Insights into Digital Sharing Behavior of Moms. [INSIGHT]

In one of the largest studies of digital activities of moms to date, ShareThis and Digitas released research that offers new insights into how moms engage online. While brands have long understood that moms are connected and influential, this research explores the intricacies of how moms are sharing online, what social channels they are using the most, and how much influence they have when sharing content with others.

“Women are wired to share in every aspect of their lives, so it’s natural that this behavior translates to social media,” says Jill Smokler, author of Confessions of A Scary Mommy (April 2012) and Motherhood Comes Naturally (And Other Vicious Lies). “When I find something I love online, I share it, when I find something I hate, I share it. Just like in everyday life.”

The Social Moms Study surveyed more than 200,000 moms and analyzed how they shared digital content on 120 social channels over a one month period. Key findings include:

Moms are three times more likely to share: 30 percent of the moms in the study shared some type of content during the month, compared to a network sharing rate of 10 percent by average users.

Moms have more influence: Compared to the number of clicks the average user gets on their shared content, moms have the edge–they generate 8.22 percent more clicks per share of content.

Moms are most active in the afternoon: The best time to reach moms online is around 3:00 p.m., after lunch but before the dinnertime rush—in contrast to 8:00 p.m., which is the most active time for the general population.

Pinterest is a major player: While the general population shares on Facebook 56 percent of the time, moms are sharing most with a combination of Pinterest (29 percent) and Facebook (34 percent).

Parenting and entertainment content is key: A third of the content that moms share is either parenting-related (18 percent) or focused on TV and movies (15 percent).

“Sharing is such a powerful and telling gesture—the kind of content that someone shares and how they’re doing it says a tremendous amount about what they want. If you can understand that about your audience, then your brand can more effectively add value to their lives,” said Jason Kodish, SVP, North America Strategy & Analysis Lead, Digitas. “The insights from the Social Moms Study can help marketers do exactly that for moms. By tapping into the moments and content that matter, brands and marketers can better engage this influential group and bring something truly relevant to the conversation.”

In addition to information about what content is most popular and which social networks moms use the most, the research also includes data on how moms’ content consumption differs from their sharing habits as well as a geographic breakdown of their sharing behavior across the country. All together, the results from the Social Moms Study offer actionable insights that marketers can use to design and execute more effective campaigns.

Megan Calhoun, founder and CEO of SocialMoms.com, a network that helps connect brands to its network of 45,000 influential social media personalities and bloggers, added, “Everyday, we see more and more leading brands explore new ways to both identify and engage influential women online. The strategy may be proven, but the key to success still revolves around authentic and engaging content that begs to be shared and earns its way into conversation.”

“Moms always have and always will represent a valuable audience,” said Andrew Stevens, vice president, strategic research at ShareThis. “By analyzing what moms are doing online beyond clicks and ‘likes’, this research shows what and how they are sharing, which offers real insight into what they care about and can help advertisers reach them more effectively.”

For more information at http://www.digitas.com