April 19 2021
Millennial moms are more than their skinny jeans. Eighty percent of children in the U.S. are born to millennial mothers, and with moms controlling 85% of household purchasing decisions, millennial moms grasp about $2.4 trillion in spending power, according to Forbes. Communicating with millennial moms requires rethinking your biases and reworking marketing strategies to ensure alignment with this powerful demographic.
Whether you’re developing an ad campaign for a client or drafting internal communications for a mostly millennial workforce, read on for how to truly capture millennial moms’ attention and speak their language.
Many millennials either grew up in or currently partake in non-tradition family structures. In fact, only 16% of families resemble nuclear households today (Millennial Marketing). In order to capture millennials’ attention and accurately reflect their lived experiences, it’s important to feature single moms and dads, co-parenting set ups, blended families and more in your communications.
The millennial generation also includes a much larger percentage of racial minorities than previous generations (Brookings). It’s always a good idea to include cultural diversity in your marketing materials, now more so than ever.
Millennial moms are busy! Reach them where they already are—on their mobile devices.
Make sure your website is responsive to mobile phones and iPads so it’s easy for moms on the go to browse and shop.
It’s also highly important for your brand to have a presence on social media, particularly on Instagram and Facebook. Millennials are drawn to beautiful photos and well-curated content, so take some time to develop your feed and really make your brand’s story pop.
Many millennial moms simultaneously parent and hold full-time jobs. Mother.ly found that 73% of millennial moms work either part- or full-time. Be sure to reflect this major cultural shift in your marketing language and images. It’s also important to note that being a parent is often only one part of the millennial mom’s identity.
The best course of action is to show appreciation for all types of mothers—those that parent full-time, those that work long hours and every parenting style in between. Millennials appreciate brands that understand and support their hustle.
With the constant rotation of parenting, work and social obligations, millennial moms need simplicity to keep their lives running smoothly. It’s in every brand’s best interest to make e-commerce flow as simply as possible and to minimize clicks.
When working to reach millennials moms, “ease” and “convenience” are two keywords to keep in mind. If you have a convoluted purchasing process, or one that does not work seamlessly on a mobile device, you risk losing the interest of moms on the go.
Even though Gen Z is the TikTok generation, don’t forget that millennials grew up with the advent of the Internet and early social media platforms like YouTube. They still value video content, especially when it’s humorous or informative.
If you have already established your brand on Instagram, consider making a few promotional reels. Don’t shy away from engaging with social media influencers to help you develop video content, either. Influencer marketing is expected to be worth $13.8 billion in 2021, says Influencer Marketing Hub, and these social media and video editing specialists can be instrumental in reaching millennial moms. Many influencers themselves fit into the demographic!
At the end of the day, reaching millennial moms means widening your view of the modern-day family and reflecting an array of lifestyle choices in your (mainly digital) marketing collateral. Millennial moms respect brands with strong values, great social media presence and an excellent product. Deliver on these fronts, and you’ll find success with millennial moms.
