Fathers, sons and daughters everywhere are racking their brain trying to find that perfect gift for mom. As a result, businesses of all kinds are fine-tuning their strategies to take advantage of this short, yet prosperous holiday season. Some, the savvy and opportunistic ones, are already cashing in on the rush. Mother’s Day is without a doubt a great marketing opportunity, but as a new study reminds us, for brands, it doesn’t just come once a year – it’s pretty much every day.

A study recently conducted in a tandem effort by parenting website BabyCenter and global marketing giant Nielsen hinted that brands should take a different approach to targeting women as they enter motherhood. The study, which included responses from 2,500 American mothers and other adult internet users, revealed some very interesting information regarding the amount of time moms are consuming media, and the devices they are using to consume it.

According to the research, moms are spending an average of nearly 11 hours per day with media. That number increased to 17 hours for those who owned a smartphone, tablet computer or internet-enabled TV device. In addition, the study shed light on the following areas:

Time Spent Online – Moms are spending an average of 66 hours online per month and 16 hours per month on Facebook. Both percentages are twice as much as the time spent by the general population of American adults.

Media Device Preference – Compared to the general population of American adults, moms are 28% more likely to use a tablet computer, 38% more likely to own a smartphone and 38% more likely to own an internet-enabled TV device.

Content Preference – Overall, the study found that mothers expect more from advertising and seek out deals more than the average adult internet user.

Apparently businesses get the message because we are seeing more and more brands shift their focus to explicitly target mothers. Early this year, we ran across a story highlighting how Vick’s was specifically targeting moms with an extensive marketing campaign for its behind-the-ear thermometer. Managed by Blue Chip Marketing Worldwide, the campaign was comprised of print and TV ads, online ads, email communications and even QR codes. A rep from Blue Chip mentioned that click-through rates for the soft launch were twice as much as initially expected.

Engaging the Social Mom

Moms are picking up on technology fast and leading the way in adoption on so many fronts. They are doing the research online, buying the new gadgets, downloading the apps, sharing their recommendations and much more. They are making the buying decisions in the majority of American homes, and using technology as their guiding light. It is obvious that moms are moving across multiple mediums, but the channel most tend to wind up in through one device or another is social media. This is great news for the marketing type.

According to a study published by marketing firm Performance, mothers are more likely to both interact with brands and come to trust them on social media sites. Another interesting tidbit from the Performance study tells us that moms are 45% more likely to buy something from a brand based on a social recommendation. But perhaps the most important findings were those showing their willingness to act as ambassadors for the brands they interact with through the social channel by sharing their ads, linking to their content and bringing them up in discussion.

So what is the takeaway here for brands? To design your strategy so it reaches mothers in the channels they prefer to use, with content they feel is important. Keep in mind, though, that the key is not just adopting this mindset during Mother’s Day season but all year round.