Data-Centric Digital Media & Email Marketing

What COVID-19 Means to Moms and Why Your Brand Should Care

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Millennial and Gen X moms are feeling significant effects from the COVID-19 crisis. Between work responsibilities and being both caregiver and full-time teacher to their kids, moms are stretched even more thin than usual. Time is short, and available attention is shorter. Learn how your brand can keep the unique needs of moms at the forefront when offering products or services in this climate.

Meeting Moms Where They Are

The overriding feeling coming from moms right now is anxiety. In an op-ed for Ms. Magazine, Marika Lindholm writes, “As an administrator on ESME.com and 60-plus single-mom Facebook groups, I’ve received one message loud and clear from single moms from San Francisco to New York City: They are scared.” From financial troubles to worrying about healthcare, exposure, and the increased stress of running a household that’s occupied 24/7, moms need more than kind words from brands to ease their minds.

Brands must offer real value to moms at this time, with timesaving and easily accessible resources. Ways to get kids involved in meal prep, simple recipes with fewer ingredients, and good, relevant information are great ways to provide value to consumer families. The Packer, a publication focused on the fresh produce industry, reports companies are spending big to help moms entertain kids and get healthy, low-sugar meals on the table and cleaned up quickly.

CPG companies catering to families can offer financial relief, donations to relevant organizations, or specifically target moms with messaging providing real, actionable solutions for what families are facing right now.

Content Tailored to the Time

In terms of content, producing material that speaks directly to the new normal for families is excellent, but revisiting older content is fine if it is newly relevant. According to Rachel Matow of Mom2.0, now is a good time to post content focusing “on self-care, eating healthier, crafts, parenting, recipes–pretty much everything and anything pertaining to life at home… The shock is wearing off, and now we’re all looking for ways to get through the days.” And if you’re going out of your way to accommodate the needs of your employees, reading positive stories about front-line workers or how we’re all adapting can be a welcome escape.

If your brand has something to say regarding life at home or the pandemic, reach out to your customers and tell them using email or social channels. Hubspot reports, despite email send volume being up due to COVID-19 communication from brands, open rates were up over 50% the week of March 16 and 21% for the month. However, don’t force an empathetic message or an email from the CEO if it’s not relevant. Looking insensitive or opportunistic in the current climate is dangerous for any brand, and consumers can tell when a message is not genuine.

Access to Product

Finally, consider how to shore up slack in the supply chain and consider offering direct-to-consumer shipping or free shipping. When every trip to the store comes with a risk of exposure, families are doing what they can to limit trips out. Make sure access to your product is not the barrier keeping moms from buying.

Millennial and Gen X moms are finding their way through this global crisis. As our behaviors shift, brands must adapt to new expectations and what it means to be relevant and valuable in consumers’ lives. Moms’ needs can be even more acute than other types of consumers because they generally have less free time and tighter budgets. Be respectful, empathetic, and meet them where they are. Internally, revisit customer journey maps and personas to see how their buying patterns may have changed and how you can better serve them. Look at this period as a chance to get closer to your customers and offer real value. After the coronavirus pandemic, the companies poised to come out even stronger will be the ones most skilled at serving customers in crisis.