Katrina McCarter is the founder of Marketing to Mums, a marketing and research consultancy based in Melbourne.  She is a Marketing Strategist, Best-selling Author, Speaker and Mentor and specialises in helping businesses sell more effectively to the world’s most powerful consumer, Mums. Katrina provides strategic, educational and research support to assist brands gain a competitive advantage. She’s all about delivering greater sales and profit.

We caught up with Katrina to chat about her niche market and all that she has achieved. 

What made you decide to focus on marketing specifically for Mums and how does this differ to regular marketing?

I’ve got 18 years sales and marketing experience. I am trained to spot gaps in the market and Mums are being well communicated with by brands.

Mums are our most powerful shoppers who power our economy. In fact, they control $132 billion in spending in Australia every year. They purchase for multiple generations and they hold great influence on other people’s purchasing. Yet despite their economic power, Mums remain the most misunderstood, misrepresented and undervalued consumer in the market.

In my first business I had a shopping website with a community of 150,000 mums and I had observed that they weren’t happy with how brands were selling to them so I decided to run a survey to measure their dissatisfaction. I expected about 300-400 responses and was delighted to find more than 1800 Australian Mums respond. They wanted to have their opinions heard and acted upon. My key finding was that 63% of Australian Mums believe advertisers and brands don’t understand them. To me, this highlights an enormous opportunity for growth for businesses willing to invest the time and resources into understanding them deeply.  My work focuses on helping brands through this journey and implementing strategies to build relationships which connect, engage and ultimately convert mums.

How do you think Mums will purchase or how will their habits change in the immediate future?

Mums are changing rapidly. I invest a lot of time researching and understanding the communication preferences in the different generations of Mums. How you would communicate with a Millennial Mum is very different with how you would communicate with a Gen X Mum. That’s why it’s so important to understand which segment of the Mum market you are wanting to attract. Treating all Mums with the same strategy won’t work.

Right now I’m investing in learning about Gen Zs, our Mums of tomorrow. Definitely our younger mums are looking for tech first solutions to their problems.  They are also very safety focus having grown up with terrorism. They are heavy users of Instagram and SnapChat so brands should be securing these social media assets to prepare for the future.

Often women setting up part-time businesses from home will not have a large budget – can you share a couple of tips so that they get the best value for their dollar?

I completely understand having a limited budget but I don’t believe you need a big budget to enjoy success. I grew my first business, an online shopping website, to a community of more than 150,000 Mums and I never spent more than $300 a month on advertising.

My biggest tips are:

• Niche – you need to understand who your most profitable customer is and then build your strategy around this segment.
• Amplify – identify your three or four clear points of difference and promote these through all your marketing communications.
• Focus on relationships – Mums in particular want you earn their respect and attention before selling to them.
• Marketing Partnerships – they are the cheapest way to grow a small business. Look to collaborate with other businesses who are targeting the same audience, are not in competition with you and have similar business values and ethics.

Do you have any tips for Mums on how to succeed when they return to the workforce?

I was asked this question last week at a conference where I was presenting to 300 women. I think it’s really important to have a strong home and work network to lean on. At home, it’s important to have a discussion with your partner and work out how to share responsibilities. Identifying a plan if your child gets sick or sharing the load for childcare drop offs and pick-ups. My kids are older now, they are 15, 14 and 11, and one of the ways I get them to contribute to the family is through cooking.  Each child needs to cook a meal for the family each week.

At work, ask for a mentor who might have returned to work in the past year or so. For those who are working for themselves I highly recommend setting up an accountability group. This is something I have done (and continue to do so). I meet with my accountability group once a month for two months via Zoom and each quarter we get together in person for a full day in person. We support guidance and support to each other. This might involve workshopping a problem, asking for advice on an opportunity or simply having someone to share a win with.

So what’s next on the cards for Katrina McCarter – what’s next…?

I’m launching my first Marketing to Mums program this July. This is focused on getting the foundations in place correctly to position a business for growth. It’s a combination of group webinars and one on one coaching sessions with me.  I’ve created it for small business owners who need some marketing support.

I’m also doing lots of interviews with some amazing brand leaders, market researchers and marketing professionals for Marketing to Mums – the Podcast, and I’m preparing to launch my next book in October.

First job?

Picking up golf balls off the driving range at the golf course next door – every day after school from the age of 10.

Favourite movie and why?

I don’t have a favourite movie but I love property shows. My out of work weakness is watching Million Dollar Listings New York and Million Dollar Listings LA.

What do you do in your spare time?

Like many parents, you will find me in my car. I have three teenage kids who play lots of sport so I’m always driving to and from games. When I get some time to myself I head out for a walk. I love getting out in nature, it’s where my brain gets really creative.