social media, but in terms of the key demographics to target. Remember – mother knows best.
Separately, a business’ social media strategy and mobile strategy have their shares of benefits & opportunities in addition to challenges or limitations, like any well-founded initiative. When woven together, the impact of social and mobile can be even stronger.
Nearly 38% of U.S. consumers polled have accessed a social site or blog on their mobile device in 2012, while the use of downloaded applications (apps) has increased by 5% over a three-month period, according to MarketingCharts. This trend opens up opportunities for both consumers and advertisers.
Mobile users use the integration of social media and mobile devices to their advantage when it comes to seeking out coupons or deals. 25% of those polled said they were willing to sign up for an email newsletter or like a page on Facebook to get access to a deal, while 17% said they would tweet or re-tweet a deal. The average consumer saves $31 doing so.
Meanwhile, advertisers can use the slick integration and seamless customer experience of promoted tweets or social ads to disseminate their message even further. Twitter and Facebook alone will earn over $200 million alone in 2012 with mobile revenue. Mobile advertising is expected to reach 2.61 billion in 2012, with Google taking over 54% of that net revenue.
As smartphone engagement increases, it’s only natural for smartphone advertisement to increase as well. Mobile ad click through rates are roughly 75% higher than for standard banners or rich media viewed on desktops or laptops, according to an analysis from digital solutions company MediaMind.
These aren’t just empty stats, either. 59% of U.S. smartphone users say mobile ads directly influence their spending habits on a regular basis, two percent higher than television ads, according to InMobi. In a separate study by OPA & Frank N. Magid Associates, 79% of those polled had made a purchase based on a mobile ad at some point and 24% of those polled made a purchase in store as a result of a mobile ad they viewed.
According to InMobi, 71% of U.S. mobile consumers use mobile search and 64% use the mobile internet, often while they’re relaxing in their homes or waiting for something. 53% of those polled said they had been introduced to something new via their smart phones.
It isn’t difficult to determine the reasoning; the average mobile user has their device with them on a regular basis, creating more opportunities to casually surf the web. Among the most pivotal group of consumers were content buyers, who hold differing opinions on mobile ads than traditional consumers.
More so than other consumers, content buyers are:
11% more likely to be motivated to buy an item based on a mobile ad
25% more likely to research a product based on an ad
10% more likely to view smartphone ads the same as internet ads
16% more likely to describe smartphone ads as harder to ignore
12% more likely to describe the ads as eye-catching
11% more likely to describe the ads as relevant, unique or interesting
If more engaged mobile consumers lead to higher click through rates for mobile ads, it should stand to reason that those higher click through rates lead to increased mobile ad budgets. eMarketer expects mobile ad spending to reach 2.61 billion this year. Learn more about BSMG’s mobile advertising opportunities
Even as the importance of having a mobile strategy and social media strategy becomes clearer, never forget one of the first elements introduced of the digital age: email. It might be easy to dismiss it as archaic or irrelevant when consumers are spending more time checking their phones and newsfeeds, but if utilized properly, not only is email still vital, but it can serve as a great compliment to the aforementioned digital elements.
A recent study by eMarketer indicates that email usage will increase by nearly three percent over the next four years, and will reach total saturation of 96% by 2016.
Email’s growth can be largely attributed to the rise of smart phones; 36% of consumers viewed emails on their phones. In a separate study by Forrester Consulting, 32% of smart phone users who were polled said they had made a purchase directly from a promotional message they received from their phone, with email leading the pack over SMG or in-app messaging.
The relationship extends to social media, as well. “If you’re doing [customer relationship management] work today, social goes hand-in-hand with email as a CRM tool,” said MediaWhiz president Ed Kats in a recent interview with eMarketer. “Email is a big driver of the beginning of the customer conversation, and social media is a natural channel for following up and continuing that conversation.”
Don’t forget about email’s advantages over other traditional media channels, like TV or radio, either. A recent Harvard Business review blog post by Arthur Middleton Hughes highlights this. It’s significantly easier to track all the variables associated with an email campaign, like which consumers opened and clicked what, and therefore better determine which aspects are working and which are not. They’re also much more conducive for users to expand their knowledge and views of your brand on their own via outbound links and related online content. And while it cannot always tracked, email is a quick and easy way to create awareness for a brand or product, that might pay offer later if a consumer buys in-store or visits your website at a later date.
