MARKETING TO MOMS THROUGH EMAIL

By Jeff Taylor

Current statistics show that moms control about $4 billion in annual household spending today.  One of the ways to communicate with just about any target segment these days is through email, due mainly to its low cost and high ROI potential.  If you combine your email marketing to this audience with a radio campaign the results can be very powerful.

A recent report from Forrester predicts that emails from marketers to consumers' primary inboxes will swell to an average 9,000 annually by 2014. Considering moms' hectic schedules, you wonder when these active women have time to check email.

Mediapost.com conducted research among more than 400 women with children age 12 and under living in their households, including if and when they read marketing-oriented emails and newsletters. It turns out that even the busiest moms make time to check their email accounts on a regular basis. In fact, here's what they found:

• Nearly 96% of respondents said they check email at least once a day. 
•  More than 80% of them actually look forward to checking email.
• Most important, eight in 10 moms indicated they want to receive offers and information from preferred brands via email.

Understand Their Preferences

It's clear that email is a viable vehicle for engaging moms.  However, with 50% of the respondents indicating that they are most likely to "unsubscribe" either because they don't find the information useful or interesting, or they're being inundated with emails, staying relevant is key with regard to both frequency and content. Here are a few findings that might help you with this process:

• Approximately 45% of respondents indicated they prefer to receive email correspondence from any one brand about once a week.
•  Nearly 50% of respondents said they tend to read emails with time-sensitive subject lines, such as "50% Off Today Only," first
•  Nearly 85% of respondents said they wanted to receive coupons, and approximately 78% said they preferred to receive information about sales and promotions.
•  Nearly 73% of surveyed moms indicated they might make a special trip to the store after receiving an email containing a coupon or promotion.
• More than 63% said they print coupons for brands they use or want to try so they have it for their next trip to the store.

The right offer is what will drive a desired action. Additionally, look closely at your subject lines and ensure the content speaks to your consumers' personal interest.