This Sunday is Mother’s Day, which provides an excellent opportunity to offer a rant of sorts about Moms, women and social media. I’m always shocked by the number of people who are surprised when I tell them if they want to access the real power base in social media, they should look to the ladies. The response is always the same: “Really?” Yes, really.
The uninitiated, it seems, think the social web is just one global version of Google Plus – a nerd-driven sausagefest. This could be based on the outdated idea that IT (and by extension) web-based tech is dominated by men. And that could very well be the case. In fact, there are a number movements trying to solve the problem of getting more females into the tech industry.
But if you’re talking about who is driving the train amongst users of social media, hands down the ladies are the clear winners. Don’t believe me? Let’s go to the stats:
- Women control more than 60% of all personal wealth in the U.S.;
- 37% of online Canadian women say that they visit a social media site at least once a day, compared to only 24% of online Canadian men;
- Women make up approximately 80% of the users on the hottest social network right now, Pinterest;
- Ladies spend 30% more time on social sites than men;
And that’s just women. When it comes to mothers, things really start to get interesting:
- There are 3.9 million “mommy bloggers” on the Internet;
- Moms mention brands an average of 73 times per week compared with just 57 times per week among males;
- 90% of moms are online vs. just 76% of women in general;
- By 2014, 63% (nearly 21 million) of all online moms will read blogs;
- 50% own a smartphone, versus only 31% of women;
Countless sources of data confirm the same thing: women (especially Moms) are more likely to connect on social media, comment, share, like and engage. They are the real power behind the widespread social media activity we see right now online. And the trend will likely only move upwards as their income, buying power and positions of authority increase.
So as we celebrate our mothers this year, you should pause and reflect on how your social campaigns are approaching this important and influential demographic. If you’re not, then you’re probably missing out on a huge opportunity.