Mama Mia! Media, Marketing, and the Power of Mom’s Purse

Fact: Over 83 million moms nationwide exert a whopping $2.1 trillion in spending power and control most family spending and shopping

When it comes to their family’s health care, it’s no secret that Mom is the primary decision maker or CPO, Chief Purchasing Officer. She chooses the practitioners, schedules the appointments, and approves (or vetoes) the procedures.

The prosperity that ‘Mom’ represents to practices is not lost on dentists; but what is often less clear is how to get “choosy’ Moms to choose their practice. What factors weigh into a Mom’s decision when it comes to selecting a dentist? How can your practice increase its appeal to Moms? What are you doing that may inadvertently be causing Moms to stray?

It makes good financial sense to explore these questions. Women, in general, spend $0.85 of every dollar… over $2.1 trillion nationwide. It’s no wonder that the winning prize in many sports competitions is referred to as ‘the purse.’ Women

Productive Dentist Academy is at the forefront of gender marketing research. From reaching Mom… to engendering her loyalty… to making it easy for her to refer friends and family… we’ve explored, dissected and developed each stage of the cycle. Along the way, we’ve learned some surprising things about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to engaging Moms. Here’s some of our and other research that may help you in your practice:

Profiling Moms: What You Need to Know

The first and most important thing to understand is that Moms come in all shapes and sizes and cannot be treated as a homogenous group. A Mom with toddlers has needs that are quite different than a Mom with teens. Additionally, Moms are unique within each sub-group; for example, a Mom with an at-home infant may also be a self-employed businesswoman or she may be an older, first time Mom.

Two important points to keep in mind:

1. Women, Moms especially, think and assess the longer-term ramifications of everything and
2. She tends to use both her left and right brain in decision-making. As her dental health provider, it is important to understand the priorities a Mom faces at each stage, and to evolve your conversations so that you can show and provide support according to her family’s season of need. In conversations, it’s also important to cite facts and figures yet also be aware of the empathetic right side of the brain that she uses in decision making. As a “general” guideline, here are typical lines of division among Moms and things that are top of mind for her:

New Moms: from pregnancy to toddlers

Opportunity: focus on pre-natal health of the mom, special needs of pregnancy, and infant care, i.e., bottle-mouth syndrome.

Toddler Moms: busy hands and on the go

Opportunity make the office reception area family friendly and include a special area for children. Make sure staff is friendly and engages siblings during appointments.

Elementary to teen years Moms: a time for further education and counsel

Opportunity: provide nutritional counseling and stress importance of healthy dental habits.  Introduce benefits of fluoride, Carifree, and xylotol for caries reduction. Discuss readiness level for orthodontic treatment.

Teen Moms: preparing kids for high school and college

Opportunity:  3rd molars and saving extracted teeth in StemCell bank (www.stemsave.com) for possible use later in life.

Empty Nester Moms: progressive separation of children from college to graduation and beyond

Opportunity: Moms at this stage are experiencing new found freedom. This is an opportunity for self-reflection and self-nurturing. Consider complimentary whitening with complete re-exam (every 3 to 5 years) and cosmetic dentistry.

Differences in age of children and careers aside, the one factor tying all these Moms together is a desire to ensure the best for their families while managing the household budget. The bottom line is that each woman is different and the only relationship that truly endures is a one-to-one relationship. That means that you must first listen to what she values in her dental service provider and then let her know she’s been heard by following through on what is important to her.

There is nothing more powerful and loyal than a grateful Mom. Earn her trust and take care of her family and she will serve as a powerful and loyal goodwill ambassador for your practice.