How mothers use YouTube: New trends and insights for successful advertising on YouTube
58% of the polled group of mothers who watch YouTube say that they look for videos on a specific product before they purchase it.
YouTube is an excellent channel to advertise on. Not least because of the fact that many advertising companies have not yet discovered it, and thus have not identified its potential! Especially interesting for us are the insights from Kate Stanford, Managing Director of Global YouTube Ad Marketing. As a mother of three, she tells us new insights on how mothers use YouTube and how brands can be present in situations that are relevant to mothers:
Like many mothers, she is also confronted every day with questions, decisions and challenges. Questions from her children, like “Mom, how do I draw a little pony?”; decisions that a mother needs to make, like “which stroller is light enough to push up the little hill to the house?”; or the biggest parental challenges that keep mothers awake at night, like “how do I talk to my child about new media, using a smartphone, etc?”
In a world where information is just a click away, mothers are constantly going online for their big and small questions. To understand better how that looks for mothers and the role that online videos play in their lives and decision processes, Google and YouTube partnered with TNS and Ipsos to observe mothers between the ages of 18 and 54. YouTube discovered that 83% of mothers look for answers to their questions online. Of these, 3 of 5 watch online videos!
Two of the main reasons that mothers use YouTube are for how-tos and DIY ideas. Since mothers use YouTube more and more as a source of information, brands have an amazing opportunity to utilize help sections to offer useful content on product know-how and new ideas, and offers or products. This fantastic channel works not only on the branding level, but through to acute support of the sale.
Mothers are increasingly relying on YouTube how-to videos more than the average user
Consider this: Young mothers in particular, but also mothers in general have little time to flip through a dozen fashion magazines for the latest trends or (while her child is screaming) to test drive a dozen different strollers. Instead, in these moments of “want to know”, “want to buy”, “want to make”, they are very often turning to YouTube. In these situations, mothers want concrete and helpful answers and YouTube delivers these.
81% of videos viewed by mothers can be categorized as how-to. They are viewing this how-to content significantly more often than the average user.
“I wanted to know how to make a yummy vegetable dish. So I went on to YouTube and watched a video instead of looking for a recipe. I wanted to know exactly how to make it—to see exactly how it is made.” – Rique, 40
“Media use and how to teach children how to handle it responsibly: this problem has been around for a while. YouTube offers tools for parents, whether as videos or activities you can do together. It helps me as a mother to simplify the daily tasks.” – Jessica, 32
Today, mothers want concrete answers in the right moment. Mothers turn to YouTube for product research.
58% of the polled group of mothers who watch YouTube say that they look for videos on a certain product before buying it. To find these videos, 69% of those asked go to YouTube before looking on other video platforms. Barrie, a 34-year-old mother, gives us this example:
“When I was trying to find out which kind of stroller to buy, I went on YouTube. I found videos on how strollers work, how you open and close them, how you move the seat forwards and backwards, and how you get the stroller in and out of the car. There were people who also showed how difficult some of these are sometimes. That is exactly the information I am looking for before I buy a stroller.”
Brands can appear as useful companions by building a YouTube content strategy, which focuses on useful content that satisfactorily answers mothers’ questions. Good examples are the in-depth product video from BIG or this video from HIPP. Online videos like these can help make mothers’ lives simpler and more efficient. It leads them quickly to the products they need and gives them more security when deciding to purchase.
58% of the mothers said that they look for product videos before purchasing.
What your brands need to know is how mothers use YouTube via product groups
Whether a mother buys something for herself, her children or the home, it is likely that she will view at least one, and often up to ten or more YouTube videos before making a decision. YouTube studied three product categories and observed what mothers did. They looked at fashion items (for herself), baby or children’s products (for the children) and cars (for the home), and what that means for brands.
First, YouTube discovered that the challenges for brands differs with each category. If, for example, they are searching for fashion items, only 42% of mothers started their search with a specific brand in mind. Instead, they started their search with different styles and trends, and only during this process chose certain brands. To reach potential buyers, fashion companies should be present at the right moment that mothers are looking for inspiration. That could be the creation of videos to include more upper-funnel searches, for instance Fall trench coats or fashion tips for money savvy mothers. By the way, don’t forget the Google image search!
In other categories, mothers have a clear brand in mind from the outset. 80% of the observed mothers have a specific brand in mind when buying a car and 62% when buying children’s products. This presents a further opportunity for brands: Provide content on YouTube with the goal of answering questions on certain products, features and models. In our eyes, this is an absolute must for brands in these categories!
Mothers search for content that helps them overcome their daily challenges. So think about how and what mothers would search for to find answers in those categories. We offer professional and comprehensive support.
Mothers browse YouTube during the entire shopping journey, or customer journey
Examples of this can be found here:
Create a content strategy that is successful in the moments that matter.
Plan your entire YouTube content strategy with our help. Work together with us to think about how your content can be present for mothers in those moments. We will show you possibilities to answer mothers directly with useful content, e.g., in the form of how-tos, product demos and product information. Don’t forget hero content that reaches mothers on a deeper level and moves them to set your brand apart.
A good example for hero content also comes from Cardstore, who won the hearts of mothers worldwide with their video “World’s Toughest Job”. P&G, for example, showed mothers a way to start those important conversations with their “Like A Girl” video. A 35-year-old mother Alice said, “Dealing with a confident 6-year-old is hard. It connects with me on a personal level and helps me to lead discussions.”
Being a mother, you are confronted with countless questions and adventures daily. These moments are outstanding chances for brands to show empathy, to lend a helping hand, to start discussions and to inspire.
We’re here for you. Use the fantastic and the still-completely-neglected potential of content on channels like YouTube—not least for a better retrievability in Google’s organic results. Keyword: universal search!
Apropos content strategy => we connect channels and strategy holistically, keyword: content marketing!