March 23, 2023

5 Ways Influencer Marketing Has Impacted Parenting

If you were a teenager in the late 90s, you are likely a millennial parent now. The difference between millennial parents and the parent generation before that is that when you were growing up, the worldwide web had become a very dominant part of everyday life. You had better access to information and technology. At the same time, with the advent of social media, the avenues for parenting information and support further increased.  So, while your parents relied on elders in the family for parental guidance, you turned to the internet to get that information.  

As per a study conducted by a parenting platform, Instagram is the first platform of choice to find products and services related to parenting for Indian moms aged between 24-45 years old. The platform boasts a plethora of content creators or influencers in various fields. Parenting is one suchcategory on the platform that attracts the audience's attention. This is because parenting is a very hard thing. And the ever-evolving world that you live in, the demands of parenting can be difficult to keep pace with.  

Parents need information and support which is easy to access and without judgment. Fortunately, the social media feed on your phone is just doing that. It is allowing parents like yourself to get information about the challenges of day-to-day parenting in an effortless manner. You no longer feel alone in your struggle and it is in a way normalizing parenting taboos while helping parents find the right solution to their problem.  

These solutions could be information related to baby products, child nutrition, child behavior, postpartum depression, product reviews, and much more. It is without a doubt that social media influencers play a huge part in how millennials parent today. This trend has given opportunities to businesses to promote their products and services on this platform via social media influencers who are known for their honest and relatable parenting. It is the best way brands can reach out to parents who want to make an informed decision about the product, or service they want for their children.  

Taking this discussion further, here are 5 ways influencer marketing is changing parenting norms - 

Parents today go deep into their research  
Be it buying a high chair for your toddler or anew nutrition supplement for your kid, as a millennial parent you want to know the pros and cons of every product you eventually buy for your child. In the past, getting product information was difficult to procure. However, content-creating platforms like Instagram have changed that. Today brands tie up parenting influencers to create content around product reviews.  

Such videos give first-hand information about the product’s features, usage, pros, and cons. Most content creators are very honest about their reviews because they value the trust of their audience. Parenting influencers are known for their authenticity and brands are aware of this.  

Thanks to this, parents can rely on the influencers' judgment and do a deep dive research before investing in any baby products, toys, food supplements, or accessories.  

Increased emphasis on mental health  
As a parent, you are faced with new challenges at every stage of child development. This can play with your mental health. Whether it is managing sleepless nights with an infant, handling the tantrums of a toddler, or dealing with the challenges of puberty, there is never downtime for a parent. In addition to that, you may also be handling multiple roles and responsibilities. While handling all this and more, parents can often feel lonely and helpless.  

Fortunately, many parents have found support in the social media space through communities and influencers pages that talk about the importance of mental health in young people, especially new mothers, and fathers. 

There are umpteen influencers online who are promoting the cause of mental health, and postpartum depression in new moms and dads. Until a few years ago, there was hardly any discussion on such subject matters. Social media has made people bold and forthright about sharing their struggles, which is a big help to others going through similar experiences.  

New-age parents understand the importance of self-care and mental healing. They live by the mantra- happy parent equals happy child and follows this ethos in their daily lives.  

Learn about new parenting hacks and styles  
If you ever have a conversation with your peers about how they were raised as children, chances are that it was pretty much the same as how you were raised. This is because parents of that generation followed a set template or pattern to raise their children. It was generally a mix of tough parenting, with increased emphasis on academic excellence and upholding impeccable behavior.  

A new-age parent has moved away from that style and social media has a big role to play in that. The world of parenting influencers is divided into silos that depend upon the technique or style of parenting they have adopted with their children. Gentle parenting, uninvolved parenting, helicopter parenting, and free-range parenting are some examples of parenting styles. Although these styles of parenting have been around forever, they have been made popular by social media influencers. There are a lot of videos supporting or critiquing these parenting styles.  

Each parenting approach has benefits and flaws attached to it and depends upon your discretion on how you choose to parent. But what is important is that there is a discussion about parenting which is allowing young parents to choose the best techniques for their child.  

Greater involvement of dads 
Parenting is an equal partnership of both parents and this notion is being reinforced by many influencer dads. In most families, the mother is the primary caretaker of the child. But the idea that dads need to be more involved is taking precedence. As a result, many brands are not just targeting mothers but also fathers with their marketing content. It is refreshing that dads are getting more hands-on with raising children.  

Support from parenting communities  
Influencer marketing has led to the development of parenting communities. Parents can connect with other parents who share similar parenting styles or interests through social media platforms such as Instagram. This can be especially helpful for parents living in a nuclear family or lacking local social support, such as families living away from their hometown or a different country.   

Final Say,  
Influencer marketing has impacted parenting in both positive and negative ways. There are a lot of parents who follow techniques that cover the textbook definition of “perfect parenting” and there are an equal number of influencers who feel otherwise. Whatever parenting style you choose to adopt, parents have a lot of information and support through influencer pages that are informative and supportive.  

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