According to a new study of US internet users from Keller Fay, moms are more responsive to word-of-mouth advertising than other adults and more likely to pass it on. One doubts this is any great shock to moms at least. Historically, moms have been the backbone of community since the first communities originated. They have been the foundation and the caretakers of communities relating to families both on and off line.

Almost two-thirds of those moms included in the study said they typically thought word-of-mouth was credible, 2 points higher than women in general and a full ten points above men.
According to the study, moms are also more likely to take action on word-of-mouth by passing it on to others, making a purchase or at least doing some more research on a brand because of it. In general females are more receptive than males, but moms are even more likely to listen and share brand conversations.

It seems fundamental to mothers to share just about everything. From information to time to hand-me-downs, moms seem to have a natural inclination to share with their networks online and off. On top of that, women with children these days often combine so many roles that the Internet in general, saves them the necessary time (think online shopping for instance), as older research has proven. As a man and dad I often wonder how they do it.

Now, women simply have a lot more potential reach thanks to the internet and social media. There is an old saying which has been attributed to an African proverb and it states that it takes a village to raise a child. Likely it was almost certainly a mother who made that observation. No matter how big a city a mom may live in, she will quickly form villages/communities to share information thus, improving her abilities and empowering herself as a mother.

Men tend to be wired differently than women when it comes to information sharing. Their way of thinking is find, hunt and kill. Telling another guy where the game is may not strike them as the best survival strategy. Mothers seem to understand that just as they are searching for helpful information, so are others and being able to understand that desire, they share.

As well, being a mother gives you instant entry into a large and special circle of like-minded individuals. One of those things they may have in common is the desire to share information or products which they believe enrich their lives and may enrich the lives of other mothers. Nothing gives you more credibility to another mom as does being a mom yourself. There seems to be an innate understanding between mothers that they share the same general values and interests.

Brands that recognize this and make an effort to not only join that conversation, but add value to it by providing education and timely information, stand to profit from the relationship.

PS: there is some generalizing in this post regarding gender but IMHO: women are the stronger and more social gender.