Digital marketing is heading in a lot of exciting directions, but one of its cornerstones, email, remains integral as ever.
With many kids heading back to school in the coming weeks, parents are as engaged as ever with many brands and businesses. Whether they’re searching for deals or shopping online, good moms and dads everywhere want to make sure their kids are ready for the school year – which could make them good customers as well to savvy brands and businesses.
A lot of emphasis has been placed on the value of tablets and smart phones, and consumers with children and proving in this summer. According to a study from Placecast, parents are more likely than childless consumers to use their mobile phones to:
Visit a business’ website
Use an app from a business
Purchase an item online
Do comparative shopping via a barcode scanner
Respond positively to an email marketing campaign
But rising digital trends doesn’t mean print campaigns are moot; parents want to find the best deals and promotions possible, and coupons still have a strong presence in print. Consumers with kids are 10% more likely to clip and redeem coupons from a newspaper or direct mail piece, and 33% of those parents polled said they actively search for promo codes and discounts wherever they can.
Parents don’t just represent themselves; they represent entire families, with a real need for both specific products and a desire to save money. They’re a strong demographic to target, both in print and digital, and especially this time of the year.
Have you thought about your mobile strategy? Tested it across multiple platforms? Is your website mobile-optimized, or do you have an official app? These are all questions worth asking and evaluating; 5% of all retails sales are influenced by smart phones – nearly $160 billion. By 2016, smart phones’ influence is projected to reach over 19% – roughly $960 billion.
Here are some key stats regarding smart phone users:
70% of all shoppers use their smart phones when making a purchase
Smart phone users are 14% are more likely to make a purchase
Of those who didn’t buy anything, 60% came back at a later date and made a purchase, as opposed to the 22% of non-smart phone users.
Nearly 40% of smart phone shoppers used a third party shopping app; 34% used a retailer’s official app
Fittingly enough, the shopping category with the most smart phone users is electronic/appliance – 49% of shoppers there use their smart phones, with their influence at 8.3%. Among the categories expected to grow are general merchandise, clothing/footwear, food & beverage and books & music.
With the statistics on this area expected to only go up, it’s clear how important smart phone shoppers are, especially considering that they have their targeting medium – their smart phone – with them on a regular basis. Mobile coupons, text alerts and emails formatted for small devices are some of the ways to utilize this data, to ensure that smart phone consumers become your consumers.
For companies and marketers who want to broaden their mobile audience, take note of the difference between an app and a mobile website.
Consumers spent nearly 101 billion minutes on their smartphone apps in March 2012 according to Nielsen, as opposed to 23 billion minutes on mobile websites, nearly 56% more.
Hence, marketers need to decide “what role apps can play within the broader marketing ecosystem and [in terms of] customers’ interaction with the brand,” said Noah Elkin, eMarketer senior analyst.
Even after the advent of social media, email remains the top way consumers interact with the companies with which they interact. 90% of internet users receive at least one permission based email ad ay, and 75 % of users have provided comments or feedback to a business or company via email. Over 50% of users say it is still their preferred method of communication.
According to a recent study commissioned by the Online Publishers Association, 54% of tablet users prefer free, ad-supported apps as opposed to paid apps, a 40% increase from one year, as initially reported by AdAge.
Across the country, consumer desire for digital content has not slowed down. Whether it’s watching online video, surfing the internet or checking email, people are spending huge amounts of time engaged digitally. A new study has been released that shows us just how much time U.S. consumers spend with online content on a weekly basis.
A mother’s influence can play a huge role in the makeup of the average American family. Marketers and businesses have known that for decades and targeted them accordingly, but it’s worth bringing up for the simple reason that moms are taking to today’s technology, particularly blogs & social media, at an impressive rate.
Separately, a business’ social media strategy and mobile strategy have their shares of benefits & opportunities in addition to challenges or limitations, like any well-founded initiative. When woven together, the impact of social and mobile can be even stronger.
As 
Even as the importance of having a 
With many kids heading back to school