Targeting moms? You’re doing it wrong.

Based on a survey of more than 1,600 Canadian moms who are part of YummyMummyClub.ca, 81% haven’t had a meaningful interaction with a brand on social media. Of the 19% who did report engagement, most said it was because of things like great customer service or helping solve a problem, which is more in line with reputation management, says Erica Ehm, founder and publisher of YummyMummyClub.ca.

“However, marketing is about being proactive and creating new relationships and new clients and clearly this isn’t happening as efficiently as most companies would hope,” says Ehm.

Nine out of 10 moms post on social networks, with four in 10 doing so at least weekly. Facebook is visited daily by 77% of moms, and Twitter by about 30%. Most report sharing funny stories, parenting tips, coupons, deals and contests. “Moms are looking for stories that make them smile,” Ehm says. “What they don’t share is branded, ‘hey, look at me’ content.”

Getting timing right is important for driving engagement, Ehm notes. Most meaningful engagement takes place in the evening, after a busy day and putting the kids to bed, according to the survey. Lunchtime (between noon and 2 p.m.) is also a high engagement period. Lack of time and lack of interest were the biggest reasons for not sharing content actively.

Reaching out personally is also key, Ehm says. She points to P&G’s “Thank You Mom” campaign for the Olympics. When that launched, the company could have sent out personalized tweets thanking everyday moms for their work in taking their kids to their daily activities – not just those who would become parents of Olympic athletes, she says.

“These are the kinds of things that brands need to start doing. They’re labour intensive. They’re not one to many, they’re one to one, but that’s the power of digital.”