According to a new survey, 81% of moms will engage more with a brand when offered some type of reward.  The new survey from PunchTab also reveals that rewards can work to increase a brand's social following, boost positive word-of-mouth and drive more sales.  In addition, some non-financial incentives — such as elite status or early access to products — can be very effective behavior motivators. 

"Moms are the most critical demographic segment for many brands. They are the primary decision makers when it comes to household purchases and influence $2.4 trillion in spend every year. Everyone wants to engage this audience segment. The question is: what motivates moms to take action?" said Angela Sanfilippo, CMO at PunchTab.

Key findings of the survey include:

MOMS WILL ENGAGE MORE WITH A BRAND WHEN OFFERED A REWARD

• 81% of moms will engage more with a brand when a reward is in place. Rewards are most effective at driving participation in surveys and polls, with 72% saying they would take a survey or poll if provided with an incentive. Rewards can also help with building a customer database: 59% of respondents say they would sign up for regular email updates when a reward is offered, and 41% say they would share personal details and purchase behavior.

• 41% of moms will post a review when offered a reward, and 50% of moms on Facebook say they would be willing to share brand content on Facebook. Increasing positive word-of-mouth through rewards can lead to more sales: studies show that more than half of moms rely significantly on the online recommendations when making purchase decisions.

REWARDING MOMS FOR FOLLOWING YOUR BRANDS ON SOCIAL CHANNELS CAN BOOST SALES

• 57% of moms on Facebook say they will "Like" a brand's page on Facebook when offered a reward; 50% of moms will follow a brand on Pinterest and 52% of moms will follow a brand on Twitter when offered a reward.

• 92% of moms who say they would be willing to "Like" a brand on Facebook when offered a reward, say they would also be more likely to share brand content, post reviews or purchase additional brand products if incentivized. This number jumps to 98% for Twitter and 93% for Pinterest.

MOMS ARE MOTIVATED BY MORE THAN JUST FINANCIAL REWARDS

• 67% of respondents say they would be interested in receiving perks associated with elite status, such as free shipping or branded merchandise. More than one-third of moms indicate they would value incentives that offered them exclusive access to a brand, such as being able to buy new products ahead of the general public (39%), being able to influence a brand's future products (38%) or getting advanced notification of new products (36%).

• Free products and services from the brand are the most popular incentives, with 83% of respondents saying these would be effective motivators, followed closely by receiving gift cards from popular retailers (82%). Discounts and coupons are also valued by moms, with 60% saying they would take an action in return for a discount or coupon to use on the future purchase of a brand product.

• 58% of moms saying that they would want a brand to make a donation to charity on their behalf as a reward.

UMBRELLA LOYALTY PROGRAMS CAN BE EFFECTIVE AT INCREASING TRIAL AND PURCHASE

• 73% of respondents say that they would be interested in a loyalty program for a parent company, with 59% of all moms in the study saying they would buy other products from the parent company if doing so resulted in more loyalty points.

• 52% of moms would also be willing to take a social action in return for a discount or coupon to use on a future purchase from a brand's broader family of products.

• 46% say they would switch from a competitor's product to a brand or parent company product in order to earn loyalty points, assuming equivalent product quality.

[Source:  "Digitally Engaged Moms Survey."  PunchTab.  10 May 2013.  Web.  7 June 2013.]