Social Recommendations Shift Purchase Behaviors in Moms

Do moms really buy based on what they read on blogs? (© Igor Mojzes – Fotolia.com)

Although they love Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, moms appear to trust blogs more – at least these are the finds of a study by Child’s Play Communications, a PR agency specializing exclusively in services that help brands target moms. The agency reached out to the 1200 moms in its Social Savvy research network to find out what social media platforms moms favor the most; what social media platforms are impacting purchasing decisions; and what products they are buying as a result of social media recommendations.

Recently revealed at the eighth annual Marketing to Moms Conference in Chicago, the study results show that of all social media platforms, blogs impacted moms’ purchasing decisions more than any other, with a whopping 80% rate.

While blogs are not necessarily social media platforms – unless they are social blogs, or microblogs – they can be used to reach social media channels, through social sharing. There is one form of social interaction allowed by blogs: comments. Other than that, blogs are mare publishing tools – as powerful as any, especially in the hands of a skilled marketer, or if authored by an “influencer.”

With moms, achieving the “influencer” status is relatively easy. Moms are trustworthy by default – who wouldn’t trust a mom? And mothers influence mothers – the equation is simple.

Do moms buy based on recommendations by other mothers? They always did, they always will. And what blogs do they usually read to find out about the products mothers are most likely interested in? Blogs authored by other mothers, naturally.

If blogs still manage to influence purchase decisions in moms, more than social sharing sites and more than social networks, this only shows that blogging is more than a trend: it’s an established publishing behavior, that will not be “killed” by Facebook and Twitter as some predicted.

Blogs are now leading in influencing purchase decisions because the level of information they provide is more in-depth than a mere status update. Through so-called “product reviews” (which are usually paid-for by the brands who want to target and sell to moms), giveaways, contests and freebies, each presented in the personal tone of voice of the blog’s author, the information appears reliable, even when it is not necessarily so.

This is an extremely powerful tool for companies that want to market to mothers, and Child’s Play Communications is one of the best companies to show you how to channel that power. With clients like The Disney Channel, Sports Illustrated Kids, Nickelodeon, and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, the company has a proven track record of success.