5 Essentials for Marketing to Green Moms
Understanding the mindset of your consumer is key when developing a strategy, deciding upon creative and even interacting with them through social media. It’s the basis for how they’re going to react to your ads and as the market becomes more segmented it’s getting harder to keep up with each group.
One group that’s been on the rise in the past few years is the “Green Mom”. It’s becoming easier to make green changes and more and more moms are taking the opportunity to do it. They’re becoming a large part of the women’s marketplace and reaching them effectively will be even more important into the future. To make that a little easier, here are 5 tips about what makes them tick.
1.Not all “Green Moms” are the same. As with any other consumer group, Green Moms come in all shapes and sizes and all socio-economic backgrounds. With moms whose incomes range from less than 10,000 to over 200,000 choosing to shop organic and local, use cloth diapers and use non-BPA products. As with other consumer groups formed around a cause or movement, there is segmentation even within Green Moms. More seasoned moms are often called Super Greens due to the fact that they tend to be more outspoken about their experiences and have in many ways mastered the art of green parenting and are active about sharing their knowledge while less experienced Green Moms are often referred to as Eco-Moderate Moms. Eco-Moderate Moms are less sure of themselves, but are making a concentrated effort to keep finding new ways to add green elements to their lives.
2. Trust is key. Gaining the trust of any mom is necessary for them to become loyal to your product. The same is true for Green Mom’s but they take it to another level. Your product must not only meet their demands in terms of its effectiveness and the benefits it offers their families, but it must also meet their specifications for being eco-friendly. Green Moms will research products heavily before buying and aren’t afraid to write to companies asking for product ingredients or dig deeper about something they’ve read in a review. Green Moms demand honesty, quality and eco-friendly behavior from the products and brands that they use, but once their trust is gained, they will remain loyal and spread the word.
3. They’re web savvy and they can use it for or against you. 68% of Green Moms use blogs and news sites to spread ideas and gather information and over 80% of these women using social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Online is where the majority of Green Moms meet, mingle and share information. More experienced moms feel they have a duty to share what they know and moms newer to the idea of green parenting go to blogs to seek out information on how to get started. Blogs range in subject from product reviews to green ways to celebrate holidays, but no matter what the subject, they are spreading information across the web.hey form online communities not only to teach, but to find others who understand what they’re going through and help each other along the way. This can either benefit or hurt us as advertisers, because it means that if a product disappoints them the word will get out quick. Green Moms will boycott products that they feel are being untruthful with them or that have otherwise disappointed them especially when it comes to chemical makeup. The first thing that they’ll do is write a blog. They’ll make sure the word is out to their entire community that your product has let them down and that others should stop using it as well. Check out this post for an example of how things can play out. This can also work wonders if a product gets a glowing review, but the speed of information flow is constantly increasing and companies need to be more careful now than ever about transparency and their relationship with these women.
4. It’s more than just parenting. It’s a lifestyle. Green Moms, and especially Super Greens are adamant about the idea that green parenting isn’t just about eating a certain way or buying certain products, to them it’s a way of life. Many of these moms have become vegetarian or vegan to further “greenify” their lives while others are drawn to activism and band together with other Green Moms to petition that companies change their production standards or offer more green alternatives to their products. They progress easily from making green purchases just for their children to becoming advocates for green products and only using eco-friendly cosmetics and cleaning products.
5. In the end it’s all about their families. When you break it down, although many Green Moms are activists, bloggers, and scholars of green knowledge, they are first and foremost moms. Their top priority is the quality of life and safety of their families. 54% of these women site becoming a mom as their main reason for going green in the first place because they felt the need to give their children the best life they could provide. They want happy and healthy children and green parenting, though it often turns into a lifestyle is a means to that end. They hope to raise socially conscious children who will be able to make smart and educated choices when they enter the marketplace, just as their parents have.
For more information on Green Moms check out The Green Mom Eco-cosm and The Green Mom Eco-cosm Revisited, both compiled by the Social Studies Group. To contact the author email elise.bautista@temple.edu
