Digital Age

Gen Y moms prefer digital, rather than face-to-face, communication more than their older cohorts.  

Mothers are more connected online than the average woman, with younger moms especially committed to digital communication, says a report examining moms and online behavior. More than 90 percent of U.S. women with children under age 18 in the household are online, compared with roughly three-quarters (76.3 percent) of all adult women. Mothers of Generation Y, however, are even more involved in online communication than their older counterparts, with nearly one in five (17 percent) stating that they use email or Facebook to communicate with immediate family—with “immediate family” defined as family members living in the same household.

Jen Singer, mother, author, and creator of MommaSaid.net says that generally “the younger the mom, the more likely she is to prefer digital communications. That means Twitter more often than Facebook, texting more than e-mail.”  

While it may seem to some that digital communication is making relationships less personal, it doesn’t mean that families aren’t communicating—they are just doing so differently.

“Gen Y moms are less likely to call Hubby to ask him to bring home milk,” Singer explains. “Instead, they text him, and maybe even send him an e-coupon. They’re just more comfortable with quick digital interactions than lengthy phone calls.”

Just as personal communication is changing, so are business relationships. The best way for companies to reach this valuable demographic is to speak the same digital language, she advises.

“Don’t give Gen Y moms an 800 number to call. They won’t,” she explains. “They prefer to check online—more and more from their phones than a desktop computer. If you have an online presence—and you’d better, if you’re trying to reach younger mothers—make sure that it’s mobile friendly. Nothing will make a Gen Y mom give up faster than a slow loading web page or a tough-to-navigate site.”  

Marketing consultant Dr. Scott Testa, also a professor of business administration at Philadelphia-based Cabrini College, says that he has also observed this fast-moving trend.   

“Generation [Y] and [the mom] demographic is rapidly moving to electronic media,” he notes. “In order to reach these moms [companies] need to go digital.”   

Singer warns marketers to not be too complacent when it comes to reaching out via social media.

“Too many marketers are sitting back and waiting to see how social media pans out, as though it’s a temporary phenomenon,” she explains. “But it’s as permanent and as influential as TV was in its infancy, and it will grow even more important. The more quickly that marketing executives learn to harness social media, the more likely they’ll come out ahead because of it.”

Testa agrees. “It is not a fad,” he adds. “Those companies that really get it could really target [this group] effectively.”

Marketers need to be on Facebook and Twitter, Singer notes, but the communication should be interactive, not one-sided.

“Gen Y moms don’t want you to broadcast to them,” she explains. “They want a conversation. So, ask them questions, engage them, support them, reply to them.”

One example, Singer says, is her role as a Potty Training Partner for Pull-Ups. Offering weekly potty training advice on the Pull-Ups Facebook page, she and other PTPs conduct a two-way conversation with parents who need advice or encouragement.

“This is digital communications at its best,” she maintains.

As the digital trend grows, it won’t remain limited to Generation Y mothers as older moms get connected, Singer notes, adding that the fastest growing segment on Facebook is forty-something women.

Every demographic and generational cohort has been embracing the digital age, and it is up to companies to know how to utilize this trend effectively to maximize profits.